DailyFinance Spotlight

For whatever reason, celebrities often end up crossing paths with the IRS, and surprisingly, most of the problems they have with the tax man are traps anyone could fall into. Here are some common mistakes of the stars, and what you can do to avoid them.

Here's a bit of good news for Best Buy shoppers and shareholders. Lost in last week's dreary announcements of job cuts and store closures was a plan to beef up its customer loyalty program, Reward Zone Silver.

That seemingly homespun little brand that you love for its independence and small-company spirit? Think again: It's owned by a massive conglomerate. Check out these brands that are faking their indie cred.

Hiring a lawyer may cost a bundle, but at least it's free to check out the legal code and determine exactly what the law is. Except when it's not: Welcome to the odd and expensive legal realm of codes and standards.

By PALLAVI GOGOI, AP Business Writer Since the credit crisis of 2008, everyone has been waiting for the banks to start lending money again. It's finally happening, but there's a catch: Businesses are afraid to spend it. Bank loans to businesses grew 10% last year after dropping 19% in 2009 and 9%...

Whether or not you think the billions invested in saving the financial industry was worth the cost, the banks were saved. And at least one of those bailouts actually turned a big profit.

The OSU athletic department's bet on the deaths of 27 aging boosters with big life insurance policies backfired when not one died.

Are you a bit confused about super PACS, those new political operations that have somehow taken over the U.S. election process? Well, in the spirit of Schoolhouse Rocks, ProPublica brings you "Oh, Super PACs," a 1970s-style video that answer all your questions.

When the new Verismo coffeemaker shows up later this year, java buffs will be able to make Starbucks-quality espresso, cappuccino and latte beverages at home. But will the fancy European coffee drinks it'll crank out really be as good as Starbucks? Starbucks probably hopes so.

Spend enough time surfing the Web, and you just might develop a sixth sense for scams. Sometimes it's a matter of a page that just doesn't look right, but often it's just a matter of spotting the words and phrases that tend to be pop up with great frequency on scam Web sites -- words like these.