Can't Take it With You

An engaging chronicle of the remarkable life of Lewis Cullman, a figure George Soros refers to as a "pioneer in finance" Forty years ago, Lewis Cullman shocked Wall Street by introducing a financial model that went on to define modern business. With a USD1,000 investment, Cullman engineered the USD62.4 million purchase of Orkin Exterminating. We know the process today as a leveraged buyout - the famous or infamous LBO that would change the history of finance. Now, at age 85, Cullman is applying the same principles that helped him amass millions in what he calls "the far harder business" of philanthropy, calling for reform among the private foundations. With wit, detail, and a sharp narrative, Can't Take It With You deconstructs the art of the deal from a man who truly created an industry. Lewis B. Cullman (New York, NY) was the chairman of Cullman Ventures, Inc. and is one of New York's most generous and dedicated benefactors to the arts, entertainment, and education.