Table of contents: VOL. 151, NO. 6 - March 21, 2005
COVER STORY
Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, Meg Whitman, A.G. Lafley, and 24 other luminaries on the people who most influenced their business lives. (more)

Features
NBC's Law & Order has never been a No. 1 hit. But producer Dick Wolf has made it the most valuable brand in prime-time television. (more)
He's back! When Mylan Labs stumbled in a dubious takeover bid, resurgent raider CARL ICAHN charged in, hoping to kill the deal, oust management, and make a few bucks for himself. (more)
The company that just bagged AT&T is gunning for even bigger game: It wants to revolutionize the television business. But does SBC'S ED WHITACRE have what it takes to compete against Rupert Murdoch and cable's Brian Roberts? (more)
CEO MARK ERNST promised to turn the nation's largest tax preparer into a year-round financial powerhouse. Now Block's new businesses are failing, and old clients are fleeing. Can he turn it around? (more)
Money decisions are hard. It's not that we're stupid--we're just not wired properly. How brain science is changing the way we think about 401(k)s, Social Security, and the whole notion of retirement planning. (more)
How Alfred P. Sloan, Michael Porter, and Peter Drucker Taught Us All (more)
FORTUNE offers the ultimate reading list: 75 books that teach you everything you really need to know about business. (more)

Bonus Feature/Fortune Industrial Management & Technology
From the frontiers of science to the smallest of factories to the union halls of Pittsburgh, these three men personify the passion and smarts that drive the economy. (more)
First


Upstairs, downstairs, all around the house, the Sonos Digital Music System is an easy, elegant--but pricey--way to liberate your MP3 files. (more)
The anti-Fannie factions just got a big boost--from the troubled mortgage giant itself. (more)




Eating Marshmallow Peeps seems crazy enough. But if you knew what some people do with these things ... (more)
Mitch Hubert, global manager of foam technology, Tyco Fire & Security, Marinette, Wis. (more)
Fortune 75
The U.S. will start exporting environmental expertise. (more)
Older workers are retiring in droves. How do you prevent their crucial knowledge from leaving with them? (more)
Investing
One way to hedge against the sinking greenback is to buy a mutual fund that invests in foreign securities. (more)
Nothing, really. Sales are strong and profit margins are fat. But the network giant is no longer the one tech stock you have to own. Here's why. (more)

A new model for calculating index weightings will trigger selling in certain stocks. (more)
Mutual funds with built-in diversification can be a great tool--if you use them correctly. (more)
Value investor Randall Eley says his big-cap strategy makes sense in a shaky market. (more)
Policy
Street Life
Value Driven
While You Were Out

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