On her way to beg, Banafsha stops off at a center run by an Afghan nongovernmental organization called Aschiana -- the name means "nest" in Dari -- for a little education, a little recreation and a glimmer of hope.

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These kinds of returns are little comfort for a generation of Americans who now face retirement with broken nest-eggs.

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Fortunately the nest-egg was in dollars and help was at hand in a little-known corner of America's federal bureaucracy.

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Savings of as little as 0.5% a year of assets could make a big impact on workers' nest eggs.

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