Acknowledgments

This book would not be possible without the gracious assistance and support of many investment professionals, friends, colleagues, and loved ones.

First of all, my heart belongs to my three leading ladies—Kathleen Rose, Sarah Virginia, and Julia Theresa—whose intelligence, patience, beauty, and love are the best support an author could ever hope for in the best and worst of times.

My agent and friend Robert Shepard and my editors John Sterling, David Sobel, Robin Dennis, and everyone at Henry Holt and Company made this project come alive. And kudos to my Holt publicist Jenny Chikes.

Special thanks to the great money managers who gave generously of their time and talent, particularly Chris Brown, Bill Miller, John Rogers, Clyde McGregor, Leah Zell, Sam Isaly, Carlton Martin, and George Fisher. It’s not easy to snag some quality time with leading mutual fund managers, especially when they are doing well managing billions of dollars of other people’s money—and trying not to lose it in a down market.

It would not be possible to feature these fine investment minds without the support and coordination of the people behind them, namely, Mary Ann Murphy of Pax; Meg Pier of Eaton Vance; Kelli Arnold of Oakmark; Merrilyn Kosier and Mellody Hobson of Ariel; Charlene Petzing of Liberty-Acorn, Audrey Conley and Moira Fox of Legg Mason; and Tom Pinto and Pat O’Connor of TIAA-CREF.

I have a special thank you reserved for my favorite reference librarians at the Grayslake, Illinois, Public Library, whom I have tortured with requests for obscure investment texts over several months’ time, and Ellen Bull of the Society of Actuaries, who granted me access to their special library (even though I wasn’t a member).

A special word of recognition goes to my colleagues at Consumers Digest magazine. Although we all lost our once-secure jobs partially due to the dot.com madness, it was great sharing some ego space, torments, and laughs for the past fifteen years or so.

Most of all, I’d like to dedicate this book to the thousands who lost their lives on September 11. Far too many of them were in the financial services businesses that I’ve been writing about for the past twenty years. Their memory is our purpose.