Chapter Three.

Higher for Hire

Rebecca Cunningham could not recall ever being so disinterested in a business meeting before. With her head propped up on one hand, she stifled a yawn and listened wearily as the money manager sitting across from her desk droned on...and on...and on.

"So as I was saying, Miss Buckingham..."

"Cunningham," Rebecca corrected him. That was at least the twentieth time he'd pronounced her name incorrectly.

"Yes, of course." the money manager, a portly hippopotamus dressed in an ill-fitting suit and tie, said apologetically. "As I was saying, if you invest with us you'll have the benefit of knowing exactly where your money is going. Our fund only invests in one thing...lottery tickets!"

"Lottery tickets," Rebecca repeated evenly.

The hippo leaned in as if to share a secret. "We like to employ a high-risk, high-reward strategy," he whispered.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "I see," she said as politely as she could. "And what rate of return have your investors earned over the past year?"

"I'm glad you asked," the hippo said. He pulled a thick book from the briefcase on his lap and placed in on the desk in front of Rebecca. "This is the most recent annual report which has our returns from last year."

Rebecca leafed through the pages slowly. After scanning a few pages, she looked puzzled. "I don't understand. This book's all blank."

"Well, yes," the hippo admitted. "That's because we haven't won anything yet. But I have a feeling we're going hit the jackpot soon!"

Rebecca felt it was a good time to end the meeting. She stood up from her desk and started pushing the money manager towards the door of her office. That was no small effort, as he weighed quite a bit.

As he was sliding towards the exit, the hippo tried to close the deal. "So, how much money would you like to invest with us today?" he asked.

They got to the door and Rebecca opened it. "Hmmm," she said, feigning uncertainty. "I'm not quite sure, but I'll certainly think it over and let you know!"

"Wonderful! It was great to meet you, Miss Christmas Ham." The hippo extended his hand.

Rebecca grabbed it, shoved him through the doorway, and slammed the door in his face. "That's Cunningham!" she yelled. Tired and frustrated, she walked back to her desk. By any measure, the day had been a disaster. That morning she had painstakingly chosen five different investment firms and money managers out of the phone book, then spent all afternoon meeting with them. The only thing she got out of meeting with those managers was the conclusion that she wouldn't have trusted a single penny to any of them. None of them had a good track record of investing, and a couple were even unable to answer basic questions that Rebecca asked them about business.

On top of that, because of the meetings she had been unable to get any other work done that day. A pile of unfinished paperwork still sat on her desk and it was already starting to get dark outside. She deliberated staying late to finish it, but decided against it. She was tired and wanted to rest. Tomorrow's another day, she thought. Packing up her things, she prepared to pick up Molly from Wildcat's flat and go home.

There was a knock at the door. Thinking it was the hippo again, Rebecca called out: "Take your lottery tickets and go home!"

The knock came again, more insistently. Rebecca groaned. She stomped over to the door and opened it. "I told you-" she began, but stopped abruptly. It wasn't the money manager she had just met with. Standing in the doorway was a tall, handsome jackal in a well-pressed suit. He studied Rebecca, his eyes hidden behind dark tinted glasses.

"Excuse me, ma'am," the jackal said briskly in a businesslike tone. "I hope I am not interrupting anything. Is this Higher for Hire?"

Thinking he was a client, Rebecca dropped her previous tone of voice and went into professional mode. "Why yes. I'm the owner, Rebecca Cunningham."

"My name is Spencer Griffith," the jackal said, taking off his glasses and placing them neatly into his breast pocket. "I run an investment firm called Griffith Investment Advisors." He handed Rebecca a fancy-looking business card. It read:

SPENCER GRIFFITH, M.B.A.

GRIFFITH INVESTMENT ADVISORS, L.L.C.

"Invest with Confidence"

There was a phone number and address at the bottom of the card.

"My firm manages investments for small businesses just like yours," Griffith continued. "I read about Higher for Hire's recent success and I'd like to talk to you about how I can help you grow your company's wealth. Do you have time for a quick meeting?"

Rebecca felt she he had enough contact with money managers for one day. "Well Mr. Griffith," she said politely, "I actually am looking for someone to fill that role. But you see, I've already spent all day meeting with other money managers. Right now I'm sort of tired from the interview process."

"Oh, you're looking for a money manager? What a splendid coincidence." Griffith's voice was as smooth as silk. "Please Miss Cunningham, just a few minutes of your time. I guarantee you'll want to hire us when you see what we have to offer. My company has been the top performing investment firm in Cape Suzette for many years. Meet with me and you'll never need to speak to any other money manager again for as long as you own this business."

Rebecca noted that he certainly seemed confident, maybe even a little arrogant. And as appearances went, he certainly seemed more professional than the other money managers she had seen that day. Well, she thought, he does have his M.B.A. He can't be any worse than some of the others. I suppose it couldn't hurt to talk to him. "I guess I can spare a few minutes," she said. "Please come in."

Rebecca sat down with Griffith at her desk and began talking with him about his qualifications and experience. She was skeptical at first, but as the conversation progressed she grew more and more interested in what he had to say. She was surprised at how insightful his responses to her questions were, and impressed with the professional way he carried himself. It was obvious that his business knowledge was quite comprehensive. After talking with Griffith for about fifteen minutes, Rebecca realized she was seriously considering hiring him as her money manager. She decided to grill him with some specific questions about his fund.

"Tell me about your company's investment strategy, Mr. Griffith," Rebecca said.

"Well as I was saying Miss Cunningham," Griffith answered, "we've been the top performing investment firm in Cape Suzette for over fifteen years. We invest in a diverse mix of stocks, bonds, and private investments. The exact amount of each category is adjusted daily to achieve maximum returns for our investors."

"Interesting! What have your returns been over the past few years?"

"We've done quite well. Over the last five years we've earned twenty percent each year."

Rebecca was blown away; that number was higher than she could have ever hoped for. "That's outstanding!" she said. "Do you have any financial reports I could look at?"

Griffith smiled confidently. "Of course." He placed a thick, professionally bound booklet on Rebecca' desk. It was Griffith Investment Advisors' annual report. Rebecca flipped through it. The booklet was full of charts, numbers, and graphs. Rebecca was a little overwhelmed by all the figures, but she could tell the numbers were just as outstanding as Griffith said they were. He was very good at what he did.

"This is impressive, Mr. Griffith. I can see you run a very professional operation," she said.

"Thank you, Miss Cunningham. Do you have any more questions I can answer?"

"How many years of experience do you have?"

"Twenty-five."

"References?"

"Available upon request."

"Fees?"

"Waived for the first year."

Rebecca nodded, satisfied. She tapped her pen on her desk thoughtfully.

"Now of course you'll need some time to make your decision," Griffith said. "I'm sure you have many qualified candidates to choose from-"

"No, I've decided." Rebecca said. "Congratulations, you're our new money manager!"

Griffith smiled, as if he knew Rebecca would choose him all along. "Congratulations to you, Miss Cunningham. You've made an excellent choice." They shook hands. "Now there's just the matter of how much money you'd like to invest."

Rebecca opened a drawer in her desk. "Well, I don't know how much you normally get from your investors," Rebecca said, rummaging around in the drawer, "…but here's last month's bank statement." She put the bank statement on the desk in front of Griffith. As Griffith squinted to read the balance at the bottom of the statement, Rebecca wondered how impressed he would be by the amount of money in the account. It represented all of Higher for Hire's excess cash.

"Oh my," Griffith said, shaking his head.

Rebecca's face fell. "What do you mean, 'oh my?'"

Griffith cleared his throat. He appeared embarrassed and spoke slowly, trying to be tactful. "For an initial investment, we… typically get quite a bit more than this. We need to cover our costs too, you understand. I was under the impression that Higher for Hire was doing better than this. Perhaps it was a mistake to come here." He got up from his chair hastily. "I'm sorry to have to taken your time," he said quickly, beginning to head towards the door.

Rebecca pictured millions of dollars walking out of her office. "Wait!" she said desperately. "Don't go!"

Griffith turned around and looked at Rebecca questioningly.

Very hesitantly, Rebecca said, "I could come up with more money…but I'd have to dip into Higher for Hire's operating funds." She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

Griffith noticed her apprehension. "Why the hesitation?" he asked. "You have the money, don't you?"

"Yes…it's just that the business needs that money," Rebecca said, twiddling her thumbs nervously. "Maybe it's not a good idea to invest it."

"Miss Cunningham, I understand your apprehension, but let me remind you, taking risks is all part of business."

Now where have I heard that before? Rebecca thought.

"Your business's money will be safe," Griffith continued. "My firm has never had a losing year since it started."

"Hmmm…I don't know…." Rebecca looked down at her desk. She couldn't remember the last time she had faced such a difficult decision. Griffith seemed so confident, so knowledgeable. She was sure her money would be safe with him. And she completely understood why he wanted her to invest more; having more money made it easier to allocate among different kinds of investments (and to be honest, meant more management fees for Griffith as well). But as much as she trusted Griffith, her business background had taught her that unforeseen things did happen. And if anything unforeseen happened to Higher for Hire's operating funds…

Griffith seemed to sense she was on the fence. He decided to give her one last push. "Remember, Miss Cunningham," he said in his most calming voice. "The more you invest with us, the more you'll earn."

Rebecca realized he was right. No pain, no gain, she thought. Besides, she knew Griffith would probably walk out if she didn't agree to invest more. She gritted her teeth and resolved to take the risk. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," she said.

"That's the spirit!" Griffith said, pumping his fist.

"I'll have my courier send you a check in the morning."

"Very good," Griffith said. "Well, I should be on my way. You have my card with my contact information. It's a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Cunningham."

"Thank you, Mr. Griffith. Good day."

"Good day." Griffith strode out the door and was gone.

Once he had left, Rebecca reached into her desk, pulled out Higher for Hire's checkbook, and began writing a check for a very large sum for her company's new investment manager.