Personal finance from around the Web on Friday:

• Fixed-income king Bill Gross doesn't like earning 0.01% on his cash. But he does like utilities. [PIMCO]

• You may end up owing taxes next April because a little tax credit ended up being too big. One more reason to check your withholding. [Bucks]

• A convicted Long Island mortgage fraudster will be serving a month in jail for trying to rip off a 93-year-old retired barber.  Then she'll spend probation on the lecture circuit. [(New York) Daily News]

• A $350-a-night  luxury resort in Malaysia will give you a free night if you encounter more than one inch of rain in any 7 a.m to 7 p.m. period. Willing to hope for rain in exchange for free digs? [Savvy Sugar]

• Kellogg has warned of a waffle shortage through mid-2010. So naturally, someone on eBay is trying to sell a box of Eggos for $65. [The Washington Post]

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The 401(k) is enjoying a wee bit of a corporate comeback.

Fidelity Investments, which says it's the leading provider of workplace retirement savings plans in the US, disclosed Thursday morning that some of the companies which reduced their financial contributions to 401(k) plans during the financial meltdown have started ponying up money again, or at least plan to. More

• Imagine the perfect gift card: Able to be used anywhere, anytime, without any restrictions. Uh, guess what? It's called cash. [The Wall Street Journal]

• Beware of boilerplate requirements in mortgage commitments. Sometimes you can wriggle out of them. [Tales from the Real Estate Wars]

• Has a friend or relative asked you to co-sign for a credit card or other loan? Here are four excellent questions to ask before you go through with it. [CreditCards.com]

• Maintaining your credit is like keeping yourself fit. Now is not the time to stop exercising what you have. [The Huffington Post]

• Worried about running out of cash during your retirement years? Here's some good advice on how to get the most from your Social Security benefits. [RetirementRevised]

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In the year-ahead outlook for savings and credit that I wrote for MONEY's December issue, I reported that things weren't exactly going to be rosy next year. But I did point out one potential bright spot.

"Customers who have been on the receiving end of 'gotcha' practices that will earn banks $38.5 billion in overdraft fees this year may also get some relief," I wrote. "Many Capitol Hill watchers believe legislation reforming overdraft policies has a good chance of passage in 2010."

As I reported my story, I talked to several sources who felt that credit card legislation, which passed in May, gives overdraft reform some good momentum. Then, last week, the Fed announced new rules that would also limit overdraft fees charged by banks and credit unions. (See fellow MONEY blogger Beth Braverman's take on five ways you can protect yourself now.)

The Fed rules, which require that banks allow consumers to opt-in to overdraft protection on ATM and debit card transactions, are a step in the right direction. But as consumer advocate Ed Mierzwinski told The New York Times, "Some-of-the-time protection is never as good as round-the-clock protection." More

• New York may follow the practice of at least 20 other states and start publishing the names of its biggest tax delinquents online. [Economix]

• Yes, the price of gold has zoomed upward in 2009. But palladium's performance leaves gold in the dust. [The Big Picture]

• While Americans are generally supportive of a government-run "public option" insurance plan as part of a health care overhaul, their enthusiasm depends on how it's described to them. Republican and Democratic leaders appear to have figured this out already. [The Associated Press]

• President Obama is creating a task force, led by the Justice Department, to investigate and prosecute past financial crimes and to deter future fraud. [Reuters]

• A registered nurse who lost health coverage for herself and her family speculates that Thomas Jefferson would have regarded access to health care as "a self-evident right of individuals." [The (Panama City) News Herald]

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Personal finance from around the Web Tuesday:

• The Federal Reserve is proposing new rules to protect gift card consumers from exorbitant fees and and expiration dates.  While the exact date these new rules will go into effect remains unknown, it most likely won't be until next summer — after the upcoming gift-card season. [Federal Reserve, Bucks]

• Online microlending has been all the rave in recent years. One of the most popular is Kiva, which allows you to make loans to low-income entrepreneurs in developing countries. But it is no longer practical for it to be true "person-to-person lending." [My Money Blog]

• With the passing of the health care reform bill comes the passing of a 5.4 % surtax aimed at high-income tax returns. The Tax Foundation has created a map that shows the top tax rates in different states under the new plan. [Tax Policy Blog]

• The number of people taking the standardized Law School Admission Test has skyrocketed. In late September, 60,000  people took the test — a worrisome number, since law jobs are shrinking. [Most Strongly Supported]

• Wondering what has happened to the transportation stimulus package? The California Transportation Department reports it has been allocated $2 billion into federal highway funds. But only 2.5 % of that money has been spent yet.  California is not alone, but sometimes slow and steady wins the race. [Freakonomics]

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Personal finance from around the Web to get your week started:

• UnitedHealth Group, the nation's largest health insurance carrier, sent an email to 75,000 employees urging them to protest against government-run health care. The incident is one of many campaigns led by major insurers to recruit company employees as political advocates in the debate over health reform.  [Washington Post]

• A new debit card identity theft scheme is popping up in California, Missouri, Wisconsin, and other states. The thefts are largely tied to Hancock Fabric stores, in which debit card information and pin numbers are stolen and money is withdrawn from the account. Authorities estimate around a $40,000 loss for banks. [The Consumerist]

• Reports from the Commerce Department confirm that retail sales rose 1.4 percent in October because of rebounding auto sales. While sales look favorable for the upcoming holiday season and Black Friday discounts, economists are concerned that the boost is a sign of "double dip" recession. [NPR]

• Digitizing money is an increasingly tangible concept. Programs like ShopSavvy allow shoppers to buy an item on their phone just by taking a picture. PayPal and eBay have taken huge steps in phone sales — users can pay medical bills or pick up coffee with a click of a button. In Japan, wireless carriers are offering a cellphone banking system over a secure network. [The New York Times, BusinessWeek]

• Did your landlord install individual electric meters in your complex? It turns out that individual meters are not only legal, but also encouraged by municipal organizations because it allows the landlord to seek permission to exclude electricity and reduce rent accordingly. [Bucks]

• Most of the Federal Reserve's efforts to relieve the economy have helped Wall Street, but they haven't helped improve the unemployment rate, which now stands at 1t for the 10.2% unemployment rate. Despite the 62% boost in stocks, officials are still wary of the stagnant job growth needed to revive the economy. [Bloomberg]

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A looming shift in Federal Reserve policy could send the 30-year fixed mortgage to 6% or higher, up from Monday’s rock-bottom rate of 5.02%. For all the hullaballoo about the stimulative impact of last week’s decision to extend the $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and create a $6,500 credit for current homeowners, a sharp rise in the bellwether mortgage rate could muck up a housing recovery. More

Have some pity on Ruth Madoff. Really. I'm serious.

Her fate and her wealth are on my mind because of the auction, scheduled for today, at which the U.S. Marshals Service is slated to sell off hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of property seized from her and her husband, the infamous Bernie. The marshals intend to use that money to help reimburse the victims of Bernie's multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

Admittedly, looking over a list of Ruth's possessions on  the auction block, it is a little tough to feel sorry for her. More

Five personal finance highlights from around the Web:

• FICO, the company that provides the nation's leading credit score, reveals how many points a consumer's credit rating will drop as a result of specific events. LIz Pulliam Weston sheds light on the impact of maxing out a card or making a late payment. [MSN Money]

• Will the McMansion buyers of the future want to live without theater roooms and butler's pantries? Luxury home builders think so. [The Wall Street Journal]

• '"I want to be rich" is not real a goal. And good financial planning requires clear, measurable goals. [The Boston Globe]

• Buffett: Investment opportunity is greater in the United States than abroad. The Oracle thinks the worst of the financial panic is behind us. [Reuters]

• Temporary conforming loan limits won't expire this year. The Federal Housing Finance Authority will extend the limit of $417,000 (up to $729,750 in high-cost areas) through 2010. [Washington Business Journal]

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The Fed announced Thursday new rules that prohibit banks from automatically enrolling customers in overdraft protection programs that charge fees when customers spend on a debit card or withdraw from an ATM more money they have in their checking account. The move comes in response to consumer outrage at the fees, which can amount to more than $30 for an overdraft of a few bucks. The new rules, which cover only ATM and debit card (and not checking) overdraft protection plans, don't go into effect until July 2010, but here are five ways you can protect yourself now:

1. Keep a buffer in your checking account. Keep an extra cash cushion in your account at all times so you won't overdraw your account for an emergency expense or if you incorrectly calculate your balance.

2. Sign up for automatic low balance alerts. If you request it, most banks will alert you via either e-mail or text message, that your balance has fallen below a certain level. Once you get that alert hold off on additional purchases or withdrawals until you've got more money in your account.

3. Link to your checking account to a savings account. Once you've established a link, your bank will withdraw funds from the savings account to cover the overdraft. This service customarily costs $5 to $10 per transaction, so while it's not free, it certainly beats a $35 overdraft fee.

4. Consider cash. Check your balance before hitting up the ATM, and only withdrawal what's available. Yes, it may seem obvious, but it's still a surefire method of avoiding overdraft fees.

5. Opt out. While the new regulations will require consumers to opt in, most banks will let you opt out now. You just have to call and ask. But remember, once you've opted out of overdraft protection, your card will be rejected if you try to spend more than you have.

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Five personal finance highlights from around the Web:

• More credit card company shenanigans: One cardholder shares her experience with Citi: The bank will double her interest rate unless she transfers $5,000 of other debt onto her Citi credit card. [Consumerist]

• Thinking about regifting something this holiday season? Brad Tuttle has some rules on how to do it right. [It's Your Money]

• When it comes to car insurance, pricing is based on 10 factors that are out of your control. So it pays to shop around. [MintLife]

• Maybe you can time the market. A new study challenges the notion that it can't be done. [The Big Picture]

• Recent credit card reform has prompted the industry to enact the Safe Credit Revision Everyone Wins Undertaking, also known as S.C.R.E.W.U. Animator Mark Fiore explains it in the video below. [The Consumer Reporter]

An unemployment rate in the double digits isn't surprising, but it arrived earlier than most economists were expecting.

I know this because I put the finishing touches on MONEY’s outlook for the 2010 job market less than a week before last Friday's unemployment report came out — the report announcing that the jobless rate had surged from 9.8% to 10.2% in October. Economists I had been talking to only days earlier hadn't forecast a rate that high. And it wasn't just the people I spoke to who had low-balled the number: In mid-October, the Blue Chip Economic Indicators newsletter, which captures the consensus forecast of more than 48 economists, reported that the jobless rate was expected to peak at 10.1% in the first quarter of 2010. More

More or less buried in the massive debate over what our health care system should look like is a provision to create a national long-term care insurance program. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act would allow people to pay an average $65 a month and, after five years, be eligible for between $50 to $100 a day in benefits. Insurers oppose the CLASS Act — clearly, it would cut into their sales of long-term care insurance, which haven’t been all that great to begin with. Other criticisms of the act: The government doesn’t need to be expanding programs even further than it already is, and low benefits would give people a false sense of security.

While $100 is better than nothing, I can tell you from experience that it doesn’t cover very much. More