Beware the human costs of gold mining

Don�t miss these top stories:

• High price of gold is child slave labor

• Avoiding bull-market fever

• 10 things customer-service reps won�t tell you

Gold has been one of the greatest investment stories of the past decade, Jeanette Pavini writes today in her Buyer Beware column. Aside from its value as a commodity and its popularity for jewelry, she notes that consumers should pay attention to where and how the metal is sourced � and that new global efforts and regulations are making it easier to do that. Part of the price we pay for gold is that increased demand has resulted in the expansion of small-scale mining operations and, tragically, child slave labor and economic exploitation. But new laws will help better identify the source of gold as a �conflict metal� and there�s a growing movement for consumers to seek out fair trade jewelers.

Also on MarketWatch today, Mark Hulbert says that contrarians, being contrarian, are not getting caught up in the �it�s a new bull market� fervor that is spreading through Wall Street. And they recommend that you avoid it as well. Read his report on what he calls a worrisome complacency. Then, for another viewpoint, read Michael A. Gayed�s entry on the Trading Deck about what he sees as a potentially great buying opportunity.

� Anne Stanley, Managing Editor, Personal Finance

World�s most notorious ship disasters

The Costa Concordia lies half-submerged off the Italian coast, lost to what officials call �significant� human error. While the sinking of modern cruise ships is very rare, fatal maritime disasters have captured the public�s imagination in a special way. See this slide show of some of the best-known passenger ship catastrophes. See slideshow: World�s most notorious ship disasters.

High price of gold is child slave labor

Gold has been one of the greatest investment stories of the decade, and despite some recent weakness, its safe-haven appeal is likely to continue. But regardless of the price gyrations in gold futures and demand, do we really know what the cost of gold is in human terms? Read more: High price of gold is child slave labor.

10 things customer-service reps won�t tell you

Only 21% of those who complain end up satisfied, according to a recent study by Arizona State University�s W.P. Carey School of Business. Read more: 10 things customer-service reps won�t tell you.

INVESTING Worrisome complacency

Bullishness has spread more rapidly since the early October lows than at the comparable stages of prior bull markets. This has contrarians worried, reports Mark Hulbert. Read more: Worrisome complacency.