Easy Money!

I just made $200 for doing nothing!

A few weeks ago I got a call from a research group, asking me if I was willing to participate in a market research study around stocks and investments. I told the caller that they must have reached the wrong person because I unfortunately know very little about such matters, just crossing my fingers that my Roth IRA and 401 K that I set up once upon a time are doing OK.

(Ha! Now?!)

"On the contrary," the caller assured me, "Ignorant people like you are exactly the people we want to talk to!" (OK, those quotation marks are misplaced. I'm sure she didn't say that; I just heard that.)

We chatted for a while and the caller asked me all kinds of questions and then congratulated me, saying that I "passed" the screening and would I be interested in coming to Seattle to participate in a focus group that would last two hours on the evening of October 7th? Just for offering my opinions (and ignorance?!) about investment strategies and companies, I'd receive $200 in cold, hard cash.

These are tough economic times... count me in!

I hardly remember driving into Seattle because I was listening to the presidential debate as I drove (McCain actually did fairly well, which would have concerned me had Palin not proven herself to be so poisonous), so I was there before I knew it, even in time to grab a latte at Starbucks.

I filled out the requisite paperwork and waited. Then the moderator called the names of most of the people waiting in the room with me and asked them to head into a nearby meeting room. Just one gentleman and I were not called. The moderator then announced to us that they routinely over-book the focus groups and we were randomly chosen NOT to participate and were free to go -- but first, here's your $200 and hey, grab a sandwich and a soft drink.

So I headed home, $200, a sandwich, and a root beer richer -- which is a good thing because... well, these are tough economic times!