Fools were out and about this 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.

Dell's Rotten Apples-to-Apples Comparison
If you invest in a company, you should buy its products. Don't put change in the Coca-Cola machine if you own shares of PepsiCo. You also want to keep an eye on your company's advertising. For instance, Procter & Gamble investors can smile at the popularity of the new Old Spice man, who sells deodorant in 2-D.

But can Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) investors smile at the latest from its ad department? Fool writer Anders Bylund has a big frowny face for the computer maker's new comparison charts, which supposedly show why Dell systems are a better buy than equivalent Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) computers.

"The 'Apples to Apples' moniker makes you think it's a fair and balanced rundown," Anders warns, "but a closer reading shows that it's just the usual spin-heavy marketing."

Click to the article for Anders' insight on how to really make comparisons.

3 Short Success Stories
Shorting stocks sounds like fun, especially when the market's wobbly. Investors can use shorting to make money from stocks whose share prices fall. But it's a risky practice, and more difficult than it might seem.

Motley Fool Global Gains co-advisor Tim Hanson wrote this week about three shorting successes and one failure the Global Gains team had over the past year.

"When it comes to shorting, one mistake can wipe out any number of successes," Tim wrote. "Although we got three out of four calls right in the above examples, the mistake with lululemon athletica (Nasdaq: LULU) was so significant that it wiped out more than half of our overall gains." Yikes.

If you're thinking about betting against the market, you'd better learn from the Global Gains team's mistakes and successes in shorting.

Today's Buy Opportunity: Yum! Brands
Fool Rich Greifner points out more than the obvious in recommending Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), which operates KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's, and A&W units around the world. Rich highlights the company's strength in China, noting that because Yum! owns and operates its Chinese distribution network, it can open restaurants more quickly than the competition.

Yum! also has an edge in the palate department. "While companies like McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) and Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) have struggled to adapt their menu to suit Chinese customers’ tastes, this is an area where Yum! shines," says Rich. "For example, in addition to its conventional fried chicken, KFC restaurants in China serve items such as preserved Sichuan pickle and shredded pork soup; Beijing duck wrap served with scallops and hoisin sauce; and congee, a Chinese-style porridge dish."

Click to the article for a closer look at why Yum! Brands joined the list of Motley Fool "11 O'Clock Stocks."