Fools were out and about this week in an investing world jampacked with actions and ideas. Here are three articles you might find useful as you decide how to invest your money.

A U.S. Collapse? Don't Make Me Laugh
Fool contributor Matt Koppenheffer isn't buying talk that the United States is on the way out. "If the U.S. is in an interminable decline, somebody forgot to tell that to the consumers around the world religiously drinking [Coca-Cola], eating McDonald's hamburgers, and using Intel-driven computers," Matt wrote.

He checks out Interbrand's annual "Best Global Brands" list and finds that nine of the top 10 brands hail from America. Not content with what might be inertia, Matt noted that comparatively young American companies, including Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) and Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) rank among the top global brands. No. 4 Google, he pointed out, is a mere 12 years old.

See the article to find out what else Matt had to say about the strength of American companies.

Will Electric Cars Live Up to the Hype?
Fool contributor John Rosevear gave examples of how all-electric vehicles, like Nissan's Leaf, provide a qualitatively different experience than regular and hybrid vehicles:

"There's no conventional engine at all, just an electric motor. It needs to be recharged frequently -- if you come home tired after a long day at work and forget to plug it in, you might not be going anywhere tomorrow. Its range will probably vary quite a bit from day to day: A little zestful driving (or a cold snap) could mean the difference between a relaxed detour and a white-knuckled please-let-me-make-it-home drive."

Big Ford Motor (NYSE: F) and small Tesla Motors (Nasdaq: TSLA) are two of the companies hoping to make money on electric vehicles. Check out the article for more discussion on whether this technology will be welcomed by drivers or end up dumped by the side of the road.

Anatomy of a Murdered Economy
Fool contributor Rich Smith brings some news appropriate to the scary season: "In short, the Great Recession has now morphed into a broader, longer-drawn-out, Greater Recession. … Before accounting for forever-fudgeable loan-loss provisions, YTD revenues at all four of America's remaining megabanks -- Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) -- are down from last year."

Read the article to find out what Rich considers the scariest statistic of all.