Charlie had sulked for a few days after what happened with Lisa. It was the kind of quiet, moody withdrawal that didn't need to be explained. He didn't talk much at lunch, didn't make his usual dumb jokes, and avoided eye contact more than usual.
But after a few nights of drinking and a rotating cast of women coming and going, Charlie was back to normal.
Now, with only one week left until Christmas, I found myself buried in spreadsheets and reports. I was wrapping up the annual review for the Harper Fund Management. The numbers this year were unbelievable.
The total return was nearly five times the original investment.
14 million for Charlie.
11.5 million for Grandma.
And 2.6 million each for Mom and Dad.
53.4 million dollars total.
I had already sold everything. All the positions were closed. The money was sitting there, clean and ready.
Now it was time to think about next year.
Acclaim Entertainment (AKLM), the maker of video games for Nintendo and Sega, and Hollywood Entertainment (HLYW), a video rental chain. Both delivered returns over ten times the original investment.
Other positions like Nvidia and Booking didn't bring in explosive results like those two, but they were solid and safe bets.
I opened a new page in my notebook. At the top, I wrote:
How to make more money next year.
The first item on the list: Books.
At first, the thought of writing came to mind. I remembered stories like Percy Jackson and Hunger Games.
But the truth was, I had no idea how to write them.
Maybe it was better to find the authors instead. Help them. Fund them. A publisher.
Yeah. That was something I could do. Let someone else write them—but let me be the one who profits.
I marked an X next to "Books."
The next item: Movies.
First up—Paranormal Activity. One of the most profitable films ever made, and maybe the easiest to replicate.
Freddie could handle the filming. He already had more equipment than some indie studios.
Sam and Carly could play. I'd just have to make sure the tone stayed focused on horror—not parody.
We'd still need a few more people—some adults, a couple of kids to round out the cast.
I marked a star next to "Paranormal Activity." This one had real potential.
Then came the second idea: Saw.
This would be a lot harder. Especially because of the content. The violence. The twisted psychology.
I couldn't be upfront like I could with Paranormal Activity. But I could fund it. Be a shadow investor.
Let someone else carry the creative weight while I backed it financially.
If it worked—if it hit like it did originally—it could mean a massive return (especially because of sequel power).
I underlined "Saw" twice. Then wrote beside it: Find the right people.
The third one: My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
I didn't even know if it had already been written yet. But if it had, I had to buy it. Joey could play the protagonist (if he was good enough)
And probably the best one: the conjuring universe
Then I made a new section beneath the movie plans. There were more options to explore: Waiting... (2005), God's Not Dead (2014), High School Musical (2006), Insidious (2011), Intouchables (2012), The King's Speech (2010), The Purge (2013), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and Black Swan (2010).
The third section: Games.
For now, I couldn't remember any game from 2001 that would be both easy and highly profitable to recreate or back.
Let's put this section on hold—for now.
The fourth section: Opportunities.
Three names came to mind immediately: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The question was simple: should I be a seed investor, or try to do it myself?
The second option would require highly qualified people. Developers. Engineers. Designers. A real team.
For now, I still had time to think about it. These weren't decisions to rush.
Let's put this section on hold too. When I have more capital—and more reach—it'll be easier to act on them.
At least I bought the domain names tied to them like: Thefacebook, facebook, fb, fbook...
And then, the most defining moment of 2001: September 11.
I don't think it's worth trying to make money off it. I remember some of the theories, like the unusually high volume of shorts in airline stocks just before the attacks. There was even an FBI investigation into it—though it didn't go anywhere.
It's not something I want to touch. Not for money.
I don't think it would be possible to stop it either, not without sounding insane or putting myself at serious risk. At least I will make sure that the people I love are not there.
The next morning, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my notebook still open when Charlie walked in.
"Good morning," he said, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he made a beeline to the coffee pot.
I looked up and closed the notebook.
"Hey, Uncle Charlie, I need a favor," I said.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "That's usually my line."
"Well, I want to throw an end-of-year party for my grade. So I need the house... and help with the setup."
"Do I have any choice?" Charlie asked, clearly unsure how to respond.
"No. You owe me too many favors," I said with a smirk. "And I need you to be the cool uncle. Because Dad..."
"I got it," Charlie interrupted.
He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "At least I'll get to meet the new girls hanging around you," he added playfully.
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