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The blue chips get a boost from a drop in oil prices and strength in utility and drug stocks. But big tech stocks continue to struggle. Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz takes back CEO reins as McDonald's declares war on the coffee giant. IBM falls on a downgrade.

The fast-food giant is taking on Starbucks by opening coffee bars in its restaurants nationwide. Wall Street likes the idea. Here's why.

You may be tempted to use them, but avoid these phrases in your advertising and marketing materials.

The fast-food chain goes further in its war on Starbucks. Microsoft founder Bill Gates talks about the next generation of tech at the Consumer Electronics Show. Recession worries linger.

Dear FSB: I'm starting a small business in building services. I'm already operating in two small locations. My first service has been to clean the offices in these buildings on a trial basis for the owner, who has other properties. The owner says he really likes my work. The owners of the buildings I've been working in know that I don't have a business license and that I'm trying out this type of business for the first time. I know that the next step is to get a business license but after that, what next? Help.

Dear FSB: How does one with limited funds go about moving an idea into the mainstream without risking it being stolen by a large entity with staff counsel and other lawyers capable of litigating the matter ad infinitum?

In case you haven't noticed, there's a whole lot of navigatin' going on. Portable nav systems are popping up in cell phones, in cars, and now, more and more, in your pocket. Navigation stalwarts Garmin International and Magellan Navigation are facing some stiff new competition in pocket navigation. New players are coming onto the market armed with lower prices, nice features and some aggressive designs.

After a horrendous year, US automakers say they see light at the end of the tunnel. There are valid reasons for optimism, but any turnaround will take time.

Dear FSB: I need to find out what the proper steps are to evict a tenant from an accessory apartment, like the two-bedroom unit built onto our attached garage.

Get ready for what has got to be the all-time greatest sleeper of a tech trend: Radios, I kid you not, are making a comeback in 2008.

Dear FSB: How does an entrepreneur go about hiring his or her first employee? What should be the first employee's role - administrative, sales or technology? Must an owner offer a piece of the company to the employee?

After 17 years in prison, Martin Tankleff has been set free and will not face a retrial for the 1988 murders of his parents.

It's an election year, and stocks usually do well in election years. But there are plenty of risks. Meanwhile, my indicators suggest it's time to buy.

You can get overwhelmed trying to decide which credit card rewards program is right for you. But here's a shortcut: Take a peek at what industry pros are using.