Motley Fool analysts Austin Smith and Anand Chokkavelu discuss the teaming up of PayPal and Discover Financial Services. Soon, consumers can use eBay's PayPal wherever Discover is accepted (as long as the merchant wants to do so). This is a business partnership that makes a lot of sense, since it gives PayPal big-time access to bricks-and-mortar locations. Meanwhile, Discover handles about a quarter of the credit card volume of credit's Big Three: MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. Given its smaller size, it can be a bit more daring in its quest for market share. Big Three, be warned.

With so many of the big finance firms getting bad press these days, you may be inclined to stay away from the sector entirely, but that could be a huge mistake. In fact, some of the best opportunities over the next few years can be found there, including one small, under-the-radar bank. It's been called one of The Stocks Only the Smartest Investors Are Buying. You can learn about it, and more, in our exclusive free report. Just click here to keep reading