Free Lunch on Wall Street

by Carlson, Charles B.

• ISBN13: 9780070099791
• ISBN10: 0070099790
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-08-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? If you buy stocks in the right companies--revealed in this book--an extraordinary array of perks and giveaways can be yours. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. xvii
What's in It for the Company?	p. 1
Something for Nothing?	p. 2
Diverse Shareholder Base	p. 2
Shareholder as a Customer	p. 3
Shareholder as a Guinea Pig	p. 5
Good Public Relations	p. 5
Cheap Equity Capital	p. 6
Revenge Factor	p. 9
Leaders of the Perks	p. 11
Rolling Out the Welcome Mat	p. 12
Shareholder Holiday Gifts and Discounts	p. 13
Shareholder Discounts on Products and Services	p. 14
Entertainment Perks for Shareholders	p. 15
Shareholders Rest Easy With These Perks	p. 17
Dividend Perks	p. 18
More Perks to Come	p. 19
Who Says You Have to Pay Brokerage Fees?	p. 21
Broker Bashing?	p. 21
Death of the Middleman	p. 22
No-Load Stocks	p. 23
Dividend Reinvestment Plans	p. 26
Nuts and Bolts	p. 27
Getting the First Share	p. 28
Letting the Little Guy Play	p. 29
Partial Dividend Reinvestment and OCP-Only Plans	p. 31
Safekeeping Services	p. 31
Individual Retirement Accounts	p. 34
Automatic Withdrawal/Direct Deposit of Dividends	p. 35
Gift-Giving Programs	p. 37
Save Commissions on the Sell Side	p. 38
Choosing a DRIP	p. 39
Commission-Free Investing in U.S. Treasury Securities	p. 45
Commission-Free Investing Through No-Load Mutual Funds	p. 49
Fees, Fees, and More Fees	p. 50
Rising Expenses	p. 51
What's an Investor to Do?	p. 52
True No-Load Funds	p. 54
If You Must Use a Broker, Here Are Ways to Ease the Pain	p. 55
Fog Level Revisited	p. 57
Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate	p. 58
Perks and Freebies From Your Broker	p. 58
Finding a Broker That's Right for You	p. 63
Know Your Rights	p. 64
Conclusion	p. 67
The Perk of Buying Stocks at a Discount	p. 68
Stock Options	p. 69
Buying Stock at a Discount Through DRIPs	p. 69
When a Discount Isn't a Discount	p. 70
Forget About the Big Gains--Unless You Have Deep Pockets	p. 71
Arbitraging the Discount	p. 71
Buying Stocks at a Discount Through Closed-End Funds	p. 78
Perks for the Active Shareholder	p. 82
Annuals, Quarterlies, 10-Ks, 10-Qs	p. 83
Reading an Annual Report	p. 84
Looking at the Numbers	p. 85
Discount Coupons and Other Freebies	p. 88
Annual Shareholder Meeting	p. 90
Free Gifts	p. 91
What's in It for the Company?	p. 94
Check with the Companies	p. 95
Shareholder Activism--The Perk of Power	p. 95
Power for the Individual Investor	p. 97
Call the Company	p. 97
Power of the Press	p. 98
Voting Your Proxy--Weapon of Shareholder Activism	p. 98
Conclusion	p. 102
Company Tours, Museums, and Other (Surprisingly) Fascinating Freebies	p. 103
Chocolate Town, USA	p. 104
Born to Be Wild	p. 106
Foam Home	p. 109
Stop the Presses!	p. 110
Sound in Motion	p. 111
Other Corporate Tours, Museums, and Exhibits	p. 113
Conclusion	p. 116
Socially Responsible Investing	p. 117
What's SRI?	p. 117
Don't Tell Me What's Socially Responsible Behavior	p. 118
Good for Business	p. 119
Pick Your Perk	p. 120
Strategic Giving	p. 123
Stocks for All Causes	p. 124
The Environment	p. 124
Fair Employment/Family Rights	p. 125
Education/Children's Causes	p. 126
Community Relations/Charitable Donations	p. 127
SRI Mutual Funds	p. 128
Wall Street Has a Conscience?	p. 128
Financial Perks off Wall Street	p. 130
Bank Freebies	p. 130
Credit Card Perks	p. 132
"Low-Load" Insurance	p. 133
Unclaimed $$$	p. 133
Tax Refund for European Travelers	p. 138
Free Credit Check	p. 138
Social Security Check	p. 139
Free Financial Information and Economic Data	p. 139
Further Advice on How to Save a Buck	p. 140
When a Free Lunch Isn't a Free Lunch	p. 142
Stock Splits	p. 142
Why Do Companies Split Their Stock?	p. 143
Why Do Investors Like Splits?	p. 143
Cause or Effect?	p. 144
Reverse Stock Splits	p. 144
What's an Investor to Do?	p. 145
If You Still Want to Buy Stock Split Candidates, Some Key Factors to Consider	p. 145
High-Yielding Stocks	p. 147
Special Dividends	p. 147
New Issues	p. 148
Beware of Those Financial Projections Made by Your Insurance Salesperson	p. 149
Those "PERCs" May Not Be Perks After All	p. 150
Beware of Any Investment That's "Guaranteed"	p. 150
Risk-Free Government Securities	p. 152
Conclusion	p. 153
Directory of Corporate Perks, Freebies, and Giveaways	p. 154
Stay With Quality	p. 155
References	p. 206
Index	p. 217
Special Deals and Freebies	p. 229
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