(MONEY Magazine) – -- More shareholders will get early stocking stuffers this year -- special dividends, such as the $4 a share paid in July by Texaco. Reason: record profit growth. In the first half of 1989, 219 special dividends were issued vs. 154 during the same period in 1988. -- Tip of the month: You now can pick up some fabulous bargains on vacation homes from anxious sellers, especially in the Northeast and the Texas Gulf Coast. There are currently 4,242 houses and condominiums for sale in Cape Cod, Mass., where homes have been lingering on the market an average of about 105 days. -- Ask some tough questions if your broker or financial planner pushes the National Securities & Research load mutual funds. He may just be trying to snare a Rolex watch, Technics CD player or another of the 16 incentive prizes salesmen can receive for bringing in customers this year. -- Some 34% of Americans believe that real estate brokers have low ethical standards, up six percentage points from a 1983 Gallup poll.

-- Quote of the month: The federal budget deficit ''is now an average of $45,000 and rising for every American family of four. It's like a second mortgage, but without the house.'' -- Richard Darman U.S. Budget director