USD Magazine, Spring 2003

HOW DO I. .. ...Become a ll1ivale Eye ?

Q: So, is being a private investigator as cool as it looks on TV? A: Definitely nor. We don't conduct surveil– lance in a red Ferrari like Magnum, P.I. We're usually in a cramped van some– where, waiting around for hours ro catch someone on videotape. Ir can be danger– ous - we go ro some rough neighbor– hoods, and I've been shot at - but if we think we're being observed, we're out of there. Q: How did you break into the field? A: I was interested in the field in college. I was recruited by a government agency, I can't tell you which one, and later was hired by an agency in Los Angeles. I moved ro New Mexico, where I worked 3,000 hours as an apprentice before taking the private investigaror's licensing exam. Every state requires a certain number of hours before you can apply for a license. Q: What's your most common type of case? A: We investigate insurance fraud, so we take on a lot of workers' compensation cases, disability claims, auro accidents and slip– and-fall cases. We conduct surveillance, 4) Disregard the day-ro-day movements of the market. Focus on long-term trends. Hisrorically, the srock market has increased at about 12.5 percent annually - a reasonable rate of return. The more you invest for the long term, the more you're letting those averages work for you. and rates of growth consistently over a five-year period. During the past five years, for example, we've had good times and bad times - and a company rhat has maintained good numbers during that time is pretty strong. Other things to look for include above-average profit margins and inventory turnover. 5) Use the Internet ro research whether a company has maintained positive earnings

Grant Bauer '85 is owner ofBauer Investigations in Albuquerque, NM The firm, which specializes in insurance fraud, has offices in 13 states and employs 47 investigators.

phorograph accident scenes and take statements. About 70 percent of the rime we find some degree of fraud. Q: What are the most important qualities an investigator needs to have? A: Patience, self-confidence, the ability ro read people and the discipline ro shut up and listen. Good invesrigarors are self-sufficient and derail-oriented. I look for someone who can gather intelligence, put it in a neat package and communicate ir ro others. Q: What's your best P.I. story? A: I once was in very snowy mountain conditions on a surveillance, and I hadn't found the subject's house. My car over– turned and slid inro a ditch, and I crawled our and went for help. I went ro the first house I found, and, as the owner let me in ro use the phone, I realized he was the person I was looking for. I got our of there, but the next day I went back and filmed this supposedly disabled guy building a house. He finally saw me, real– ized what was up and chased me back ro my vehicle. But we got him on tape.

... PICK A GOOD STOCK? Dennis Zocco, a USD business professor for 20 years, wrote a software program that is used to teach college-level investment courses at more than 300 schools. 1) Pick a company with a durable, com– petitive advantage, meaning it's srood the rest of rime. Avoid companies with many small, fragmented comperirors.

6) Build a list of companies you'd like to have, then wait until you can get them at a good price. The best time ro get into the market is when everyone is fearful of getting in. This is when prices are low and you have a chance to get a good srock at a good price. - - z•z.....

2) Choose companies with names you know and products you undersrand.

3) Invest for the long term. Invest in companies that have been around for a while, because chances are, they'll still be leading companies 10 or 15 years from now.

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