smart spending

Six degrees of Bernie Madoff

I've had a Bacon number of 2 since I met and interviewed author Dennis Lehane, who wrote "Mystic River," which was made into a hit film starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and the Kevinator.

But imagine my thrill to learn that I now have a Bernie number of 5 -- without the precipitous plunge in net worth, of course!

Suddenly, the whole Baconosphere is all a-Twitter with enticing new possibilities.

How else would Hollywood royalty like George Clooney (who starred in "Good Night, and Good Luck" with Frank Langella, who starred in "Frost/Nixon" with Bacon) have been linked to actual aristocracy like Britain's Lady Victoria de Rothschild without the Bacon-Bernie link? Not wake-boarding on Lake Como, my friends.

By what other scenario could Jessica Simpson -- who starred in "The Dukes of Hazzard" with Jim Cody Williams, who appeared in "Rails & Ties" with KB -- possibly be mentioned in the same sentence with Henry Kissinger or pitching great Sandy Koufax, both Madoff victims?

For "Six Degrees" fans, the sudden appearance of a Madoff-size galaxy with which to link is nothing short of a major astrological event.

But let's hope that future additions to the game do not arise from a financial black hole.

advertisement

Compare Rates
advertisement
Overnight Averages
Product Rate +/- Last week
30 yr fixed
4.96%
5.03%
15 yr fixed
4.53%
4.56%
5/1 ARM
4.21%
4.19%
View rates in your area:
Product Rate +/- Last week
30K HELOC
5.29%
5.27%
30K Home Equity Loan
8.36%
8.32%
50K HELOC
5.02%
4.99%
View rates in your area:
Product Rate +/- Last week
48 Mo Used Car
7.02%
7.10%
48 Mo New Car
6.79%
6.80%
36 Mo Used Car
7.15%
7.22%
View rates in your area:
Product Yield +/- Last week
6 Mo CD
1.23%
1.27%
1 Yr CD
1.75%
1.72%
5 Yr CD
2.93%
2.94%
Compare rates:
Product Rate
Low Interest Cards 9.71%
Balance Transfer Cards 14.54%
All Variable 11.68%
Compare rates:  
mortgage
Banks, like car dealers, try to trip up consumers with a well-practiced array of tricks.
advertisement
Smart Spending
Are you a champ at cutting costs? Enter your tip in our Frugal $ense contest to be eligible to win $100. There’s a new winner every month.
Is your bank safe? Now you can find out
Look up a bank, thrift or credit union by clicking one of the buttons below.
advertisement
Sign up for our free e-mail newsletters full of ways to save money over the holidays.
Subscribe:RSS Feeds