Some of their other debt has been down-graded by bond-rating agencies, and their stock prices continue to fall.

NPR: Bailout Vow Does Little To Aid Fannie, Freddie

This week two rating agencies down-graded Russia's debt.

ECONOMIST: Russia��s finances

So they went into these really risky forms of insurance, and now as those sub-prime mortgage bonds have been down-graded and started to blow up, the bond insurers are starting to blow up, too, and the real significance is: What does it mean not just for municipalities all over the country but for the entire market?

NPR: Bond Insurer Losses Could Have Broader Impact

What's really more likely to happen is that if these bond insurers get down-graded by the rating agencies from their triple-A rating, that would cause all the holders of the bonds to also have down-grades, which would mean yet more billions of write-offs, yet more losses, yet more problems for the stock market and yet more ripple effect on the rest of the economy.

NPR: Bond Insurer Losses Could Have Broader Impact

Forbes graded Amerindo Technology ( ATCHX) A in up markets but F in down markets.

FORBES: A Forbes Tool To Rate Mutual Funds

On the down side, Slim-Fast landed dead last in satisfaction scores when Consumer Reports recently graded do-it-yourself diet plans.

FORBES: Slim-Fast Needs To Reverse Its Financial Crash Diet

Then we graded our Best Buys on three-year-average annual returns and performance in up and down markets versus their respective benchmarks.

FORBES: The Forbes List Of ETF Best Buys