(Revised and Updated for a Poor Economy) Can money buy happiness? (You'd be surprised!) What is the measure of true wealth? (Hint: Don't look at your brokerage statement.) Why do so many people with high incomes have such limited assets? (Check out your garage...and your pool...and those vacation bills.) A values-driven guide to mastering the Money Issue. Polly LaBarre page 72
John Sperling was born dirt-poor, fell in with Communists, and became a union organizer who led a strike that ended in disaster. Today, he runs the world's largest for-profit university -- and a company whose shares are defying gravity on Wall Street. So why do so many smart people say such terrible things about him? And why does he relish their attacks? Bill Breen page 80
It is an urgent question: How can we increase profits if we can't raise prices? The answer demands revolutionary thinking -- new insights about strategy and human behavior, turbocharged with software, mathematics, and rapid-fire experimentation. Is your company ready to master the new era of pricing? Are you prepared to pay the price of failure? Charles Fishman page 92
Kerry Killinger and his colleagues at Washington Mutual Inc. don't model themselves after Citigroup or Bank of America. Instead, they look for inspiration to Wal-Mart, Target, and Southwest Airlines -- giant companies that somehow manage to keep costs low and service high and meet the needs of the middle class. The strategy is minting money -- and WaMu's share price is up more than 150% during the past three years. Linda Tischler page 104
Who says banking has to be dull? Not the executives at ING Direct, who are banking on powerful technology and clever marketing to make a radical change in an industry that needs it. The result: In less than three years, they've attracted more than a million customers and $10 billion in assets. And they serve a pretty mean cappuccino. Scott Kirsner page 110
Powerful ideas and personal commitment are what propel industries, companies, and individuals into the future. Every November, Fast Company shines a spotlight on the idea elite of business -- the CEOs who make our annual Who's Fast issue. This month, for the second year in a row, the Fast 50 emphasizes in-the-trenches achievement. There are CEOs, but also engineers, marketers, and frontline teams whose passion means the difference between winning and losing. Paul Cabana page 49
Who: Tom Campbell Title: Dean, Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley Where: Berkeley, California Challenge: Bring his school into the top five. Alison Overholt page 38
