Buffett, then a Smorgasbord

If you could spend 15 minutes with ANY financial wizard in the world, who would it be?

Two weeks ago, the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© asked 500+ CEOs & Business Owners a bunch of nosey questions about their current – and future financial strategies: What are you Buying? What are you Selling? What are you Thinking?

Nicolet also asked: “If you could spend 15 minutes with any financial Thought Leader, who would it be?”

Most of “The Usual Suspects” appeared on the long list of names, but many CEOs bellied up to the Warren Buffett. The bulk of them said the Buffett was the preferred financial fare on The Frozen Tundra.*

GOD, The Father Almighty himself, finished a distant second…tied with Alan Greenspan for God Sake!! (Ye of little Faith! Instead of 15 minutes, if we had asked who they’d rather spend Eternity with, God, surly, would have had a more respectable finish.)

Next to God, the CEO and the COO of Nicolet National Bank were both mentioned several times. Bob Atwell and Mike Daniels have long been considered Thought Leaders in the State of Wisconsin.

aBuncha O‘s garnered one vote: Obama, Osama and Orman each got one; Kramer did too (we’re assuming CEOs meant the “Seinfeld” Kramer, not the “Mad Money” Cramer). Four Johns (Vollmer, Templeton, Sorenson, Bogle), two Jacks (Welch, Miller) and one Jean (Marie Eveillard) were mentioned as prospective, 15-minute Speed Dates.

No average “Joes” on the list, but with all the turmoil as of late, the average CEO may be turning toward their Inner Financial Consultant: Their Instinct, and Their Intuition: Their Guts are all over this List. “My Father,” a “Dear Friend,” and “I Don’t Know” all made the list. “Crystal Ball” got one vote, too. (Can Divining Rods and Ouija Boards be far behind?)

“I don’t believe anyone,” one CEO said; “I’m not sure you can trust anyone today,” said another; “No one person stands out,” one said. “Toooo many crooks out there.”

The Devil didn’t get his due, but Beelzebub was certainly present. Bernie Madoff got a vote for crying out loud – which suggests there’s a sucker born every minute and/or CEOs are desperate: Madoff managed to “manage” $50 BILLION dollars, didn’t he? He must have one or two fairly honest financial management secrets to share, doesn’t he? This pigeon can sing; he can help me, can’t he?

CEOs Desperate? All I know is Obama got a vote! Hope springs eternal!

* Coined by ESPN’s Chris Berman, The Frozen Tundra is where real CEOs would like to spend 15 minutes/one Quarter. For purposes of the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse studies, The Frozen Tundra encompasses an area about 18 counties in the Northeastern Part of Wisconsin. It’s directly North of Chicago; just South of the North Pole! You can’t see Sarah Palin’s House from here, but it’s around here somewhere!