Pepsico

For most of the past decade, buying Oreos or Trident gum for your kids meant sending money to the Marlboro Man. Those brands have gone their separate ways, but there are still many odd matches in the wild world of conglomerates, where companies own siblings that don't really look like one another.

If you're new to stock investing, you're probably looking for a slam dunk: a company you've heard of, with a business that's not hard to understand, a great reputation -- and great prospects for growth over the long term. Here's one tasty stock that offers all of that.

Thanks to pricing discrepancies on Wall Street, you can actually buy a dollar's worth of stocks for $0.85 -- or perhaps even less than that. All you need to do is warm up to the sorely neglected realm of closed-end funds.

There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially when new iGadgets hit the shelves and earnings season kicks off in earnest. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week ahead.

From PepsiCo to Avon to Xerox, these women are responsible for some of the biggest companies and brands that consumers touch and feel everyday. And this year, there's a new No. 1 on Fortune's list of the most powerful women.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has grand plans to cut through the partisan noise and remind our country's politicians of their problem-solving duties: On Tuesday, he's hosting a gigantic, public telephone town hall, and asking all "concerned Americans" to join his movement and participate.

Ever notice how quickly kids outgrow their favorite toys? Next gift occasion, consider giving something that will last, and even appreciate in value -- if you choose it wisely: stock. The key to getting your kids interested in investing? Picking companies that match their interests.