U.S. Economy

• The U.S. Economy grew by 2.5% in the 3^rd Quarter (Contributions: 1.72% consumer consumption, 0.52% private domestic investment, 0.22% net exports, 0.0% government spending) Bureau of Economic Analysis
• Average price of a new home that sold in September was $243,900, down from August’s $253,800 Chart: FRED
• How U.S. consumer spending has changed since 2007 Chart: The Economist
• The personal savings rate in the U.S. has dropped to the lowest level since Dec. 2007. Chart: FRED

Investing

• Study: 401(k) investors who received advice outperformed those who didn’t by nearly 3% per year Moneywatch
• If October ended today, the monthly return on the Dow Jones Industrial Average would be 13th best since Oct. 1928 Valeo Financial Advisors

Financial Planning

• Average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose an additional 8.3% this fall Yahoo! Finance
• Is Going to College Worth the Investment? Knowledge At Wharton

Technology

• Bloomberg TV app lets anyone with an iPad watch 24-hour live broadcast 9to5 Mac
• The popular personal finance management service Mint.com comes to the iPad Apple

Europe

• Summary of the European debt deal struck late this week Bloomberg
• It’s All Connected: An Overview of the Euro Crisis The New York Times
• What Does ‘Recapitalizing Banks’ Actually Mean? Economix

Miscellaneous

• An illustrated history of Wall Street technology NYSSA
• What’s the future of cash? Hint: It shows no sign of fading Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco