Do You Sincerely Want to Be Rich?: The Full Story of Bernard Cornfeld and I.O.S.In the fall of 1955, Bernard Cornfeld arrived in Paris with scant money in his pocket and a tenuous relationship with a New York firm to sell mutual funds overseas. Cornfeld, a former psychologist and social worker, knew how to make friends fast and soon targeted two groups of people who could help him fulfill his economic ambitions: American expatriates who were looking to build their own fortunes and servicemen abroad who loved to live high-rolling lives and spend money. Using the first group as door-to-door salesmen and the second group as his gullible target, Cornfeld built a multi-billion-dollar and multi-national company, famous for its salesmen’s winning one-line pitch: “Do you sincerely want to be rich?” In this eye-opening yet entertaining book, an award-winning “Insight” team of the London Sunday Times examines Cornfeld’s impressive scheme, a classic example of good, old-fashioned American business gumption and guile. |
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Do You Sincerely Want to be Rich?: The Full Story of Bernard Cornfeld and I.O.S. Charles Raw,Bruce Page,Godfrey Hodgson No preview available - 2005 |
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Allen Cantor American Arctic asked assets bankers Banque Bernard Cornfeld Bernie Cornfeld Bernie's bought Brazil brokers called capital cash cent clients commission Commonwealth Commonwealth United Cornfeld and Cowett Corporation customers deal directors dollars Dover Plan Dreyfus Dreyfus Fund early Ellenport Finter Bank Fund of Funds Geneva Germany Gramco Harvey Felberbaum Henry Buhl idea illegal income interest International Investors Overseas Services IOS Board IOS funds IOS Ltd IOS Management IOS shares IOS's Italy Jack Dreyfus James Roosevelt John King King Resources lawyer Lechner loans London ment million months mutual funds offer offshore open-end fund operation profits prospectus Roosevelt Rothschild salesmen securities selling shareholders Sir Eric sold Swiss thing tion told took underwriters Vesco Wall Street wanted West Germany Wyndham White York
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Page 2 - Setvice" was the slogan. By die end of the 1960s, Cotnfe ld's men had a shade undet two and a half billion dollats of othet people's money to manage, and Cotnfeld was publicly announcing plans to push that to $15 billion by the mid-1970s. By the end of the l960s, IOS had also made a fottune valued at ovet $100 million fot Betnatd Cotnfeld petsonally.
Page 3 - Most people have a good deal of difficulty in accepting the idea that a latge and well-publicized intetnational business could have heen tun in such a mannet. "It can't he ttue," is the natutal teaction, "hecause if it was ttue, how did they getaway with it?
Page 5 - Cotnfeld, complete day-to-day conttol of IOS and its system of banks and investment funds. Bad as the...