bruce watson

College tuition just keeps rising, and student loan debt is at an all-time high, leading to hefty loan payments that can overwhelm earners early in their careers. But a group called FixUC has a radical proposal to re-think tuition that could make everyone happy.

From across the nation they came, carrying signs and banners and little combs. It was the Million Mustache March. On April 1, they gathered at the Capitol to petition their lawmakers for a $250 tax credit to cover facial hair-related expenses.

For the past few years, it has seemed like depressing economic news has been America's only actual growth industry, and all that negativity is still echoing in our heads. Across the age spectrum, we're downbeat about the future, even as the signs are finally looking up.

The oracles who read economic tea leaves have a host of conventional forecasting tools, but housing starts and job growth figures can only tell you so much. To cut through the haze of data, sometimes it takes an unconventional indicator -- for example, the Hair Index.

Nobody likes paying the IRS, and we all wish there were just a few more deductions we could swing without arousing the taxman's ire. And there are: Here are a few deductions that, while they might seem to be a little out of bounds, are totally legal.

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.

Want beautiful, artistic nails at a fraction of the salon price? Based on its commercials, Salon Express -- an "as seen on TV" product -- seems promising. But can a $10 mail order kit really replace a professional nail artist armed with years of experience?

In honor of its 125th birthday, Glenfiddich -- the world's top-selling single malt scotch is auctioning off the most expensive whisky in the world. Only eleven bottles exist of Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve, a 55-year-old scotch.

In 2011, the average American wedding cost $26,501. With that kind of money on the line, and considering all the unforeseeable circumstances that could wreck your carefully laid plans, it's no surprise that a growing number of companies are offering wedding insurance.

It's a tough time to be old in America, and it's worse than you may realize: According to a recent report, on average, if government benefits were taken out of the equation, the elderly would have far less income than they'd need to survive. Here's where the problem is worst.