Market for Lehmans

You may have been wondering what was the better long-term investment in college: finance or foreign languages? Before the Lehman Brothers imploded late last month, we believe they answered that question with an emergency call to the China Investment Corporation seeking several billion dollars in emergency capital injections.

In today's podcast, we indulge in a bit of schadenfreude by way of dramatic re-enactment. And though the economic news out West may be dismal, there's never been a better time to learn Chinese. The economy here is growing at near double-digits and is expected to stay strong even in the face of a global slowdown. China is already shifting from being an export-led economy to a mixed economy with a strong consumer market and a vibrant financial services sector. This means more demand for fluent foreign speakers in the high-value international service sector.