Beginning with 250 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this summer 7-Eleven will offer bill payment, payroll check cashing, money wiring and ticket purchasing for entertainment events and travel--all on the souped-up terminals.

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While this practice, akin to ticket-scalping, can be quite profitable (especially when purchasing must-have electronic gifts) and is not illegal, it does require some dedication and standing in long lines.

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They should also try to put their financial house in order before they fully retire by paying off their mortgage and other debts and purchasing any big-ticket items they expect to need in retirement.

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In recent years purchasing houses and other big-ticket items based - doing so with debt really, really helped buoy the economy when many other things weren't growing.

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And in Hong Kong the view seems to be that buying stock in a high-tech start-up is akin to purchasing a lottery ticket.

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