BIG DEAL

National Treasure 4: Revenge of the Accountants

For a brief moment this Sunday, I want to pluck you from your couch and deposit you in a remote part of the Rockies more than 5,000 ft. above sea level. There, as you breathe in the cold mountain air, you’ll find a bronze chest filled with 22 pounds of rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, gold, and artifacts.

Well...up until a week ago. 

That was when Forrest Fenn, an 89-year-old art collector and antiquities dealer, announced the treasure he hid in the mountains in 2010 had been found. By whom? He won't say—just someone “back East.” 

You might be thinking, “Oooh treasure hunt, that’s so fun and romantic.” And Fenn did his best to play the part, writing a 24-line poem in his memoir directing adventurers to the hiding spot. Here’s one stanza: 

Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.

An estimated 350,000 people looked at these lines and concluded it contained sufficient information to embark on a treasure hunt. There were tragic consequences. Some uprooted their lives to take up Fenn’s call to adventure, and at least five people died looking for the chest. 

Which brings me to my next point

Treasure hunting in 2020 is a bit different than in the days of Jim Hawkins. Namely, you may want to swap out the compass for a lawyer. 

Fenn himself is the subject of several lawsuits from treasure hunters claiming they were either spied on or deliberately misled. Some think Fenn is lying about the chest being found. 

But say you were the intrepid adventurer from back East to have found it. You’d have no time to show off your pre-Columbian animal carvings because of the mountain of paperwork you’d be filling out. 

• First, depending on the state and whether the treasure was hidden on private or public property, it may not even legally belong to you, Outside writes.
• Once you get that settled, try not to feel nauseated when considering the tax bill. Here’s the IRS under the heading Found Property: “If you find and keep property that doesn't belong to you that has been lost or abandoned (treasure trove), it's taxable to you at its FMV in the first year it's your undisputed possession.” FMV = fair market value. You might owe about half the treasure’s worth in taxes alone.

Bottom line: If you do happen to find a hidden treasure this summer, take enough out to cover your kid’s college tuition, don’t tell anyone, and send us a postcard.

TOP 10

1. How Robinhood convinced millennials to trade their way through a pandemic (Marker).
2. In the time of Covid-19, e-commerce is the great equalizer (2PM).
3. Why you shouldn’t be surprised to find black cowboys and cowgirls at protests (NYT).
4. You can never read too many profiles of Peter Thiel (City Journal).
5. NYC's LaGuardia Airport got a much-needed makeover. Here are some art exhibitions from the new terminal (Time Out).
6. The biggest psychological experiment in history is running now (Scientific American).
7. Online events are terrible. Here’s how to solve them (Benedict Evans).
8. This much is true: America is giving up on the pandemic (The Atlantic).
9. A useful map showing travel regulations around the world right now (IATA).
10. I’ve seen some pretty impressive Rube Goldberg machines during quarantine. This one’s up there (YouTube).

MAIL BAG

Reader Q: As a new college student, networking can feel very overwhelming. What tips do you have to be memorable at networking events? Thanks!

Neal’s A: I’m not sure how many networking events we’ll all be attending this year, but we can talk it out for the sake of discussion.

Full disclosure: I am not a good networker in the classical sense of the word. But that actually makes me a perfect person to give advice, because I know the exact way not to do it. Here are my three tips:

1. Ask questions. People love talking about themselves, so the more you ask about their life and work, the easier the conversation will flow and the more they’ll open up to you. 
2. Talk to interesting people, even if they aren’t the most “powerful” people in the room. If you adhere to Rule #1, you’re going to get bored quickly if you don't adhere to Rule #2. And what's the point of talking to people you don't find interesting? 
3. Have an exit strategy. Often, the reason I don’t talk to people at networking events is because I imagine how awkward it’ll be when we run out of things to say to each other and someone has to end the conversation. With that in mind, don’t be afraid to declare, “Alright, great talking to you—see you around,” then walk away. Odds are, you’ll both be relieved.

Have another question to ask the Brew writers? .