From the @valeofinancial Twitter feed

U.S. Economy

• Retail Therapy? Consumer Confidence Remains Depressed, but Retail Sales Continue to Climb Valeo Financial Advisors

Around the Globe

• Top 30 MBA programs around the world. The Economist
• Loan sharking in China amounts to about $630 billion a year, the equivalent of 10% of China’s GDP The New York Times
• China Takes Bigger Stake in 4 of Its Banks The New York Times
• Dexia Rescue: Belgium Nationalizes Troubled Bank Spiegel English
• Chart: The relationship between wealth, happiness and inequality The Economist

The State of the States

• States with the highest (and lowest) homeownership MSNBC
• California’s tax revenue falls below projections approaching a level that may trigger automatic spending cuts Bloomberg

Financial Planning

• Top 10 Myths About Financial Advisors Paladin

Other

• How much does a dollar bill weigh? Interesting facts about currency. Chicago Federal Reserve