Short Takes: Financial Illiteracy and more

I had a full slate of posts this week (although you might not count the last one about a feed aggregator and not money):

A Reader Question about Becoming Debt Free

Bernoulli’s Model of Risky Decisions

Rational Level of Saving for Athletes

I Finally Stopped Procrastinating about Google Reader’s Demise

Here are my short takes and some weekend reading:

Canadian Financial DIY points out the irony of using a stock-picking contest to raise money for financial literacy. Real financial knowledge for most investors begins with understanding the futility of trying to pick your own stocks.

Potato makes an interesting case for treating investing as one of your careers.

Squawkfox explains how to get the most from the customer service of a large company. She includes an audio recording of a successful call she made. I agree with all her points, but I think a fair measure of her success on that call came from the man answering the phone perceiving her tone as somewhat flirtatious. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it certainly wouldn’t work as well for most of us.

The Blunt Bean Counter looks at the economics of illegal tax avoidance resulting from cash payments to contractors.

Big Cajun Man says that if you’re bad with your money banks will love you.

My Own Advisor makes his pick of the top bond ETFs. I’m not a bond investor myself, but he made some picks that keep costs (MERs) down, which is important.