I had so much fun skimming through my favorite bloggers and curators that I thought I would provide a bonus edition of "what I'm reading..."

Hat tip to the Tadas at Abnormal Returns and Barry at Big Picture Blog. They make curating these awesome articles on Friday soooooo much easier. Thanks!

Here's what caught my attention this week: 

State of Financial Education

• Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (the agency formerly know as the CFPB) releases their Annual Report on Financial Literacy

Psychology

• Looking for ways to beat procrastination (I've given up!), then you might find this excerpt from Atomic Habits helpful
• Thought provoking article about why people tend to fall for scams from the Economist. Short answer: It's not only greed, there are other psychological factors at play too. 

Entrepreneurship

• Say it ain't so, scooters are replacing bikes according to this FT article (sub required). Could it just be a fad? 
• Don't tell this to folks in Palo Alto...start-ups aren't cool anymore according to the Atlantic which provides the reasons that millennials are not starting businesses at the same rate as previous generations. 

Miscellaneous

• Looking for books to read or give as gifts for the holiday? Here's a list from NPR. 
• Over 100 million Americans (51% of households) now have PRIME accounts and those who don't are using a friend's account. Why? According to SLATE, it's quite simple: Amazon saves them time and money. 
• Good reminder about the importance of understanding the incentives behind a financial adviser recommending a product. WSJ reports that Merrill Lynch was pushing clients to take on more debt (and were compensated for it). 
• This All About Your Benjamins podcast provides the counter-narrative to the spendthrift athlete; Amobi Okugo is an MLS player and a frugal athlete 

This is what is known as a bad day in the market (S&P 500 market map courtesy of FinViz); a good day to own utilities! 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.