Personal Finance News

WalletPop took a sneak peek at Old Navy's nationwide spring makeover on Thursday and liked what it saw.

A store at the Atlantic Center Mall in Brooklyn, N.Y., appeared airier, with an oval path cleared to keep the shopping traffic moving around the space. Entering a department is like stepping onto the off-ramp, essentially. Dressing rooms are now in the center along with the cash registers, acting as a natural barrier so customers don't crowd the middle.

Dozens of women, perhaps motivated by the unseasonably warm weather, moved briskly through the cashier lines, toting spring and summer fashions. An entire wall of flip-flops selling at two pair for $5 beckoned, trumpeting the chain's drive to return to its budget roots.

Even though you're nearing the home stretch for getting your taxes done, that doesn't mean you should pay a preparer too much.

These fee averages supplied by the National Society of Accountants can serve as a guideline for hiring the person you're going to have to pay once Uncle Sam finishes with you.

As the film world convenes this week at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas, one of the hot topics is sure to be the box-office futures market. Come April, after expected approval by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, industry and regular folks will be able to purchase futures derivatives from Cantor Fitzgerald that basically bet on or against the success of studio movies six months before they open.

The tally covers the first four weeks of domestic release. Shares will be worth a millionth of the film's expected total, so a predicted $100 million movie would offer $100 contracts. The minimum contract will be $50.

WalletPop wants kibitzers who fancy themselves Hollywood players to get a head-start, so we've enlisted an expert for tips on how to spot potential winners.

If $3 for a coffee inhaler hits you where you breathe, don't worry. David Edwards, the inventor of Le Whif, told WalletPop that the price will go down eventually.

In the meantime, Le Whif intends to capitalize on its novelty as the first Joe you drag like a cigarette -- followed by a calorie-free, caffeine buzz. It also sells a chocolate inhaler.

Le Whif reps wandering the launch party Thursday at Dylan's Candy Bar in Manhattan said that they expect the product to flourish as an impulse buy, perhaps displayed near the cash register. Edwards called it the perfect on-the-go alternative to a cup of coffee, and better-tasting than a caffeine pill.

A 22-year-old entrepreneur aims to sell high-end items at the lowest possible price.

Is this the foolishness of youth or the next big thing on the Web?

Elliot Moskow hopes you'll think it's the latter. His Pricefalls.com enters its second year, hoping to grab bargain hunters with the site's "Dutch auction" style. Modeled after old-fashioned tulip auctions in Holland, retail goods basically go to the lowest bidder.

If your local restaurant starts charging you a fee to cut to the front the line during busy hours, you can blame the Boston Red Sox.

Former Red Sox player Jerry Remy is offering diners at his new sports bar a $500 "season pass" so they can be served before other patrons during the televised games. The Boston Globeon Wednesday dished the details of this greedy gambit: You forgo the wait and receive a guaranteed table with a free beer, plus $25 in food credits along with access to so-called exclusive events. Nearly 200 already have signed up. Remy's Sports Bar and Grill plans similar packages for the NBA's Celtics and NFL's Patriots.

You don't need to be a Yankees fan to give this idea a big Bronx cheer (that's a jeer which sounds like a verbal fart). While this might seem to be a localized kind of kookiness, word travels fast in the pub industry. Owners will be watching this closely to see if Remy's can get away with it.

If you're among the newly reported 43% of American workers who do not have more than $10,000 in retirement savings, you better keep reading. WalletPop has immediate tips to get you on the right track toward life after work. The first piece of advice: Don't panic.

"Many people have been forced by weak markets and the recession to have a do-over in their financial lives," Mitchell Slater, a senior vice president and financial adviser for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, told WalletPop on Monday.

"Try not to stress out too much and just, as Nike says, do it. The younger you are, the better the news is for people worried about not saving enough for retirement."

While many gambling towns offer minimum table-game bets that are anything but minimal, WalletPop found a few cities that welcome you with open arms and low-end wagering.

Steve Bourie, author of the "2010 American Casino Guide," took WalletPop on a quick tour of the nation's bargain gaming dens, focusing on blackjack with a nod to craps and roulette.

Nevada still offers cheap blackjack, except on the Las Vegas Strip. Downtown Vegas has consistent $2 games with house rules that aren't too disadvantageous, Bourie said. (The fewer the decks and the fewer the alterations, such as allowing the dealer to hit when he holds an ace and a six, the better your chances.)

You can also get a $5 single deck game. Dollar craps and 10-cent roulette also help to compensate for downtown's less-glitzy vibe.

The Milton Hershey School ad during the Oscars on Sunday night melted the heart faster than Hershey's "Great American Chocolate Bar" campaign.

Underprivileged students enthused how how their lives were changed by the Hershey-subsidized Pre-K-to-12 boarding school, which had operated under the philanthropic radar for 100 years. Call the commercial a 30-second, $1.5 million air-time marketing and public service kiss.

WalletPop figured as long as Hershey is getting the word out, let's find out what might be in it for you. The school is accepting admission applications at its Web site, spokeswoman Connie McNamara told WalletPop on Monday.

The biggest enrollment periods are August, September and January. For your child to qualify, your income will likely have to fall under the poverty line (around $16,000 for a family of four, according to McNamara) and the candidate cannot have been jailed or "been in trouble with the law," she said.

The father of Michael Powell, the inventor who won a $15 million jury decision against Home Depot last month for stealing his safety-saw patent, said the case probably won't sway consumers to shop elsewhere. But it shows that underdogs can triumph once in a while.

"It reminds me of David and Goliath and the Bible," Lamar Powell told WalletPop on Friday.

In this story the Goliath of Home Depot will survive -- after it appeals or perhaps faces triple the damages if Powell's lawyers have their way. The determination that the home improvement giant willfully ripped off Powell's "Safe Hands" prototype leaves open the possibility. The verdict also threw a forceful jab -- not a knockout blow -- to the Home Depot's image.

"They may lose a few people, and people will go and get the best buy they can," Lamar Powell said. "I don't know if it will make a difference. To some it might."

Michael Powell, a married 52-year-old, appears to be keeping a low profile in his small North Carolina town since the verdict was announced in a West Palm Beach, Fla., courtroom on Feb. 24. He didn't return a phone message left by WalletPop. He's trying to move on with his life, his father said, adding that religious faith helped carry his son through the six-year legal battle.