UPDATE: Column Appears in Several Dailies -- With Different Bylines

By: Joe Strupp A column on planning for retirement has appeared in several newspapers around the country this month -- under different bylines and little change from one to the other.

The column appears to have originated from the Financial Planning Association, according to the Web site of Fisher Financial Strategies, which also posted it and credited FPA. Several other newspaper Web sites have been found posting the column, some crediting FPA and others using only writer bylines.

For example, the column is found in the East Valley Tribune of Mesa, Ariz., on June 19. Titled, "Don't let economy threaten retirement plans," it carries the byline of Rebecca Warren. She is identified as a financial planner for Warren Financial Services.

The column, also ran in The Huntsville (Texas) Item on June 25, is almost identical, word for word, to the first. It carries the byline of Brian Smith as an Item correspondent. Publisher Dennis Garrison confirmed to E&P that Smith is a financial adviser for the local office of Global Financial Partners and writes a regular column for the paper, but does not receive a fee.

The two pieces are so close that Google News treats them as "duplicates."

At least two other newspaper Web sites, those of the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser and the Chronicle of Grand Lake, Okla., have been found posting the column, with credit to other writers. Some financial Web sites are also posting the column, some of them crediting FPA.

Warren's column, published first, opens this way:

"As the economy has worsened, not only have retirement funds dropped in value with the market, but many people also have been tempted to tap savings as a way to cut debt or otherwise shore up their finances after a job loss. Still more have found that employers have dropped matching contributions to shore up their own finances."

Smith's lead paragraph appears almost the same:

"As the economy has worsened, not only have retirement funds dropped in value with the market, but also many people have been tempted to tap savings as a way to cut debt or otherwise shore up their finances after a job loss. Still more have found that employers have dropped matching contributions to shore up their own finances."

The third graf from Warren:

"Yet the worst thing you can do is to tap or to give up on your retirement funds. No one can know with any certainty when the investment markets will rebound. But even if you can contribute something, you stand to gain once markets start to rebound. Even more important, you risk penalties and the lost potential for the earnings if you turn your back."

And from Smith:

"Yet the worst thing you can do is tap or give up on your retirement funds. No one can know with any certainty when the investment markets will rebound, but even if you can contribute something, you stand to gain once markets start to rebound. Even more important, you risk penalties and the lost potential for the earnings if you turn your back."

Numerous other similarities can be found within both columns.

Tribune Editor Chris Coppola told E&P he had not heard of the situation and wanted to look further into it before commenting.

Warren did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Smith was unavailable.

Garrison said he did not know about the earlier column and planned to speak with Smith. "I would need to talk to Brian and suggest to him not to do that in the future," Garrison said. "He pretty much writes it and sends it in. I really don't know where he picked it up."
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Special thanks to Kynn Bartlett.