Eli Broad

Did you read Geraldine Fabrikant’s profile of SunAmerica Chairman Eli Broad (rhymes with road) a few weeks ago? Man’s built a heck of a company, heck of an art collection. But what really got me, near the end, was where she reported on his recent purchase of a Roy Lichtenstein for $2.4 million with his American Express card — so he could get the miles.

Now that’s what I call rich.

(Is it possible you have an American Express card and haven’t made the single call it takes to sign up for the Membership Miles program? Gad zooks! You are throwing money out the window! Call them at once — 800-297-3276. You can also use that number to see how many miles you’ve accumulated and check to be sure they have your correct frequent-flier numbers. You can’t yet do this via their web site, but it has some interesting features anyway, in case you want to check it out — www.americanexpress.com).

Tomorrow: Frugal Poesy