Consumer Confidential: AOL reborn, more wealth, Burka Barbie

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Here’s your throat-clearing Thursday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- Remember when AOL owned the Internet? Those days are long gone. But today, AOL is making a stab at starting over as it completes its separation from former parent Time Warner. AOL was valued at $111 billion when Time Warner bought it in 2001. Now it’s worth closer to $3 billion, and it’s no longer a factor in serving as a gateway to the online world. So what will the new AOL be like? The company says it’ll be a player in the content world. But something tells me Google and Yahoo might have something to say about that.

-- Here’s some welcome news: We’re getting wealthier, or so the experts say. Americans’ average net worth -- the value of assets such as homes, bank accounts and investments, minus debts like mortgages and credit cards -- climbed 5% from the second quarter to $53.4 trillion in the third quarter, according to the Federal Reserve. That’s still well below our pre-recession peak of more than $65 trillion, but it’s an improvement. So why don’t I feel any richer?

-- From Malibu Barbie to ... Burka Barbie? That’s the latest incarnation of everyone’s favorite full-figured fashion doll as Barbie has been made over for Islamic tastes. Burka Barbie, as she’s been dubbed, was one of hundreds of multicultural Barbies sold in Italy to raise funds for charity. Burka Barbie comes in turquoise, lime-green and orange-colored burkas, as well as a Muslim veil, known as hijab.

-- David Lazarus