The Nikkei 225 index, a collection of Japanese stocks, retreated 0.8% to 9, 458.74.

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We took the job-growth and cost-of-living rankings, and added to the mix a housing affordability index from research firm Moody's Economy.com and a salary index from Seattle-based compensation collection firm PayScale .

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Carlson has delivered a 13% compound annual return since then, a percentage point better than the emerging market index and better than double what you would have earned from the collection of high-grade U.S. paper in the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund .

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Then round out your portfolio with a few cheap index funds that will act more or less like the collection of smaller Contrafund positions that you are not buying individually.

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Upon check-in, you were issued an index card that was either pink and read EXAM in Magic Marker or was purple and tagged COLLECTION.

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