Economy, Holidays | featured news

A last-minute surge in spending helped many major retailers report better-than-expected sales in December, a relief for stores that make up to 40 percent of annual revenue during the holiday period.

Though December was weaker than expected, the overall holiday season was still relatively strong, analysts said.

Are you filling Santa's bag this year using paper or plastic? Millions of Americans will trim the tree this year with a credit card balance still left over from last year. Don't let this be you. It virtually guarantees you aren't saving enough to protect against the many uncertainties in the economy. And chances are, if you're charging up your credit cards, you also aren't investing enough in your retirement and education funds to make sure the future is secure.