IDS LIFE SPECIAL INCOME FUND INC
NSAR-B, 1998-10-29
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<PAGE>      PAGE  1
000 B000000 08/31/98
000 C000000 0000353967
000 D000000 N
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000 F000000 Y
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000 J000000 A
001 A000000 IDS LIFE SPECIAL INCOME FUND, INC.
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007 C010100  1
007 C020100 IDS LIFE SPECIAL INCOME FUND
007 C030100 N
007 C010200  2
007 C020200 IDS LIFE GLOBAL YIELD FUND
007 C030200 N
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007 C020300 IDS LIFE INCOME ADVANTAGE FUND
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<PAGE>      PAGE  2
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014 B00AA03 8-31250
014 A00AA04 AMERICAN EXPRESS FINANCIAL ADVISORS INC.
014 B00AA04 8-16791
014 A00AA05 IDS LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
014 B00AA05 8-14124
014 A00AA06 IDS SECURITIES CORPORATION
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<PAGE>      PAGE  3
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<PAGE>      PAGE  9
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074 S000300        0
074 T000300   564281
074 U010300    59150
074 U020300        0
074 V010300     9.54
074 V020300     0.00
074 W000300   0.0000
074 X000300        0
074 Y000300        0
075 A000300        0
075 B000300   485443
076  000300     0.00
SIGNATURE   LESLIE L. OGG                                
TITLE       SECRETARY           
 

<TABLE> <S> <C>


<ARTICLE> 6
<SERIES>
   <NUMBER>  2
   <NAME>   IDS LIFE INCOME ADVANTAGE FUND
       
<S>                                                 <C>
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<PERIOD-END>                                         AUG-31-1998
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<RECEIVABLES>                                           18050483
<ASSETS-OTHER>                                              6761
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</TABLE>

<TABLE> <S> <C>


<ARTICLE> 6
<SERIES>
   <NUMBER>  3
   <NAME>   IDS LIFE GLOBAL YIELD FUND
       
<S>                                                <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE>                                               YEAR
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<PERIOD-END>                                         AUG-31-1998
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<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE>                                 183718732
<RECEIVABLES>                                            4082025
<ASSETS-OTHER>                                            147716
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<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                         187948473
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES>                                 1998146
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT>                                        0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES>                                2612895
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES>                                      4611041
<SENIOR-EQUITY>                                                0
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<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK>                                   18170417
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR>                                   11553714
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<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII>                                         0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS>                                        0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS>                                   71071
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC>                                (3693762)
<NET-ASSETS>                                           183337432
<DIVIDEND-INCOME>                                              0
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<EXPENSES-NET>                                           1499022
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<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL>                                         .00
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<EXPENSE-RATIO>                                              .95
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<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE>                                           0
        

</TABLE>

<TABLE> <S> <C>


<ARTICLE> 6
<SERIES>
   <NUMBER>  4
   <NAME>   IDS LIFE SPECIAL INCOME FUND
       
<S>                                                 <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE>                                        YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                                    AUG-31-1998
<PERIOD-END>                                         AUG-31-1998
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST>                                 1904303295
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE>                                1850562244
<RECEIVABLES>                                           43704517
<ASSETS-OTHER>                                          23159698
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS>                                           0
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                        1917426459
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES>                                 1109297
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT>                                        0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES>                               63821305
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES>                                     64930602
<SENIOR-EQUITY>                                                0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON>                              1906558837
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK>                                  167124308
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR>                                  160398174
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT>                                2105989
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII>                                         0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS>                                        0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS>                                 2282277
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC>                               (53886692)
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<DIVIDEND-INCOME>                                        1856543
<INTEREST-INCOME>                                      154201793
<OTHER-INCOME>                                                 0
<EXPENSES-NET>                                          13000035
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME>                                143058301
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT>                                 (465418)
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT>                             (110599748)
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS>                                   31993135
<EQUALIZATION>                                                 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME>                              138696945
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS>                                42097397
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER>                                          0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD>                                  9406202
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED>                             18015220
<SHARES-REINVESTED>                                     15335152
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS>                                 (70821757)
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR>                                  2658045
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR>                               35367126
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR>                                        0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR>                                     0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES>                                   11816239  
<INTEREST-EXPENSE>                                             0
<GROSS-EXPENSE>                                         13000035
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS>                                  1937006892
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN>                                      11.99
<PER-SHARE-NII>                                              .88
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC>                                    (0.68)
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND>                                         .85
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS>                                    .26
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL>                                         .00
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END>                                        11.08
<EXPENSE-RATIO>                                              .67
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING>                                         0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE>                                           0
        

</TABLE>


                                    Independent Auditors' Report
                                  on Internal Accounting Control



The Board of Directors and Shareholders
IDS Life Special Income Fund, Inc.:


In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of
IDS Life Special Income, IDS Life Global Yield, and IDS Life Income
Advantage (Funds within IDS Life Special Income Fund, Inc.) for the
year ended August 31, 1998, we considered its internal control, including
control activities for safeguarding securities, in order to determine our
auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the
financial statements and to comply with the requirements of
Form N-SAR, not to provide assurance on the internal control.

The management of IDS Life Special Income Fund, Inc. is responsible for
establishing and maintaining internal control. In fulfilling
this responsibility, estimates and judgments by management
are required to assess the expected benefits and related costs
of controls. Generally, controls that are relevant to an audit
pertain to the entity's objective of preparing financial
statements for external purposes that are fairly presented
in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles. Those controls include the safeguarding of
assets against unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition.

Because of inherent limitations in internal control, errors or
irregularities may occur and not be detected. Also,
projection of any evaluation of internal control to future
periods is subject to the risk that it may become inadequate
because of changes in conditions or that the effectiveness
of the design and operation may deteriorate.

Our consideration of the internal control would not necessarily
disclose all matters in the internal control that might be
material weaknesses under standards established by the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
A material weakness is a condition in which the
design or operation of one or more of the internal control
components does not reduce to a relatively low
level the risk that errors or irregularities in amounts
that would be material in relation to the financial
statements being audited may occur and not be detected
within a timely period by employees in the normal course
of performing their assigned functions. However, we
noted no matters involving the internal control and
its operation, including controls for safeguarding securities,
that we consider to be a material weakness as defined above.



                                                                   2

This report is intended solely for the information and use
of management, the Board of Directors of
IDS Life Special Income Fund, Inc., and the Securities and
Exchange Commission.




KPMG Peat Marwick LLP




Minneapolis, Minnesota
October 2, 1998




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