The week's best financial advice

Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial advice, gathered from around the web:

When store credit cards make sense

"U.S. retailers dangle enticing bait to sign up for store-branded credit cards," said Mitch Lipka at Reuters, "but biting could be a costly decision for consumers." The average credit card has a 15 percent interest rate, but store-branded cards average more than 23 percent, according to a recent analysis by CreditCards.com of 64 retail-branded cards. That doesn't mean they can't be helpful when used prudently. "Store-branded cards definitely can work for you," says Matt Schulz, CreditCards.com's senior industry analyst. Since many stores offer up to 20 percent discounts for cardholders, savings can add up, but only if your balance is paid in full each month. For large purchases, general-purpose credit cards are usually a better option, with better rates and better rewards.

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ObamaCare bargain hunting

"ObamaCare shopping is more important than ever" this year, said Margot Sanger-Katz at The New York Times. Rising premiums across the country are presenting consumers with a "tough choice": Stick with the plan they have and pay more, or switch in order to save. About 8 in 10 returning customers on HealthCare.gov can find a cheaper option by switching during the open enrollment period, which runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31. The average returning customer who chooses the best deal in the same category as his old plan could save as much as $610, say analysts for the Department of Health and Human Services. Such annual shopping may become commonplace. Since customers can pick a new plan every year, the thinking goes, insurers will have to work to keep their prices low or risk losing customers. In the last enrollment period, about half of all returning customers shopped around before settling on a health plan — and a full quarter switched.

Few changes for 401(k)s and IRAs

Retirement accounts aren't changing much in 2016, said Emily Brandon at US News. You won't be able to save more in a 401(k) or individual retirement account — the contribution limit will stay at $18,000 for 401(k)s and $5,500 for IRAs. However, workers will be able to earn slightly more in 2016 and still contribute to a Roth IRA. Singles with a gross adjusted income of $117,000 per year and married couples with $184,000 can make the full Roth contribution. Also, income caps for the saver's credit will be higher: $30,750 for singles and $61,500 for married couples.