Today's Number: 400 - Jobs being cut by Yahoo Inc., more than 12 percent of its work force, as it reorganizes in search of “sustainable, profitable growth,” the Internet company said last week.

        Today's Career Advice: Few people know what goes into a good advertisement that makes it good, although everybody knows a good ad when they see one. Advertising legend David Ogilvy figured it out, though.

        “If you're trying to persuade people to do something or buy something, you should use their language,” he says in Advertising for Dummies by Gary R. Dahl. “Use the language they use every day, the language in which they think.”

        Keep this in mind: Advertising should stick in the minds of a target audience. In other words think “KISS,” that is, Keep It Simple, Stupid.

        Today's Money Tip: Contributions to variable annuities are not tax-exempt, but your money grows tax-deferred until you withdraw it, at which time earnings are taxed at regular rates in your top bracket. Before buying variable annuities, consider that taxes could be higher than paying long-term capital gains on other investments, and fees are typically much higher than buying straight-out mutual funds.

        Today's Company: SpanPro Inc.

        TECH SERVICES: Based in Erlanger, SpanPro Inc. is the parent of five companies: SpanPro Broadband Services, SpanPro Fiber Optics, SpanPro GPS, SpanPro Solutions and SpanPro Electrical.

        WINNING SALES GROWTH: SpanPro Fiber Optics and SpanPro Solutions were named among the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's “Emerging 30” small businesses for 2001, based on the companies' annual revenue growth. The fiber-optics venture performs a full range of services from planning systems to installing the cable. Its sister company is a software developer for the telecommunications industry.

        SERVING INDUSTRY GIANTS: SpanPro clients include Time Warner Cable and AT&T Cable Services.

        Send tips and questions to Bill Ferguson at bferguson@enquirer.com

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