At Random
Cartoon of the Month - June 2023
"Santos on Trial"
Santos On Trial
Did you hear about that guy that lied about everything and still got elected to Congress? Wait, let me be more specific. George Santos.
Jim Floyd Remembers—The Artificial Limb Building
Back in the old, old days of The Leuthold Group, Steve liked to keep the overhead low and the employees busy. We moved from Butler Square to the Artificial Limb Building. Yes, you guessed it, protheses in the lower-level windows and a freight elevator to boot.
Paula Mikl Remembers—The New Dress Code
Steve Leuthold was the antithesis of how one visualizes a leading Wall Street strategist. His unconventional character was evident in everything.
A Spring-Time Yuck
Two bees ran into each other. One asked the other how things were going.
A Royal Joke
A guy walks into a pub, sits down, and says, “Rough day of work. Give me two pints.”
The Bass Players
The Minneapolis Symphony was performing Beethoven’s Ninth, which happens to have a 25 minute passage where the bass violinists have nothing to do. So, rather than sit around looking stupid, they decided to sneak offstage and go to the bar next door for a quick bump.
Cartoon of the Month - May 2023
"A fella hardly has time..."
MLB Rule Changes
Baseball season is in full swing here in the North Country. That’s right, we’re smack dab in the middle of that annual six-week period where everyone asks, “Why the hell did we build an outdoor stadium?”
Modern Strongman Test
Yes, sir, yes sir...Step right up. Come show the crowd just how tough a modern man you are.
1970s Tech—From Jim Floyd
I was Steve Leuthold’s second hire in 1977. I came over from Piper Jaffray as Steve’s “quant” in January 1978, armed with an HP calculator as well as a stolen S&P Stock Guide. Steve was the brains of the company and my job was to implement his ideas.
The Fries—From Matt Paschke
Back in the early 2000s, we still had a very defined and grueling publication cycle. The Green Book had to be out the door precisely four days after the last trading day of the month. This was true—like the USPS of old—be it rain, shine, snow, weekend, holiday, birth, or family crisis.
Visit To The Cemetery—From Bob Kargenian
Betty went to the cemetery every day to water the flowers and tidy up her deceased husband’s stone. When she finished her chores, she always walked backward when leaving the grave.
GI Insurance
Sergeant Jones was assigned to the induction center where he advised new recruits about their government benefits, especially GI insurance.
Salary Negotiations
Isabella, the maid, had been demanding a pay increase for some time. The lady of the house became fed up with Isabella’s requests and confronted her.
Cartoon of the Month: April 2023
Steve Leuthold 1937-2023
Adios Steve
This month’s At Random is going to be all about our late founder, Steve Leuthold—the At Random Originator, as he liked to remind me. In my estimation, Steve’s greatest strength was making the often-dull art of financial analysis interesting with stories and humor.
Trade Of A Lifetime — Jim Floyd
Steve Leuthold, investment strategist, contrarian, teacher, and regular kind of guy. Not a follower or an elitist, he forged his own path. I learned a lot from Steve. One of my favorite lessons was how to treat people. All the same.
Client Meeting — Roger Peters
Not long after I started here, I got pulled into a sales call with a large institutional prospect. John Mueller, Dave Cragg, and I were all suited up, and ran through an overview of the firm with the representatives of the big prospect.