Enrique Abeyta's top income strategy for 2023; ChatGPT's activist letter in Dan Loeb's voice and response from Marc Benioff; RIP the cult of the Tiger cub; Amtrak's 'roomette'
1) In a special presentation, my colleague Enrique Abeyta is breaking down his top income strategy for 2023...
Given the state of the markets today, he says it's the easiest and safest way to make money right now. It's a way to collect hundreds – or even thousands – of dollars each and every month... while taking on less risk than buying stocks outright.
If you have any desire to beat inflation and stock market losses this year, then following Enrique's strategy could be your chance. Learn more here.
2) This is astounding (hat tip to my friend Marcelo Lima)...
I have read dozens of letters over the years by hedge fund titan Dan Loeb of Third Point and I wouldn't have been able to tell that this one was generated by ChatGPT...
3) Another friend of mine asked ChatGPT: "Write a letter in Mark Benioff's (from Salesforce) voice, rebutting Dan Loeb's (from Third Point) 13D letter, which cites Third Point's activist position."
The result was just as good:
Dear Dan Loeb and Third Point,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing in response to your recent 13D letter addressing Salesforce management. As the CEO of Salesforce, I have taken the time to review your suggestions and analysis and I must say that I am disappointed by your approach.
While I appreciate your interest in our company and your recognition of our growth and success, I must disagree with your assertion that Salesforce is underperforming relative to its peers and that our margins are significantly below where they should be. Our company has a long-standing commitment to delivering value to our shareholders and we are proud of the progress we have made to date.
We believe that our margin structure is appropriate for our business and that our focus on innovation and customer success is the right approach for the long-term. We have a proven track record of delivering value to our shareholders through our customer-centric approach and we are confident that this will continue to drive our success.
I would also like to address your request for a meeting with our management and Board of Directors. While we are always open to hearing from our shareholders, I must say that I am concerned about your activist position and the potential impact it could have on our business. Our company has a strong culture of collaboration and a commitment to delivering value to all stakeholders, and I am not sure that your approach aligns with these values.
I would like to take this opportunity to respectfully decline your request for a meeting at this time. However, I am open to hearing your thoughts and ideas in writing or through other channels if you believe you have something valuable to contribute.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Mark Benioff
Salesforce CEO
4) This funny meme was at the end of this recent Financial Times article: RIP the cult of the Tiger cub. Excerpt:
5) I went down to Baltimore for the day on Thursday. As I was heading back to the train station at 2:30 p.m., I opened the Amtrak app to book a ticket on the next train, which happened to be the Crescent at 2:58.
It gave me three choices: the usual super-saver nonrefundable fare for $114... the standard fare for $154... and something I had never seen before, a "roomette" for $332.
I had heard of Amtrack trains with sleeper cars but had never seen one, so out of curiosity I booked it for the three-hour trip back to New York.
As you can see from the 93-second video I posted here and the photos below, the roomette is really cool, with two seats that go flat into a bed, a sink, toilet, and upper bunk. My one-hour nap was very comfortable!
I had a nice conversation with an Amtrak employee named Les (in the first picture below), who set up my bed and offered to bring me a cocktail (I declined).
He has worked for Amtrak for 17 years, and he told me that the Crescent runs back and forth between New York City and New Orleans – taking 31 hours and making 31 stops in between. Below is a list of stops and a map of the route (also showing other Amtrak routes... the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco is supposed to be especially beautiful)...
Best regards,
Whitney
P.S. I welcome your feedback at WTDfeedback@empirefinancialresearch.com.