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Consumer Confidential: Retirement woes, another toy recall

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Here’s your waffling Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- You probably already know that your retirement is an increasingly distant prospect. But how bad are things really? A new study by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research says Americans are collectively about $6.6 trillion short of what they need to hang up their spurs. And that’s a best-case scenario, based on conservative financial predictions. Using gloomier outlooks, the retirement-money shortfall becomes even more dire. The report is intended to ratchet up awareness of the problem as lawmakers wrestle with what to do about Social Security and as pensions keep vanishing.

-- Heads up: Chuck E. Cheese is recalling about 1 million light-up rings and toy glasses because of a choking hazard. The plastic casing on the Chinese-made toys can break into small pieces and possibly expose the batteries inside, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warns. If swallowed, the batteries could damage a child’s stomach, intestine, esophagus or nasal passage. Federal regulators have received two reports of injuries linked to the light-up rings.

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-- David Lazarus

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