Personal Finance

Hot Topics in Personal Finance

Cruise tragedy highlights vacation risks

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Image of cruise liner on ocean The terrifying images of the recently capsized Concordia cruise ship look more like they belong in a Hollywood blockbuster than off the Italian coast. As more details emerge of the terrifying ordeal, the event has many consumers wondering not only about cruise ship safety, but also their rights as passengers. What exactly are you risking when purchasing a vacation getaway?

Stress-free gift returns

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Gift receipt Lining up for post-holiday sales and returns? To help ease the burden of returns, the National Consumers League, the nation’s oldest consumer group, offers advice for increasing the chances of successful — and painless — holiday gift returns.

Buyer beware: six tips for giving tickets as a holiday gift

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Image of empty theater seats 'Tis the season for gift giving, and for that special sports or music fan in your life, the right tickets to the right event can make the perfect holiday gift. But shady resale sites, scammers, and restrictive tickets can put a damper on your holiday cheer, resulting in the purchase of fraudulent tickets, or even genuine tickets that make terrible gifts because they cannot be transferred to your family and friends.