Episode 581: Free Money

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Each summer, as college students prepare to leave campus, they get rid of their textbooks, selling them for cheap. And Bob Peterson and Kenny Jacobson are waiting to buy them, and resell them when school is back in session and demand is high. Their scheme sounds simple, and it is. They've noticed a difference in price, and they're turning it into a quick profit.

Arbitrage is a risk-free way to buy low and sell high. Wall Street is full of people with sophisticated computer algorithms searching for arbitrage opportunities everyday. But a good arbitrage is hard to find. It's also fleeting: As soon as you start making money, prices tend to correct, and the opportunity vanishes.

Today on the show, we meet two guys who may have found a golden arbitrage opportunity, and we visit the storage locker in Utah where they keep it.

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