For private equity investors, the final test is whether a venture will generate sufficient cash flow to service the debt they plan to pile on it in order to pay themselves big dividends and recoup their initial investment--to "get their bait back, " in Wall Street parlance.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Mr Prodi now wants to pile on more topics, such as his plan to win new powers for the parliament.

ECONOMIST: Prodi��s new team

Right now is a great time to sit down to create a plan for your holiday gift shopping without accumulating a pile of debt.

FORBES: Holiday Shopping Savings Tips

Apple finally found a use for a piece of its giant pile of cash: paying the record industry to go along with its plan to finally make your music collection accessible on any device you own (as long as its built by Apple, presumably).

FORBES: Apple Drops $100M+ On The Music Industry

If you have no architect, if the plan keeps changing, and the foundation is lacking, you are likely to end up with a pile of bricks instead of a home.

FORBES: What Caused A Billion Dollar Federal Study Of Child Health To Implode?