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Weekend reading: Pay monkeys, get peanuts

Good reads from around the Web.

The tensions between inequality, meritocracy, communism and the incentives of capitalism have been endlessly debated over the years.

But for too long capuchin monkeys were denied their say.

This injustice was corrected by research showing that the little fellas react just as angrily to inequality as any Occupy protestor running low on Skinny Chai Lattes from the oppressors at Starbucks.

The following video shares the story:

(The full version of this TED lecture is available on its website [1]).

I am not sure whether this video really does show the monkey is reacting angrily to not getting equal pay – or whether he’d just like some grapes, too, as they’re clearly on offer.

A better approach might be to deliver the same type of “pay”, but to give greater amounts to the monkey who demonstrates superior performance. Would our furry friends be happy to see higher skill rewarded?

I have no idea, but I do feel sorry for the losing monkey. It all seems a bit cruel.

Why not just put cameras in City offices at bonus time for equally mean but more amusing results?

From the blogs

Making good use of the things that we find…

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Other articles

Product of the week: I long for a big, cheap mortgage [15]. Reader Brendan pointed me to a new 3.99% ten-year deal from Yorkshire [16], which is profiled in The Guardian [15]. Low fees!

Mainstream media money

Note: Some links are to Google search results – these enable you to click through to read the piece without you being a paid subscriber of the site.

Passive investing

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Other stuff worth reading

Book of the week: I am really enjoying Money Mavericks [34], which was billed as the “Confessions of a Hedge Fund manager” but which is more endearing for being far more mundane than that sensational sub-title implies.

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