(MONEY Magazine) – -- Learn to pry crucial data on your 401(k) out of your employer, who isn't required to tell you much at all about the plan. Ask for a copy of Form 5500, the annual report. Check line 28c to see if any investment managers have departed; look at Schedule C of Part III to find out why; scan the list of stocks or bonds recently owned to see if they match your preferences. Page 25

-- Yank cash out of low-yielding money funds and stash it in more lucrative, but still safe, alternatives. Top picks: money funds like Olde Premium (800-225-3863), with a recent compound yield of 6.5% -- nearly 1% higher than the average; and one-year CDs from financially sound banks like First Federal Savings Bank of Delaware (302-421-3564), recently paying 6.9%. Page 52

-- Shoot for 100% gains on stocks so cheap that their downside is limited. Three Big Board double-or-something candidates: Ford (selling recently at $35.50 a share, 37% below its 1989 peak); Sears Roebuck ($37.50 vs. expert valuations of $80); and IBM ($98.50, down from its February high of $140). Page 62

-- Confound burglars with shrewd ploys. Ask neighbors to pick up newspapers while you're away, instead of stopping delivery and spreading word of your absence; limit pet doors to six inches across to foil crooks who use children to slip in and unlock the door. Page 105