TJX

Layaway became obsolete in the bubble years, an anachronism from bygone times when many consumers couldn't access credit. In today's rough economy, layaway is making a comeback for the holidays. But for investors who hold certain retail stocks, this may mean lumps of coal in their portfolios.

This holiday season, layaway is making a comeback at several large retailers. Layaway is the process of buying an item which you leave at the store and pay for over time, often with a one-time service charge but no credit check. It's not a perfect system, but here's why it beats those "no interest/no payments for X months" deals hands-down.

Next week brings more earnings reports from big-name companies, including several home improvement giants, a couple of "good enough" computer makers, penny-pinching discount masters, and office supplier Staples -- whose results might stand as an indication of the broader economy's health.

Summer is here, which means for many of us, it's time for a new swimsuit. But as they hunt for a suit that truly suits, many women have to wonder: How is it that two-pieces can be so expensive when they're so tiny? DailyFinance's Loren Berlin dove into the clothing biz and came up with the answers.

Everybody wants to support good corporate citizens and everybody wants high returns on their investments, but is it possible to combine the two? This list of good companies with good returns suggests that it is!

Retailer T.J. Maxx isn't only for bargain shoppers. Dividend seekers will be happy to know that its parent company TJX is boosting its quarterly payout by a whopping 27%. It's not alone. Here are a few other dividend stocks you may want to own.

The TJX Companies announced Friday that it was shutting down its A.J. Wright brand, converting 91 of its 162 stores to those of its other brands -- T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or HomeGoods -- and closing the rest. The move will eliminate 4,400 jobs, about half of them part-time positions.