Video: These 20-somethings want financial independence + MORE Oct 11th

But their investment styles clash. Charlie embraces risk, but Katelyn prefers to buy and hold. Which route is right?

Angela Merkel greets supporters after her Sept. 22 re-election (Photo: Markus Schreiber/AP)
One campaign poster seemed to sum up the spirit of Germany’s national elections in September: it featured a close-up of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s tented fingers, and read “Germany’s future in good hands.” Voters, who granted Merkel a historic third-term victory, apparently endorsed that view, along with the chancellor’s austerity agenda at home and in the eurozone. Further belt-tightening, though, risks keeping southern Europe in recession and could hurt Germany itself, economists fear.
The country’s economy is growing, unemployment enviably low and the budget almost balanced, all of which helped Merkel at the ballot box. But the campaign glossed over some unflattering statistics Germany must contend with: productivity growth has lagged other advanced countries for most of the past 10 years, capital investment as a share of GDP lags below 1995 levels, and 22% of all employees toil in low-wage jobs…

WARSAW, Poland – Poland’s government has opened a debate on a controversial plan to transfer part of pension savings from private funds to a state account.
Under the plan announced late Thursday and to be debated Friday, private pension funds would have to transfer their government bonds to a state account, but would be allowed to keep stock. Every Pole will have to decide whether to stick with only the state fund or have a private one, too.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government argues private funds weigh pension investments too heavily toward shares and might result in low pensions, due to the impact of the global financial crisis.
Critics of the plan, however, say the government wants the private pension savings on its books so it can close an unexpected deficit shortage.
The post Poland opens debate on controversial pension reform that strengthens state fund appeared first on Canadian Business.

LONDON – Shares in newly-privatized Royal Mail soared on their stock market debut Friday, likely bolstering criticism that the company, which traces its history back to King Henry VIII, was undervalued by the British government.
Two hours after the start of trading in London, Royal Mail’s share price was trading 34 per cent higher at 441 pence and over 125 million shares had changed hands, around 12.5 per cent of the total issue. The shares were allocated to shareholders, large and small, at 330 pence.
Big financial institutions, such as pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, are trading the shares Friday in what is known as conditional trading. Smaller shareholders, including postal workers who got free shares and others who tended for only 750 pounds ($1,200) worth of shares, will get their chance to sell or boost their portfolios next Tuesday.
“One can only say that investors have clearly given their stamp of approval to the offering,” said Brenda Kelly, senior market strategist at IG…

General Readings
-Retirement planning: sprint, spartan or marathon @ TheFinancialBlogger
-A federal budget crisis months in the making @ NYT
-Republicans popularity sinking to new lows @ Gallup
Dividend/ Passive Income Readings
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Technology Stock Readings
-Secrets of Jeff Bezos and the Amazon (AMZN) empire @ BW

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130928204536-24171-the-end-of-venture-capital-sort-of

The post Weekend Readings appeared first on Intelligent Speculator.