Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS): 8 Fascinating Reads

Backfired
BusinessWeek profiles Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:SHLD) Eddie Lampert’s management style:

An outspoken advocate of free-market economics and fan of the novelist Ayn Rand, he created the model because he expected the invisible hand of the market to drive better results. If the company’s leaders were told to act selfishly, he argued, they would run their divisions in a rational manner, boosting overall performance.

Instead, the divisions turned against each other — and Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:SHLD) and Kmart, the overarching brands, suffered. Interviews with more than 40 former executives, many of whom sat at the highest levels of the company, paint a picture of a business that’s ravaged by infighting as its divisions battle over fewer resources.

Now’s the chance
Barry Ritholtz says we need to fix our crumbling infrastructure while we can — when interest rates are low:

Thanks to the Federal Reserve’s zero interest rates and quantitative easing policies, borrowing costs are near generational lows. The costs of funding the repair and renovation of America’s decaying infrastructure are as cheap as they have been since World War II.

But the era of cheap credit may be nearing its end. And thanks to a dysfunctional Washington, D.C., we are on the verge of missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Due dilligence
Warren Buffett biographer Alice Shroeder talks about how Warren picked stocks before he took over Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A):

Enjoy your weekend.

The article 8 Fascinating Reads originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Morgan Housel.

Fool contributor Morgan Housel owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool recommends Goldman Sachs. It recommends and owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

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