Pension reform, 1929 revisited and Halloween on the cheap.

• National Post. Ottawa’s pension reform has five main objectives. “Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has released a significant reform plan for the federal private pension legislative and regulatory framework.”
• Toronto Star. Tories unveil pension reform plan. “Facing mounting concern about the state of public pensions, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty Tuesday proposed reforms to pension plans at federally-regulated companies.”
• Toronto Star. Be careful, low rates won’t last, says top banker. “Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney is warning homebuyers against taking on too much debt because today’s low interest rates will not last forever.”
• The New York Times. U.S. economy began to grow again in 3rd quarter. “The United States has emerged from the longest economic contraction since World War II.”
• The Globe and Mail. Canada’s economy still struggling. “Canada’s economy continues to stagnate.”
• The Globe and Mail. Is rally a bear in bull’s clothing? “News that the recession in the United States is over sent stocks climbing in North America and Europe Thursday, but some respected market watchers warned the latest economic data might be hiding a bear in bull’s clothing.”
• Daily Finance. Great Depression, Great Recession: What 1929 can teach us about 2009. “How do you commemorate the worst stock market crash in history? With the news that another devastating economic implosion may be nearing its end.”
• CBC. Great Recession? This time it’s different. “As the 80th anniversary of Black Monday approaches, comparisons have been made between the Great Depression that struck the world in the 1930s and the economic slowdown underway today.”
• Seeking Alpha. Why this isn’t your Daddy’s recession. “Everyone agrees we are going through a Great Recession brought about by excessive debt; or, to be more precise, the deflation of excessive debt.”
• SmartMoney. Will recession forever scar young investors? “People who lived through the Great Depression were shaped thoroughly by the experience – so much so that many of them never gave up habits of extreme thrift, aversion to financial risk and even hoarding behavior.”
• The Wall Street Journal. Efficient market theory and the crisis. “Financial journalist and best-selling author Roger Lowenstein didn’t mince words in a piece for the Washington Post this summer: ‘The upside of the current Great Recession is that it could drive a stake through the heart of the academic nostrum known as the efficient-market hypothesis.’”
• The Washington Post. The dollar’s fall is felt overseas. “The dramatic decline of the U.S. dollar is aiding the American economic recovery but setting off alarm bells overseas, with corporate executives, politicians and pundits calling it among the biggest threats to the rebounds underway in Europe and Japan.”
• Squawkfox. Halloween costumes, recipes, and frugal fun oh my! “Boo! It’s that time of year when werewolves howl and vampires bite. It’s also the season for dishing out lots of dough on candy, costumes, and spooky decorations.”
• The Canadian Finance Blog. Twitter personal finance list. An excellent new Twitter feed featuring Canadian personal finance bloggers.

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