Some interesting financial and investing posts I ran across this week, plus a few decent articles from the newspapers.
I’ve noticed some of my favourite bloggers like Frugal Dad [1] name their weekly roundups, so I thought I’d start doing the same with a nod to the dramatic F1 crisis [2]. Not sure what the benefit is but it keeps things interesting!
Also exciting this week was receiving a link from Harvard professor Dani Rodrik [3].
It was an insight into how the Internet has democratised the flow of ideas. Read my post on Rodrik’s Capitalism 3.0 [4] lecture for some extensive comments by reader Niklas, too.
From the money and investing blogs
- Oblivious Investor discusses index funds [5] in the context of efficient markets.
- FiveCentNickel outlines the pros and cons of mutual funds [6].
- Darwin’s Finance discusses structured notes [7]. (Personally, I’m wary about structured products [8] but the author gives a good oversight, including risks).
- BadMoneyAdvice picks up on bizarre wrangling over Barclays’ bill for Lehman’s furniture [9].
- MoneyNing offers some ideas about saving money every month [10].
- This post on the path to financial/career contentment [11] by Frugal Dad mirrors my own thinking in recent years, although I can’t claim to have reached contentment yet!
- Wealth Pilgrim has had problems lending money to friends and family [12]. So have I, but it’s difficult not to feel the need sometimes. Perhaps gifting is the best approach.
- Moolanomy points out that it’s good to buy stocks cheap [13].
Generally UK-related articles from other websites and papers
- Martin Wolf in the FT has written a typical thought provoking article [14] comparing the current downturn with the Great Depression.
- Sticking with the FT, Merryn is worried about commercial property in the US [15].
- Returning to structured products, this article by Hargreaves Landsdown does a good job of explaining more of the downsides [16].
- The Independent suggests a corporate bond fund [17], again.
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