Computers: Students tend to pick high-tech equipment

When it comes to outfitting teen-agers and college-bound students with computers and other high-tech equipment, the students seem to have the final say about which PC they’ll get, according to a new survey.

In an online poll of 300 high school and college students by marketing research firm Insight Express, 52 percent said they have the final say on what sort of computer they need, while 18 percent said it’s a joint effort with their parents. Thirty percent said the decision rests in the hands of their parents alone.

Nine of 10 students polled already have a computer, but one in four want a new one to make school easier. Sixteen percent said they need a new PC to get better grades.

Survey: Gen Xers say retirement will be finer than parents

Generation Xers, the 52 million Americans born from 1967 to 1981, are generally financially astute and well prepared to weather and even benefit from the current financial downturn, according to the Second Annual Gen X Survey conducted by New York Life Investment Management LLC.

The survey of 530 Gen Xers found most of them began saving early and, as a result, 69 percent expect their standard of living in retirement to be greater than their parents’.

The majority of Generation X’s wealth comes from their salary as opposed to stock options or inheritance. Sixty percent of those surveyed said their net worth (on average around $117,000) was made by working, up 43 percent from 2001.

But the stock market’s problems have made an impression on Xers, with 22 percent dubbing their investment style as conservative, up from 11 percent last year. Just 20 percent viewed themselves as aggressive investors, down from 36 percent in 2001.

Motley Fool: Name that company

I was founded in 1866 when a pharmacist tried to develop an economical alternative to breast milk for mothers who couldn’t nurse their babies. Today I’m Switzerland’s largest industrial company and the world’s largest food company, employing nearly a quarter of a million people. My brands are available in almost every nation, and include Taster’s Choice, Carnation, Libby’s, PowerBar, Maggi, Buitoni, Stouffer’s, Kit Kat, Smarties, After Eight, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Alpo and Mighty Dog. I also hold a major interest in L’Orl. Sales of my instant coffee more than doubled during World War II. Who am I?