Five Big Ifs for 2006

For investors, 2006 will start a little late this year -- about six months late, in fact.

Sure, we'll flip open a new calendar on Jan. 1. But as common as it is to think that a new investing year starts with the New Year, it's especially important to resist that way of thinking as we head into 2006.

Truth is, the big make-or-break events of 2006 -- the ones that will determine how different investing in 2006 is from investing in 2005 -- aren't scheduled to hit the calendar until later in the year. ...