Easy ways to Make Money: Secretary Calls

Ask anyone who works at a large corporation and they know that if you want to learn the dirt about what is going on in the office you just need to talk to the secretary. Secretaries know everything about what is happening in the company, they may not have the acumen to diagnose the severity of problems but they certainly have the acumen to understand how upset their bosses are that week.

Secretaries are a great resource in understanding the health of the company. This may sound a bit foolish but I will often give an executive secretary a quick call before making any sizable investment in a company.

I recently made one call to a company, with some simple honesty about being an investor and wanting someone's personal opinion who works at a company I learned the water cooler gossip. Nothing unethical here just asking a few questions about someone's personal opinion, and nothing that would get anyone in trouble with their N.D.A.

I know this sounds silly but try it some time, again in the big picture of things what is a five minute phone call with a receptionist when you consider this is your hard earned money.

Buffet on the Economy

I enjoyed this so much I thought I would share it. Clipped from a Fortune Magazine Blog earlier:
Warren Buffett emailed this note to the directors of his company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Tuesday after he heard that the U.S. Treasury sold $32 billion in 4-week bills at a yield of 0%:

“This should be bullish for Berkshire. With great foresight, I long ago entered the mattress business in a big way through our furniture operation. Now mattresses have become fully competitive as a place to put your money, and sales will soon take off.”

It certainly does underscore the cool nature of Buffett during these hard times, and a reminder of how we should all keep our heads on and look for value.