ATLANTA (AP) -- The Coca-Cola Co. reported Wednesday a 79 percent jump in fourth-quarter profit and maintained its growth targets despite a slowing U.S. economy, but has no plans to be more aggressive with its stock buybacks.

The results posted by the world's largest beverage maker beat Wall Street expectations, but company shares slipped.

The Atlanta-based company said it earned $1.21 billion, or 52 cents a share, for the three months ending Dec. 31, compared to a profit of $678 million, or 29 cents a share, a year earlier, when the company took a big impairment charge at its largest bottler.

Excluding one-time items, Coca-Cola said it earned $1.36 billion, or 58 cents a share, in the quarter, ahead of the 55 cents a share analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting.

Revenue in the quarter rose 24 percent to $7.33 billion, compared to $5.93 billion recorded a year earlier.

Looking ahead, Coca-Cola executives said the company is mindful of the slowing U.S. economy.

Chief Financial Officer Gary Fayard said the company is confident about its overall volume and growth targets. But, he said Coca-Cola only plans to buy back $1 billion to $2 billion in company stock in 2008,

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Yahoo Inc. is discussing a possible Internet partnership with media conglomerate News Corp., its latest effort to repel Microsoft Corp.'s takeover bid or pry a better offer from the unsolicited suitor, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.

The specifics of the proposed joint venture haven't been worked out, according to the person, who didn't want to be identified because the talks are considered confidential.

Both The Wall Street Journal and a prominent blog, TechCrunch, reported that News Corp. is interested in folding its popular online social network, MySpace.com, and other Internet assets into Yahoo -- an idea that first came up last year. News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal.

News Corp. and a private equity firm reportedly would buy significant stakes in Yahoo as part of a complex deal designed to boost the Sunnyvale-based company's market value above Microsoft's initial bid of $44.6 billion, or $31 per share.

A Yahoo spokesman said the company continues to "carefully and thoroughly" evaluate alternatives that will enrich its long-term shareholders. Yahoo's board reportedly is to meet again Thursday or Friday to consider the company's next move.

News Corp. spokeswoman Teri Everett declined to comment on the Yahoo talks.

A house isn't a stock.

To be sure, you probably don't regularly confuse the bricks and mortar you occupy with the investments listed on your brokerage statement.

Yet thinking about the differences between the two helps explain why folks love owning real estate -- but also why some homeowners are in such trouble today. Here are five key ways that homes differ from stocks and stock mutual funds.

1. You don't know the price until you sell.

With a few minutes of spare time and an Internet connection, you can find out the share price of every stock and stock fund you own. But you don't really know what your house is worth until a buyer makes an offer.

This leaves ample room for mental mischief. You can happily imagine that your house is a wonderfully stable investment, because -- unlike your stocks -- you aren't receiving continuous price updates. You can also happily imagine that your home sports some grand valuation.

But if you are a seller in today's rocky housing market, a happy imagination can be a big drawback. If you insist on getting a lofty price, you likely won't find a buyer. Indeed, if you have already moved and your

Personality tests can help you find the career that's right for you--or even your next date. Now there's an assessment that promises to help baby boomers tailor a retirement that suits their personality.

It's called My Next Phase. The two-year-old website offers an online personality assessment ($39.95), teleclasses ($139), and your own personal retirement coach ($695). Its services have been made part of the benefits packages of two corporations--Methodist Healthcare and Pitney Bowes--to help employees make a smooth transition to retirement. My Next Phase cofounder Eric Sundstrom, an organizational psychologist at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, spoke with U.S. News about how your personality can affect your retirement plans. Excerpts:

How should someone decide what to do in retirement? Begin by understanding yourself and your personality. What are your social needs, which will tell you a great deal about what kind of retirement life you might like? [What are] your planning style, your information style, your stress style? How you deal with change? The other question to ask is, "What are you getting out of work that you really enjoy and find fulfilling that you are going to lose if you go somewhere else?" Explore your options and find out what the possibilities are. Figure out some kind of a plan that works for you and your circumstances to get you what you need.

How do specific personality traits influence what makes you happy in retirement? We