Listening to the "Cockroach Conference Call"

[IdesOfOctober]

For those who have discovered that they have a "State Street infestation" in their pension plans, please note that you can actually hear Andy Card's high school pal - live - during today's earnings conference call:

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?d=t&s=STT

The CCC (Cockroach ConCall) begins at 9:30 a.m. ET. The event is usually available throughout the day (so our West Coast friends can catch it on a time delay).

If you haven't already checked your pension plan, here's how:

1. FreeERISA provides free registration: http://www.freeerisa.com/

2. Once registered, use this search tool (one of many, including executive compensation tools): http://www.freeerisa.com/5500/Form5500.asp?mode=SEARCH

3. Remember that your company's plan may be listed under an "official" variation of the name. For instance, "IBM" might be spelled out. Note you can change the search parameters from "Company Name Starts With" to "Company Name Contains," and you can also limit the search to your headquarter's state or zip code, to help pinpoint it.

4. Once you see the list of plans (which may include health plans, and other employee benefit plans besides your company's pension plan), choose the latest plan year for the one that looks like it's the pension plan (e.g., 401k, profit-sharing, etc.).

5. Near the top of the new page, note the Quicklinks. Schedule C = "Service Provider Information," and will show any fees paid to State Street entities or CitiStreet (the 50/50 joint venture between State Street and Citi). Schedule P = "Annual Return of Fiduciary of Employee Benefit Trust," and should list out who the trustee and/or custodian of your company's plan is. Here's *one* of Halliburton's plans' Schedule P's as an example: http://www.freeerisa.com/5500/InstantView.asp?mainID=10625890&Show=DOL_P&Rep=1

6. Remember: once you master this, you can: (1) look up old employers' plans; (2) teach family members, friends, and neighbors how to check their plans; and (3) learn to use the many other useful (and free) research tools at FreeERISA. One of my favorites is looking at the "tax-exempt organizations," such as "Doctor" Dobson's "Focus on the Family," located in Colorado: http://www.freeerisa.com/Extras/TaxExempt.asp?mode=SEARCH

Back to the main point. Check your pension plan for cockroaches, then listen to one of the Holbrook Hooligans* live during today's Cockroach ConCall: http://biz.yahoo.com/cc/6/73056.html.

* Holbrook Hooligans include Andy Card, his brother-in-law Ron Kaufman (a BushCo. political operative, best known for the Willie Horton ads against Dukakis), and his high school pal, State Street Chairman and CEO Ron Logue (who did Andy and the White House a "small favor" by agreeing to try to hush up the Enron retirees as the new "special fiduciary" of the Enron plans - handpicked by Elaine Chao and Eugene Scalia).

Andy Card and his brother-in-law: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=andy+card+ron+kaufman+sister

Andy Card and his fellow Holbrook high school hooligan: http://www.google.com/search?as_q=card+logue+staid+street&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=boston.com&as_rights=&safe=images AND

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=card+logue+staid+street&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=margieburns.com&as_rights=&safe=images

Ides

[CorpGovActivist]

1. Down Following the ConCall

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?d=t&s=STT

[blogslut]

2. FYI

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