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.

Investing is complex rocket science that requires professional help -- at least that's what the professionals usually say. But a strong case can be made for investors following a design principle known as KISS, which in this case stands for: Keep it simple, saver.

U.S. News & World Report - It may seem a bit strange to be talking about income taxes in September. There are, however, good reasons to think about taxes well before April 15. For starters, there are some big changes in the tax code that go into effect in 2011. Depending on your income tax bracket and investments, some simple planning now could save you a bundle later.

Children could be prevented from realizing their potential in school and, eventually, the labor force as consequences from the problem of home foreclosures last for years, a pair of Federal bank officials say in a conference on neighborhood stabilization.

AP - RECORD LOWS: Mortgage rates fell to the lowest levels in decades for the tenth time in 11 weeks, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. The average rate for a 30-year fixed loan was 4.32 percent. The 15-year fixed loan hit 3.83 percent.

U.S. News & World Report - More than four years after real estate values peaked, the historic plunge in home prices remains fresh in the minds of mortgage lenders. After taking painful losses on delinquent home loans, banks have imposed tougher standards--such as increased credit scores and higher down payment requirements--on applicants of all stripes. And as investors fled for the hills, the exotic mortgage products that helped fuel the real estate boom have largely disappeared from the private market. But that doesn't mean all buyers need a big pile of cash to snag a home loan. ...

U.S. News & World Report - The Latte Factor, a term coined (and trademarked) by personal finance guru David Bach, is one of the most talked about concepts in the world of personal finance. But it might be based on faulty math.

The Motley Fool - Shares of Salary.com (Nasdaq: SLRY - News) -- a small provider of human resources applications on the cloud -- soared 43% yesterday, after agreeing to be acquired by larger rival Kenexa (Nasdaq: KNXA - News).

Many recession-battered employers passed on a bigger share of health-insurance costs to workers or made their benefits less comprehensive this year, even though premium costs grew only modestly, a new study found.

Fixed-rate mortgages and 5-year ARMS are at record lows this week.

Hurricane Earl is on track to hit North Carolina, forecasters say.

Reuters - U.S. mortgage rates fell in the past week to the latest in a series of record lows as yields on government debt dropped, according to a survey released on Thursday by Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

AP - A new Treasury Department program to give people without bank accounts faster access to their tax refunds will help some avoid costly short-term loans. But careless consumers could end up racking up fees and padding bank profits.

Got confidence? Consumer confidence, according to some market commentators, is among the key indicators those who put their assets at risk in the stock and bond markets need to follow.

In Japan, where stocks have been out of favor for 20 years and the yen is sacrosanct, lives Mrs. Watanabe. She’s a mythical housewife representing thousands of small Japanese investors, and Dave Callaway argues that global central banks ought to keep a closer eye on her.