#987 SEC’s Little 2

I did my most recent commentary about what I thought was an odd thing. Something else that came in the envelope with my tax refund check. It was an advertising circular from the SEC. They sent me some investment tips and suggested I visit Investor.Gov.
As near as I can tell, the advertising card wasn’t heavy enough to trigger additional postage, so in one way it was an economical way to send out the information. Of course, printing and stuffing the circular did add some cost.
But still, there was something a little odd about the Treasury Department, who sent me the check, colluding with the SEC, an entirely separate independent quasi-judicial government agency, who sent me the circular.
The envelope’s return address said Department of Treasury Financial Management Service. The First Class presort Postage Permit stamp said Department of Treasury. But the fine print on the circular from the SEC said, “If you have questions, Do Not contact the Treasury Department, Financial Management Service.”
So what gives? Did the SEC come wandering up to the Treasury Department and say, “Heh heh, could you help us out here? We’re all out of money and we need these ads mailed to people getting a chunk. Target marketing, you know. They don’t really like us anymore and we want to catch them in a good mood...”
“Okay,” says the Treas, “but considering they’re only getting a tiny check, that’s a smidgen of their lost 401-Ks, you’re probably wrong again, so you need to print a disclaimer on your flyer so people won’t call us about your lame advice.”
Speaking of lame, the envelope my tax refund came in is one of those security envelopes where you can’t see through it. But who needs to, because the address window’s so wide you can see what’s obviously a multi-colored government check. That and the return address of the Treasury Department kind of ask it to be stolen from my mailbox.
If I were the SEC, I would put as one of my financial advice suggestions, “Don’t send checks that are obviously checks through the mail.”
America, ya gotta love it.