Personal finance from around the Web:

• If you owe more than your home is worth, you shouldn't feel so bad about defaulting on your mortgage, suggests a University of Arizona law professor. For his full explanation of how the government, the media and the financial industry are ganging up to make homeowners bear the brunt of the housing collapse, read his research paper. [The Consumerist, WSJ.com]

• Haven't used your credit card in a while? Prepare to get slapped with an "inactivity fee." [MyBankTracker]

• Fidelity cut its 529 college savings plan fees and changed its age-based allocations this month. My Money Blog offers a handy summary of the changes. [My Money Blog]

• Don't be fooled into thinking you're saving money every time you buy something on sale, use a coupon or get free shipping: There's a good chance you're getting played. [It's Your Money]

• You may be planning a staycation to save this year, but not everyone has to scrimp. Check out the world's most expensive hotel suites. [The Business Insider]

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You'd think the subprime bust would mean no more mortgages for borrowers with little skin in the game. Well, it doesn't.

While most lenders have tightened standards for down payments — usually requiring at least 10% down and 20% for the best rates — the Federal Housing Administration has continued to offer loans to borrowers putting down as little as 3.5%. On Thursday the House Financial Services Committee is considering whether to boost the minimum down payment requirement to 5%.

I think the move is overdue, especially since FHA mortgage defaults are at a record high and the agency's reserve fund is at a record low. More

Ed Glaeser has some fascinating ideas about cities — why some thrive and others don’t. Raised in New York City, the Harvard economist studies the economic, environmental and emotional forces that shape where we live and the price we pay for our homes. I interviewed Glaeser for the "Minds Over Money" feature that ran in MONEY's December 2009 issue, and we talked a lot about the forces that move real estate prices and what’s next for the housing market. (One of Glaeser's most provocative opinions: He wants the mortgage interest tax deduction abolished.) More

Personal finance from around the Web:

• According to First American Fund’s John Wenker, REITs are hot tamales, despite the commercial real estate market being a bust. [InvestmentNews]

• Stressed out about money? Your kids are stressed about it too, and it may be you that's making them panic. [Devil in the Details]

• One of the Twitter founders, Jack Dorsey, is offering a new product that lets you accept credit card payments with your iPhone. Cool, eh? [PC World]

• Start your holiday shopping early: Buy some good personal finance books for kids, teens and adults. [The Associated Press]

• With medical coverage costs rising, some are asking doctors if they can get a better price on their MRI’s and regular check-ups. Perhaps you can do the same. [The New York Times]

• The graduates of 2008 faced a tough job market, but what made it worse was the high level of debt they accrued while working toward their degrees. [The Quick and the Ed]

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Personal finance from around the Web:

• Reduce some of the usual holiday stress with good planning and wise shopping. To get you started, here are some lesser-known websites that can save you money on holiday travel. [Get Rich Slowly]

• The New Yorker recently examined why the Chinese save so much and why they might want to spend more freely.  But while the Chinese could benefit by spending a tad more, Americans would be better off if we adopted some of their savings mentality and gave up our collective assumption that things will always somehow work out.  [The New Yorker, It's Your Money]

• Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are battling over government rebates. The spat involves a Captain Morgan's plant and a rum-production subsidy funded by an excise tax on alcohol.  It's enough to make your head spin, even if you're sober. [Tax Foundation]

• A summary of everything that went down on Black Friday: Sales reports, news reports and entertaining tidbits. [WalletPop]

• Secret Santas seem to be on the rise, and they're going high-tech. A list of Secret Santa websites. [Bucks]

Follow More Money on Twitter at http://twitter.com/moremoneyblog.

Another week, another credit card policy change. This time around the news is that American Express will dock rewards points for certain co-branded cards when a cardholder doesn’t pay on time. To get the points reinstated, cardholders will first need to pay the obligatory late fee and then an additional $29 to recoup docked points. The AmEx cobranded cards hit with this new policy are Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Hilton Hotels and Starwood Hotels, putting them all in line with the same policy that’s been in effect for AmEx's regular Green and Platinum cards for years. But the timing of the latest announcements just adds to the pile of credit card cutbacks and fee hikes that has made 2009 the annus horribilis for cardholders. More

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

• Take advantage of a one-day sale from JetBlue to get some great travel deals Monday. But whatever airline you fly next, Luggage Limit helps you minimize baggage fees.  [It's Your Money/Lifehacker]

• Bank of America today launched a program called Credit Card Clarity Commitment — what it says is an easy-to-understand list of terms and conditions for each account. [Charlotte Business Journal]

• A sign of times to come? Not only did shoppers spend less on Black Friday, but also a new survey reports that consumers plan to rely on cash instead of credit during this shopping season. [Reuters/ The New York Times]

• Health reform: It's not dead yet. Here's the latest look at how different House and Senate proposals stack up. [US News & World Report]

• Second time may not be the charm: The Obama administration's new plan to reduce mortgage payments and stop foreclosures isn't likely to work. And at Straight Talk About Mortgages and Real Estate, Tom Vanderwell talks rising mortgage rates. [WalletPop]

Follow More Money on Twitter at http://twitter.com/moremoneyblog.

My colleague Alexis Jeffries and I had fun reporting a recent story called "Five Ways To Pump Up Your Income," which ran in the December 2009 issue of MONEY.  Who couldn’t use some ideas right now on how to make more dough?

As Alexis recently blogged, many of the ideas we came up with didn’t make it into the final piece. But there’s an idea that did make it into the article — lending money to friends, families and strangers through so-called peer-to-peer networks — that had a surprising aspect that we didn’t cover in the piece. More

• You won’t get trampled in search of great deal on Black Friday, as major retailers are preparing crowd control measures to keep the shopping frenzy under control. (The Washington Post)
• Being underwater on your home is a more significant factor than being unemployed in predicting the likelihood of mortgage default. (Housing Wire)
• According to one blogger, it might actually be detrimental to your income to have two adults working in a household. Go figure! (Gather)
• Looking for an easy way to find coupons this holiday season? Check out Target’s Coupon Generator. (Wallet Pop)
• When traveling this season, you can use these websites to keep track of the frequent flier miles you’ll rack up. (The New York Times)

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In researching “5 Ways to Pump Up Your Income,” a story that ran in the December 2009 issue of MONEY, my co-author Donna Rosato and I discovered a few helpful tips for people who want to make a business out of their hobby. Unfortunately, not all of these ideas made it into the published article. So here they are: To make the transition from hobbyist to small-business entrepreneur, be sure to take these key steps: More

• Laptop warranties pay for themselves — taking into consideration a 20% failure rate, a 10% accident rate and the near-certainty that the battery will die. [Gadgetwise]

• Many economists believe tax deductions for mortgage interest are a bad idea. Here's the history behind the deduction and why it does no one a favor. [NPR]

• This really cool time-lapse map shows a really uncool thing: How unemployment has infected America, on a county-by-county basis, since January 2007. [American Observer]

• Warren Buffett and George Soros are betting on retail giant Wal-Mart. But that doesn't signal the resurgence of the retail industry, nor does it mean that you should invest in retail yourself. [The Motley Fool]

• Coin collectors haven't, uh, changed their minds about the value of numismatics. Rare coins are more popular than ever. [WalletPop]

Follow More Money on Twitter at http://twitter.com/moremoneyblog.

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

• The delinquency rate on bank-issued cards dropped 6 percent between June and September, according to credit-reporting agency TransUnion. The company cites the unemployment rate, limited credit, and higher interest rates as the main cause of cutting the delinquency rate. Still, it's too early to tell how new credit card regulations and holiday retail sales will affect credit behavior in the long run. [AP via GoogleNews]

• Christmas came early this year! Because of falling produce prices, the American Farm Bureau estimates that this year's Thanksgiving dinner should be 4 percent cheaper than last year's. The average cost of stuffing 10 people with a Thanksgiving dinner shakes out to a grand total of $42.91. [It's Your Money]

• Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit health-policy news service funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest managed care systems in the nation, has released a consumer guide to the health care overhaul. The report answers most, if not all, of your basic questions about insurance and presents possible changes in an easily comprehensible manner.  [Kaiser Health News]

• After last month's embarrassing data loss, T-Mobile is jumpstarting a slick Sidekick offer with cheaper phones and a longer contract. But is it worth it? Reports in the UK suggest T-Mobile staff selling off customer information to the highest bidder. [Wallet Pop]

• Thanks to the expiring tax credit, home sales competely exceeded last month's expectations as first-time buyers pushed seasonally-adjusted resales up 10.1%, according to the National Association of Realtors. Set to run out at the end of this month, Congress renewed it earlier and expanded the policy. Not everyone, however, is impressed with the numbers coming out of the NAR.  [NPR via AP, The Big Picture]

• "Twilight's" vampiric sequel "New Moon" experienced a blowout monster weekend sucking in a total of $258.8 million in box offices worldwide. Regardless of age, women came out to cheer for their supernatural team of choice, putting "New Moon" third on the all-time domestic chart.  Apparently, women do like older men — well, as long as they're 118 years old and have sharp teeth. [EconomPic]

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Now that the home buyer's tax credits are back up and running through May, the next bit of housing-related economic stimulus is focused on homeowners who are willing to spend money to make their homes more energy efficient. More

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]

Follow More Money on Twitter at http://twitter.com/moremoneyblog.