Following is a sampling of stocks that recently jumped to 5 stars. By way of background, we award a stock 5 stars when it trades at a suitably large discount--i.e., a margin of safety--to our fair value estimate. Thus, when a stock hits 5-star territory, we consider it an especially compelling value.

Anheuser-Busch Companies
Moat: Wide
Risk: Below Average
Price/Fair Value Ratio*: 0.83
Three-Year Expected Annual Return*: 15.5%

What It Does: Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:BUD - News) is the largest American brewer. Its domestic beer brands, which include Budweiser, Michelob, Busch, and Natural Light, are produced at 12 breweries in the United States. The company owns 50% of Grupo Modelo and has made substantial investments in Chinese breweries. It also owns a brewery in the United Kingdom and licenses its brands to various brewers worldwide. The company owns packaging companies and nine theme parks, including Sea World and Busch Gardens.

What Gives It an Edge: Morningstar analyst Ann Gilpin thinks Anheuser-Busch has a wide economic moat. The firm dominates the domestic beer market with nearly 50% share, and this scale advantage has

SEATTLE (AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled, helped by fast-growing international sales.

The Web retailer also issued better-than-expected sales guidance and appeared unconcerned about a possible recession.

But its shares sank after hours as investors did the math and saw that rising sales wouldn't bring as rich a profit as they'd hoped.

The stock plunged $8.33, or 11 percent, to $65.88 in electronic trading, after ending the day with a small gain at $74.21.

Amazon's earnings in the crucial holiday quarter climbed to $207 million, or 48 cents per share, from $98 million, or 23 cents per share, in the same period last year.

Results matched Wall Street's expectations: Analysts polled by Thomson Financial forecast a profit of 48 cents per share.

Revenue rose 42 percent to $5.67 billion from $3.9 billion in the year-ago quarter, topping analysts

Should I pay off my mortgage early to get rid of the monthly payments?

I retired five years ago at age 55 with a pension and a 401(k) from which I took fixed withdrawals through age 59 1/2. Then, I rolled over the 401(k) to a low-risk annuity with a $200,000 balance. I have $50,000 left to pay on my mortgage (five years left on a 10-year loan with a 5.375% interest rate). With most of the interest paid on this loan, I'm wondering if it would be better to pay off the balance with an annuity withdrawal or continue to make monthly payments. I realize I would have to pay taxes on the annuity withdrawal, but I could use the extra $1,000 a month now rather than in five years.

--James Wilson, Chula Vista, Calif.


Your dilemma is a common one: Should people pay off their mortgage when they retire -- and get rid of that big monthly expense?

Part of the decision is based on what helps you sleep better at night. Some retirees prefer to spend a chunk of their nest egg upfront so they no longer have to worry about a mortgage; others feel more secure keeping the money in their savings accounts as long as possible.

Looking at the numbers rather than the feelings involved, three certified financial planners we consulted all had the same advice: In most cases, your best bet would be using the annuity to fund your monthly