CBS Corp. launched MoneyWatch.com, a new cross-platform property designed to help people make sense of the ongoing economic turmoil and make smarter decisions about their money.

A preview of the site, which is an extension of CBS Interactive's business site BNET and launches officially this spring, is available now at http://www.MoneyWatch.com. As the personal finance property for CBS, MoneyWatch.com will be expanded and featured throughout CBS television broadcast, radio and mobile platforms.

"There will be a full suite of MoneyWatch mobile Web applications, services and products, as we're trying to tie all this together across various platforms," said Greg Mason, senior vice president and general manager of CBS Interactive's business network in San Francisco.

"We want to complement personal finance coverage on the wired Web with mobile offerings and make MoneyWatch.com an everyday tool," he said. "It will be optimized on a device level, and the mobile content will be similar to what we're trying to accomplish on the Internet."

MoneyWatch is expected to launch officially the week of March 16.

MoneyWatch's editorial experts will be added as regular contributors on topics of business and personal finance on CBS News' "The Early Show," "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" and local CBS-owned television and radio stations.

In addition, MoneyWatch.com will carry the latest business and financial news from "60 Minutes," the CBS Evening News and The Early Show.

"We'll be producing an enormous amount of daily content, which is very important for our mobile strategy," Mr. Mason said. "The real opportunity we see here is born of the financial crisis.

"A lot of smart people were caught unawares and feel, quite frankly, pretty dumb, with the decline of their 401(k) and their stock portfolio," he said.

"We expect a sea change of consumers' desire to take daily personal control over their financial well-being, and that extends to people who consider themselves financially literate, financially sophisticated people."

CBS News plans to report, interpret and make sense of what's going on in the financial world on MoneyWatch.com.

"Here's the news, what does it mean to you, what do you do about it -- that's a strong component of how video will be broadcast on TV and simulcast on the Web," Mr. Mason said. "There will also Web-only content, and both types of content are very conducive to the mobile strategy.

"We'll have a MoneyMarket mobile Web site and downloadable apps that will be device-specific," he said. "For example, we'll offer more video on the iPhone app versus cell phones that we don't think provide a good mobile video experience.

"This is complementary to what we're doing with BNET, which is MoneyMarket's sister site."

CBS says that MoneyMarket will target the same demographic as BNET.

"The target is managers, executives and professionals such as doctors, lawyers and architects -- that constituency, upper-income demographics," Mr. Mason said.

Mobile advertising will be part of CBS's monetization strategy.

"Initially, mobile advertising will be fitted into our overall sponsor package, and for first three months, we have an exclusive sponsorship partnership with one vendor, which we haven't announced yet," Mr. Mason said.

"Overtime, we may break it up a little bit more," he said. "We're not sure if the mobile inventory will stay with the overall package or whether we'll split it off and sell it independently."

MoneyWatch.com sections will include "The Big Picture," which draws the connection between people's lives and the massive economic changes now in motion. It seeks to answer three questions for the audience: what's happening, what it means and what people should do about it.

Human Capital starts with the premise that a person's most valuable financial asset is their earning power. Using expert interviews, case studies and a signature "human capital value ticker," this section will cover topics including career strategies, income security, work/life balance and health.

Cash Flow focuses on the everyday money choices that people have to make. Topics include managing debt, minimizing taxes, paying for college and enhancing the value of one's home.

Investing features signature columnists and bloggers who will help people make smart, strategic choices about the preservation and growth of their wealth. The emphasis will be on realistic, low-risk strategies.

Your Future helps people create a plan for financial independence. It will include retirement planning and Q&As with well-known wealth managers, helping people stay on track for the long-term.

For advertisers, the site offers an opportunity to connect with an engaged, influential audience who are making and revising their financial decisions right now.

Connecting beyond the MoneyWatch.com site into TV and radio at both the national and local levels, various marketing programs will let advertisers tap into the MoneyWatch.com audience as a thought leader, educator or content provider and showcase their assets and messaging to help build a brand name.

The site's content will also be integrated throughout BNET, CBS Interactive's flagship business site, affording advertisers the opportunity to tap into BNET's audience of business managers and professionals.

In addition to original feature stories and unique daily commentary, MoneyWatch.com also offers daily business and financial news from CBS News.

BNET, also a property of CBS Interactive, provides managers resources for the business challenges they face every day and techniques for moving their companies and their careers forward.

A top 10 business media site, BNET offers original content and one of the largest business libraries available on the Web.

CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corp., is an online content network for information and entertainment.

With more than 170 million people visiting its properties each month, it claims to be the eighth largest Web property globally. Its portfolio of brands, which include CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com, GameSpot, TV.com, BNET and Last.fm, span popular categories like technology, entertainment, sports, news and business.

MoneyWatch will become the finance channel for CBSNews.com

In addition to frequent on-air call-outs promoting the new property with the message "For more information, go to MoneyWatch.com," CBS is considering running a teaser promotional campaign to get consumers to preview the site and sign up for alerts.

"This will become the foundation brand for CBS," Mr. Mason said. "CBS is hiring talent for MoneyWatch, and you'll hear from them on-air whenever there are finance and economic stories.

"BNET alone has about 13 million unique users per month, and every page will have cross-promotions for MoneyWatch," he said.

"The site is a logical extension to the business-focused content on BNET, and as part of CBS, we have the opportunity to bring our unique brand of personal money advice to a massive audience."