Personal finance from around the Web:

• It's good to be rich: Since the mid-1990s, millionaires have been taxed at lower and lower rates. But when latest data become available the trend will likely be reversed. [Tax.com]

• People that buy knockoff designer products may think they're saving money, but they're just delaying the inevitable. An MIT professor has found that buying a fake makes you more likely to spend the big bucks on the real thing in a couple of years. [MIT News]

• The good old days when travel insiders could fight for the best seats without paying extra are ending. The airlines are now creatively charging for the best and most popular seats. [The New York Times]

• The number of temporary workers has increased sharply. As this graph demonstrates, we might be nearing a recovery (and the resurgence of full-time employees). [Calculated Risk]

• Mortgage delinquencies in the U.S will fall next year (but not till after delinquencies reach their peak in the next couple of months). [FT.com]

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One of the standard disappointments of writing for a magazine is that you don't have space to include all the fascinating people you talk to and interesting things you learn as you report a particular story. My December 2009 MONEY article "How to Give When the Giving is Tough" was no exception. Although I was able to use a lot of what I heard about innovative ways that people are supporting, on a shoestring budget, the charities and causes that are important to them, inevitably some insights my sources had didn't make it into the print edition.

One was how easy it can be to raise money and have fun, too. That's what I learned from Marilyn Price, a financial consultant in Orchard Lake, Michigan — a northwest suburb of Detroit. More

Personal finance from around the Web:

• The House passed a bill that would permanently extend the estate tax, but it faces a tougher battle in the Senate. [Don't Mess With Taxes]

• Economists have mixed reactions to the jobs report, but at least one analyst sees the revisions as great news. [Economix, The Business Insider]

• Budget concerns making you feel more like Scrooge than Santa? Here are 135 tips to make your dollar go further this holiday season. [It's Your Money]

• One reason to quit throwing out all that junk fascinating mail your alma mater sends you: Your school affiliation could save you a bundle on things, including insurance and travel. [Wise Bread]

• E*Trade and Freddie Mac, we hardly knew ya. One blog lists the financial firms as among the 10 Brands that won't survive through 2010. [Wall Street 24/7]

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

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]

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

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]

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

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.

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

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

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]

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

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.

• 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]

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

• 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]

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

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]

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