Several times each year, my assistant will buzz my intercom and tell me there’s someone on the phone who is very upset and insists on talking with “Mr. Kiplinger.” She has already offered, very courteously, to help him with his problem or refer him to someone who can, but he is adamant about talking to “the man at the top.” So what do I do? Ask my assistant to tell the caller I’m in a meeting or out of town? No, I take the as my grandfather took such calls decades ago, and just as my father and I have done for many years. And if the person happened to write.
