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

Why America Should Applaud -- Not Condemn -- China's Growth
Fool analyst Dan Carroll makes the case that's what's good for China's economy is good for Americans. Increasing wealth among the Chinese will lead to increased demand for American goods and services, Dan argues, and this in turn will lead to jobs for Americans and investment by American companies. Less expensive Chinese imports into America, meanwhile, can save Americans money that they can spend on other things or save, Dan wrote.

Investors in American companies also stand to benefit from growth in the Chinese economy, Dan said. For instance, "American powerhouses Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) and General Electric (NYSE: GE) have stepped up efforts in the Asian nation, investing heavily in coal mining thanks to the nation's swelling energy demands," he wrote.

Read the article for all of Dan's insight.

1 Reason the Recovery Is So Slow
Fool analyst John Maxfield's article on "1 Reason the Recovery Is So Slow" seems to be resonating with Fool.com visitors; it has more than 100 recommendations and more than 50 comments. John focuses on banks' role. "While deposits continue to rise, loans remain at precrisis levels," he wrote. "[A]s we learned when the credit markets seized in the depth of the financial crisis, business literally comes to a stop without credit greasing the wheels of commerce."

What's behind the sluggish lending? John identifies a hangover of toxic mortgages as one reason. At Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), a "staggering" 7.5% of its loans are noncurrent, John wrote. Citigroup (NYSE: C) -- the nation's third-largest bank by assets -- has its own "staggering" stat: $100 billion in potentially toxic loans at Citi Holdings. Banks also face uncertainty on the regulatory and economic fronts, John wrote.

Read the article to learn more about other things influencing banks' behavior.

3 Oversized Dividends Worth Another Look
Investors' affinity for dividend stocks grows during financially rocky times. Travis Hoium is just one of several Fool.com analysts who this week served up insight into specific dividend companies that might be good additions to your portfolio.

Fertilizer company Terra Nitrogen (NYSE: TNH) landed on Travis' list this week thanks to farmers' need to feed a growing and increasingly wealthy world population. "Terra Nitrogen provides the base ingredients for ... fertilizer, and its strong business has led to a major cash flow opportunity for investors," Travis wrote. He notes that Terra Nitrogen is a master limited partnership, which means it takes extra work to figure out the tax side of things.

Read the article for Travis' full list of three oversized dividends worth another look.

If you're interested in the stocks in this article, you might want to check out the in-depth reports Motley Fool analysts have put together on Caterpillar, GE, or Bank of America. Click the following links for more information: