For Samantha Firestone, founder and CEO of Little Nest, an Australian firm that produces mini versions of classic modernist furnishings, it's as much about appealing to kids as adults.

WSJ: Midcentury-Modern Furniture for Kids

Little terns visit the area in the summer to nest and rear their young.

BBC: Little tern at Crimdon Dene

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.

CNN: Afghan girl begs for bread, prays for help

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

FORBES: The World's Greatest Investors - God Help Us!

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

ECONOMIST: American currency

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

WSJ: 401(k) Plans Step Into the Sunshine