1. What is the TED Spread and what happened to it just after Lehman Brothers collapsed? What
does the TED spread indicate about sources of funds for commercial banks? Does the condition
of the TED Spread after the Lehman Brothers collapse give you any indication of issues within
the economy in general and in commercial banking specifically?
2. The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 was passed in response to the perception that Commercial Bank
engagement in securities trading was a significant contributing factor to the stock market crash
of 1929. Whether that perception is true or not is subject to debate. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley
Act of 1999 basically repealed the Glass-Steagall Act. There has been some suggestion that the
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was a significant contributing factor to the liquidity crisis in 2008 and
the recession that followed. Do you think that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act contributed to the
liquidity crisis? Why or why not?
3. With a divorce rate of 49% in the U.S., financial planners are called upon to offer advice on
financial concerns related to divorce. In the given scenario, a 55-year old woman comes to you
for financial advice on how to ensure support herself and the kids before and after the divorce.
She has hired an attorney but they have just gotten started. Find a scholarly (peer reviewed)
journal article pertaining to divorce planning, list your suggestions and explain how the article
supports your position.
