Reading rank 268
Going for Broke: How Robert Campeau Bankrupted the Retail Industry, Jolted the Junk Bond Market, and Brought the Booming 80s to a Crashing Halt
, subject: Robert Campeau, leveraged buyouts, junk bonds, and retail bankruptcies, 1991
Robert Campeau leaves real estate for Wall Street and retail, then overbids for Allied divisions as debt and a need for adulation cloud his judgment.
67
Coverage Score
3
Scored evidence
About the book
The account connects Campeau's pursuit of Allied and Federated to takeover financing, the junk-bond market, strained retail operations, and one of the defining bankruptcies of the late-1980s boom.
Why read it
Best if you want a cautionary case of debt, ego and borrowed judgment in deals made outside the buyer's expertise.
Key themes
- Leaving the ground you understand
- When a deal serves the buyer's ego
- Borrowed judgment is not judgment
Evidence and original sources
Source: official Founders episode — #177
This record is supported by 13 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Robert Campeau (Junk Bonds and Retail Bankruptcy) — David introduces Going for Broke by John Rothschild as today's episode subject.