Holiday Reading

Michael Lewis, who wrote a tell-all book on '80s Wall Street, chronicles our current financial crisis. This is the best article on the financial crisis that I've had the pleasure of reading. You will laugh out loud. Unless you've recently been laid off, then you'll just be angry.

Do You Speek "Alpha"?

Don't know a ABS from a CDO? A CDS from a MBS? You're not alone. The people that invented the things didn't know their ass from their elbow either. The Chinese food that fueled the brainstorm session must have been laced with some bad MSG.

Here's a handy guide explaining such rarefied financial concepts from the NPR's Marketplace.