Coming Saturday in Personal Finance Focus

Financial stocks were having a pretty good year, even before Chase Manhattan Bank's (CMB Quote) proposed acquisition of J.P. Morgan (JPM Quote) gave new life to merger speculation in the sector. The Bank Sector index is up 17.7% for the year, thanks also to stabilizing interest rates.

Time to add a financial fund to your portfolio? This week's The Big Screen will sift for the ones that consistently outperform their peers. Look for it Saturday.

Also coming Saturday in Personal Finance Focus:

• Traders take note. Tracy Byrnes examines whether you can claim trader status on your tax return without marking your trades to market in Tax Forum.

• Mark Ingebretsen is still searching for the perfect trader's Web connection in Tools of the Trade.

• The ETF Weekly Report will list the weekly and year-to-date performance of every exchange-traded fund.

We'll also have Jim Cramer's weekly mutual funds column, the Stock in the Spotlight and the Weekly Scorecard. See you Saturday.