Consumers will be protected from debt-settlement companies that charge hefty upfront fees and make questionable claims, thanks to new government rules that take full effect in late October.

In case you missed them, here are the top 10 Personal Finance stories from MarketWatch for the week of Aug. 30 to Sept. 3:

The Toyota Prius moves to the top of our gas-sipper list. You simply can’t do any better.

Driving somewhere this weekend? If so, there’s good news for you at the gas pump.

The tax code is going to change come Dec. 31, thanks to the expiration of the Bush-era cuts but also because some of the stimulus tax breaks are ending. Andrea Coombes looks at some of the likely adjustments in her Personal Finance Minute.

The real-estate industry was abuzz with chatter earlier this week about the government offering another home-buyer tax credit, after Shaun Donovan, HUD secretary, said on CNN that it was too early to tell if the credit would make a return.

Scenes from the top 10 working-class TV shows.

Television’s long history has given us lots of celebrated blue-collar characters over the years, but for various reasons most of them have been relegated to sitcoms -- Ralph Kramden, Archie Bunker, Roseanne Conner, Al Bundy.

AP - Private mortgage insurer Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. said Friday it added $1.2 billion in new primary insurance coverage in August and the number of delinquent loans it insures declined.

Growth slows in the U.S. non-manufacturing sector during August, as the Institute for Supply Management reports a reading of 51.5%, down from 54.3% in July. Several component gauges within the index register decline.

The Motley Fool - Satellite-radio star Howard Stern is negotiating in public again.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Growth slowed in the U.S. non-manufacturing sector in August, hitting 51.5%, compared with 54.3% in July, the Institute for Supply Management reported Friday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected the reading to slow to 53.5%. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 indicates a decline.

If you are among the estimated 1.3 million retirees too young to qualify for Medicare but fortunate enough to have employer-sponsored health care coverage, count your blessings. The next two years could bring a bit of a windfall.

In this week's Realty Q&A, a retiree says his only debt is his $94,000 mortgage, and he wonders whether he should tap his 401(k) to pay off that bill. Lew Sichelman offers some advice.

A roundup of top personal finance stories from MarketWatch.

A MarketWatch report on Sept. 2 misstated how airlines usually handle changes to customers' flight plans in the case of a hurricane or other force majeure. They generally offer a refund. See the corrected story.

As Hurricane Earl twists its way towards the East Coast ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend, the nation’s largest airlines are rolling out waivers that allow travelers to change flights without charge, but most come with specific stipulations.

AP - Coast Guard: no sign of oil leak after Gulf platform fire, but crews continue to monitor.

A MarketWatch story published Sept. 2 incorrectly identified the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Iindex. See the corrected story.