The Story of Rich: A Financial Fable of Wealth and Reason During Uncertain Times

Chapter 2

Investment Plan

Rich flew into the Jackson Hole airport and picked up his rental Jeep in the parking lot. He drove toward the town of Jackson along the picturesque highway that bisects the valley called Jackson Hole. The Teton Range jutted into the sky on his right. To his left was the massive green valley that makes up the National Elk Refuge. He didn’t spot any wildlife at first glance. Being early fall, most of the elk that wintered on the refuge were still out traversing the mountains.

Rich drove into town and stopped at a coffee shop to grab a cup of coffee. He knew he’d be able to get a solid cup of brew in Jackson, a town whose residents liked the best of everything. Rich had been to Jackson a couple of times before. He always wondered how the predominantly young population could afford to make a home there. For a small, remote town, Jackson was remarkably affluent and cos­mopolitan. You could get great sushi, great coffee, great wine, craft beer—all those things that yuppies adore. Rich liked those amenities, too. Maybe he and Peg could buy a vacation home in Jackson Hole? Maybe he could make friends with the area’s most famous resident, Dick Cheney? Rich chuckled to himself. They were both veterans of the energy business, after all. Rich savored a sip of the extra-strong coffee and resumed his trip to the hotel in Teton Village where he would meet Ernie.

At the hotel, Ernie was enjoying a scotch on the rocks on an outdoor patio, gazing on the green forests and ...