For example, you can shop at discount stores rather than premium name brand stores that feature the allure along with higher price tags.

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The group now sells its own premium brand under the name Northland Cranberries, a publicly traded company.

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Audi's great diesel vehicles--the A3 TDI and Q7 TDI--didn't make the cut for our list (the luxury brand name carries a hefty price premium, though Mercedes-Benz was able to break through that ceiling).

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But will you get your premium back-along with the opportunity cost of not being able to invest that premium in the stock market-when you sell a name-brand condo two decades from now?

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Short of Paul Ryan's premium-support plan, the only chance for reform worth the name is "comprehensive cost-sharing" that forces individuals to confront at least some of the costs of their own care.

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For other people, I see only the name and affiliation, with a note that says I must be a premium account holder in order to view the full profile.

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Not surprisingly, research has found that a degree from a name-brand elite college, whether it's Harvard, Stanford or Amherst, carries a premium for earnings.

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