The NFL Scores on Web; PayPal Grows; Apple Stock Is Looking Good; Mutual Funds as a Type of Pension

The NFL Scores on the Web

DirecTV's satellite service has long delivered more pro football to fans willing to open their wallets. Now it's delivering it without the satellite or TV. The company's Supercast service is offering all televised NFL games (except blacked-out contests) this season for viewing over the Web.

The service appeared to be running well—until a merger popped up like a bruising linebacker. The DirecTV service is operated with partner Sling Media, which recently announced it was being bought by EchoStar, whose Dish Network fiercely competes with DirecTV.

DirecTV and Sling execs say the merger shouldn't sack their deal. EchoStar even says it might spin off all its tech, including Sling, into a separate company. Everyone has a financial incentive to make nice and seek pay dirt. The Supercast service comes as part of a DirecTV premium package, for which NFL fans will fork over $370 this season. - David LaGesse

PayPal Gains Online Currency

Got your eye on new shoes from Zappos.com, the online shoe retailer, or an obscure board game that can be purchased only in the far reaches of the Internet? Chances are you'll reach for your credit card when it's time to pull the trigger.

That may soon change. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, shoppers are changing the way they pay for things online. Instead of credit and debit cards, consumers are turning to services like PayPal and Bill Me Later and the use of stored credit (like gift cards). By 2012, the firm predicts, 30 percent of online transactions will be through an "alternative payment" method.

Not everyone likes the delayed monthly payment system of credit cards, says James Van Dyke, Javelin's founder and president. And many people surveyed said they preferred the convenience and security of systems like PayPal, which don't require them to enter credit card numbers at checkout.

Of course, once you figure out how to securely transfer money, you'll still need to worry about whether those khakis look as good in person as they did on the computer screen. - Kimberly Palmer

Apple Stock Rides the Mac to Highs

Apple Computer's recent $200 price cut on its much-hyped iPhone is reportedly fueling sales volumes enough to offset the cut in profit margins. Together with surging sales of its core Mac computers, the good news pushed Apple's stock to a new high last week of $158.

Citing "stronger than expected iMac momentum," as well as falling costs for the memory chips needed to make the computers, Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner upped his 12-month price target for the stock, to $185 a share.

Many believe Apple is finally succeeding at doing what it has long failed at: persuading the bulk of personal computer buyers to pay a premium for the elegant functionality—and pure "bling"—of owning a Mac. Indeed, although the Mac has long enjoyed a cultlike following, its overall market share has only recently vaulted toward the double digits. With Apple's new Leopard operating system due out in October, many believe Mac sales are finally on the verge of a breakthrough.

The takeaway: While Apple's sky-high stock price doesn't leave much room for mistakes, its long-term profit outlook is as good as it has ever been, giving investors reason to buy the next time the stock pulls back. - Alex Markels

Mutual Funds That Pay Like Pensions

After a lifetime of steady paychecks, many people approaching retirement feel a need for reliable monthly income. Fidelity Investments and Vanguard Group have both unveiled mutual funds designed to provide monthly payments to investors. "They're going to keep investing your cash, and from it they will pay you a monthly check," says Kurt Brouwer, CEO of Brouwer & Janachowski.

But exercise caution before you sign on the dotted line, he warns. Annuities, which these mutual funds could easily be confused with, are typically costly. In contrast, Vanguard's estimated annual expense ratios are only 0.34 percent, and Fidelity's range from 0.54 to 0.65 percent. "When [salespeople] say 'guaranteed' or 'income for life,'" Brouwer says, "that's a time to hold on to your wallet and be very wary of whatever that group is trying to sell you." - Emily Brandon