Shoppers Bring Haggling Skills to the Mall
If you're looking for an extra bargain before the holidays, you may only have to ask. Retailers say they're taking consumers' demands for good deals seriously. Some are extending return policies, while others are matching competitors' prices. Many are volunteering on-the-spot discounts and even letting customers haggle prices well down from what's marked in a desperate bid to make the cash register ring.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/28347928
All Is Happy at 100-Year Old Happy State Bank in Texas
A tiny bank in Happy, Texas, is a century old but hasn't before seen the kind of deposit growth that it's seen in the last three months. As the top tier of the financial services industry faltered, small and regional banks, as well as credit unions, started seeing their cash deposits rise dramatically as nervous Americans shied away from big banks.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2008-12-21-small-community-banks_N.htm
There Is Still Time to Trim Your 2008 Tax Bill
These 20 year-end moves can help lower what you owe Uncle Sam in April. See if any of these tax deductions are right for you.
http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2008/12/20-year-end-tax-moves.html
11 Biggest CEO Firings of 2008
These bigwigs fell from some of the most powerful positions on earth. They include Lehman Brothers' Dick Fuld, AIG's Martin Sullivan and Yahoo's Jerry Yang.
http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2008/12/19/ceo-firing-chief-leadership-governance-cx_mk_1219fired.html
Married Couples Can't Afford to Get a Divorce
The recession and economic turmoil is creating a new class of casualties: Married couples who can't afford to get divorced. In these tough times many people are finding it's cheaper to stay together, even when they can't stand each other.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Divorce-rates-drop-couples-stay/story.aspx?guid=%7BED35EC99%2D9273%2D4A10%2DB437%2DA177F4EC4D4D%7D
The week in preview: More retail earnings: Gap, Home Depot, Sears, Target ... 
Five winners of a weak dollar: SBUX, PEP, AAPL
Twitter valuation off by half: NeXt Up Research
