Reminds me of a joke:
Before going to Europe on business, a man drove his Rolls-Royce to a downtown New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000.
The loan officer, taken aback, requested collateral and so the man said, “Well then, here are the keys to my Rolls-Royce.”
The loan officer promptly had the car driven into the bank’s underground parking for safe keeping, and gave him $5,000.
Two weeks later, the man walked through the bank’s doors, and asked to settle up his loan and get his car back. “That will be $5,000 in principal, and $15.40 in interest”, the loan officer said. The man wrote out a check and started to walk away.
“Wait sir”, the loan officer said, “while you were gone, I found out you are a millionaire. Why in the world would you need to borrow $5,000?”
The man smiled. “Where else could I park my Rolls-Royce in Manhattan for two weeks and pay only $15.40?
I have a friend who works in the "fund of funds" part of the hedge fund business. He's a terribly smart guy... Ivy league education, and strong math skills... a savant.
When he goes to Kennedy airport, he figures out how long his trip will be for and if the money justifies it, he treats the car tow like a valet service. He pulls up in front of the airport, summons the tow truck, and gets on his plane.
When he gets back, he goes to the impound yard, pays his fine, and picks up his car.
I think the trip duration that justifies it is something like 11 days. If he's gone longer than that it's cheaper tp get the car towed than to pay for parking.
Absolutely true.