Top Stories - U.S. News & World Report

Parents around the nation breathed a sigh of relief with the news that Zhu Zhu Pets, those adorable robot hamsters, are not contaminated with antimony, a metallic element that can cause heart and lung problems. Zhu Zhu Pets are the "it" toy of the 2009 holiday season; more than 6 million of the fuzzy cuties have been sold so far, meaning that there would have been a lot of very disappointed kids on Christmas morning if the toys had indeed been tainted. Full Story »

One of the many ironies of mutual fund investing is that by the time analysts pinpoint a trend, it's often too late for investors to capitalize on it. Even so, some trends are as easy to detect as they are long lasting. Flow patterns--which quantify how investors move into and out of funds--are among them. For the past 37 weeks, mutual funds have had net inflows, and this movement appears very unlikely to let up soon. Full Story »

I'm going to do some Christmas shopping this week, and I'm hoping to pick up a little something for myself, too. I was thinking of hitting the sale rack at J. Crew, but Consumer Reports has other plans for me: The folks there suggest 12 healthy holiday gifts you can buy for yourself (or, I'd imagine, anyone on your list). Full Story »

For the next two weeks, until December 18, officials from more than 190 countries will be gathering in Copenhagen to write a new treaty on climate change. For much of the year, there have been questions about whether the conference would come together and, if so, what it could accomplish at a time when much of the world is preoccupied with the global recession. In recent weeks, however, many of the world's economic powerhouses and biggest polluters, including the United States and China, have said they're serious about hashing out an agreement. ... Full Story »

The Treasury Department proudly reported last month that it had extended more than 650,000 trial loan modifications through the end of October, putting it on track to hit its goal of reducing monthly payments for as many as 4 million struggling homeowners. Now the bad news: More than 1 in 4 borrowers who received a modified loan are already behind on payments, the Washington Post reported Saturday. What's behind this high redefault rate? With the unemployment rate at 10 percent, the rickety labor market is certainly one factor. ... Full Story »

One of the easiest ways to reduce the cost of college is also one of the most overlooked: Find cheaper dorms. Full Story »

Parents are all too often failing to talk with their teenagers about sex before they become sexually active, according to a new survey. Almost half of teens had intercourse before their parents got around to talking with them about sexually transmitted diseases and birth control. And boys are most likely to miss out on the conversation; nearly two thirds of teenage boys surveyed said their parents had not talked to them about using condoms before they became sexually active, while about 25 percent of parents and their daughters said they hadn't talked about how to resist pressure to have sex. ... Full Story »

Eight million may finally be enough. That's the approximate number of jobs lost since the recession began at the end of 2007. The latest government data show that after 23 straight months of job losses, the unemployment rate has finally stopped rising and started falling. That's the most hopeful sign to date that the tsunami of layoffs is abating. If the trend continues, it will confirm an end to the devastating recession. Full Story »

Shareholders in funds from two well-known companies have in recent weeks rejected proposals to divest from Sudan. Investors in 16 American Funds and two Putnam funds shot down attempts from fellow shareholders to force their managers to pull out of companies that support the Sudanese government. While hardly surprising in isolation, these results add to the setbacks encountered by divestment advocates and raise new questions about the viability of attempts to force the hands of the most prominent fund companies. Full Story »

We're approaching the end of a decade that may become known for its financial swings and easy credit. But most retirees don't feel that their lives have improved over the past 10 years. Some 61 percent of retirees say they don't feel any better off than they were at the beginning of last year and most (48 percent) say they're feeling cautious about the current state of the economy, according to a recent survey of 602 retirees by Principal Financial Group and Harris Interactive. However, many retirees say they've learned important financial lessons that they will carry into the next decade. ... Full Story »