Skip navigation

Funny Business

SQUAWK BOX VIDEO

» More

Current DateTime: 06:24:41 25 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 31388230
Expiration DateTime: 11/25/2009 6:27:10 PM
    • Shopper & Investor Deals  4 hrs ago

        A look at what's likely to happen at the registers once the doors open on Friday, with Richard Hastings, Global Hunters Securities; Richard Jaffe, Stifel Nicolaus & Co. and CNBC's Jane Wells.

    • Black Friday: Bargain or Bust?  7 hrs ago

        Whether the deals are better than what shoppers will usually see or if it is just another marketing tactic, with Hitha Prabhakar, Style File Group; Brad Wilson, BlackFriday2009.com and CNBC's Jane Wells.

    • Holiday Central  8 hrs ago

        A discussion of the many ways retailers are preparing for Black Friday, live from K-Mart in Burbank, CA, with CNBC's Jane Wells.

    • Retailers Getting Ready for Black Friday  13 hrs ago

        Retailers are getting ready for Black Friday, and CNBC's Jane Wells has the play by play. Stacy Janiak, of Deloitte, shares her insight.

    • Amazon vs. Wal-Mart  24 Nov 2009

        What began as a price war between Wal-Mart and Amazon over a handful of books has nos spread to a wide assortment of consumer goods. Lee Eisenberg, a noted retail expert and consumer behaviorist, and CNBC's Jane Wells discuss.

    • Prices to Be Thankful For  24 Nov 2009

        A decrease in food prices is something to be thankful for this holiday, reports CNBC's Jane Wells.

RSS FEED

» Help

Current DateTime: 06:24:42 25 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 31388237
Expiration DateTime: 11/25/2009 6:27:17 PM
powered by digg
Call of Shame
Published: Friday, 11 Sep 2009 | 11:43 AM ET
Text Size
By: Jane Wells
Correspondent

Call of Shame
CNBC.com

It's an up week on Wall Street! (So far.) But that doesn't mean we haven't had a week's worth of boneheaded decisions.

Here's our list of the most egregious money-moves. Vote for your favorite below. And please notice we now have a comments section at the bottom of the blog. Weigh in on the nominees and even suggest your own.

MALI-BOO-BOO

This is not good. The Los Angeles Times reports that a oceanfront Malibu home worth $12 million was surrendered to Wells Fargo Bank [WFC  Loading...      ()   ] after the owners lost their fortune to Bernard Madoff. track=rss According to neighbors, a Wells Fargo Senior VP who oversees foreclosures has been hanging out in the house and throwing lavish parties, and a realtor tells the Times the bank is refusing to show the place to prospective buyers. Wells Fargo says it's investigating.

POISON IVY LEAGUE

The nation's two richest universities, Harvard and Yale, saw their Beluga-sized endowments drop a combined $18 billion during the last fiscal year, or about 30 percent. They underperformed most other colleges, proving that a high-priced education doesn't necessarily make you smart.

LOONY BINS

Eight years after the September 11th attacks, we are still pouring all our belongings into plastic bins on folding tables at the airport, then taking off all our clothes. The experience hasn't gotten appreciably more efficient or convenient despite...eight...years...of thinking about it.

MACK THE KNIFE

John Mack made a series of bad calls which slashed profits at Morgan Stanley [MS  Loading...      ()   ] and led to what the Wall Street Journal described as "a near-death experience". Now he's out at CEO-but still Chairman!-to be replaced by James Gorman.

S-E-C NO EVIL

The SEC regrets the missed red flags in the Bernard Madoff scandal. Adding insult to injury, the AP reports Madoff openly mocked regulators in 2005 while coaching a potential witness on how to dupe them. During a telephone call which was taped, Madoff is heard telling someone from feeder fund Fairfield Greenwich Advisors that he should not to act too knowledgeable when the SEC comes calling. "These guys they work for five years at the commission then they become a compliance manager at a hedge fund now." Fairfield claims it notified the SEC of the call and answered all of the regulators' questions afterwards "accurately". If that is true, then the SEC looks even worse.

GOODWILL SHOWS SOME CHARITY

You'd think an investment firm would know a good investment. But an unnamed firm in the Miami area was renovating its offices and asked Goodwill to come over and take away some odds and ends. One of those oddities was a bronze sculpture of a ballerina. Turns out it's worth an estimated $500,000. Nice. Goodwill Industries, being a class act, called the investment company back when it found out that the sculpture was so valuable. The firm asked for the statue back. Even nicer.

DUMPING ON DICK

Former Lehman Brothers chief Dick Fuld talked to Reuters this week as the anniversary of the firm's collapse approached. "They're looking for someone to dump on right now, and that's me," Fuld lamented. Well, yeah.

Questions? Comments? Funny Stories? Email

© 2009 CNBC, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Add This share icon
Text Size
ADD COMMENTS
Remaining characters


Current DateTime: 12:56:54 25 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29778428

Current DateTime: 10:38:04 25 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779196

Current DateTime: 04:32:23 25 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779199

Current DateTime: 10:38:05 25 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 29779198
  Data is a real-time snapshot  *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis

© 2009 CNBC, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
A Division of NBC Universal
Thomson ReutersThomson Reuters