The story behind Fortune's cover

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The latest issue of Fortune magazine arrived in the mail on Thursday, and the cover story is about the problems with the Social Security system.

Illustrating the cover is what appears to be the Social Security card of senior editor at large Allan Sloan, who wrote the story. While the card on the cover is burning part of the number, the full number can be seen in a picture on p. 70.

This got us to thinking — what business journalist in their right mind would allow the world to know his Social Security number and what his signature looked like? Give someone your Social and your signature, and that’s a recipe for identity theft.

Not to worry, Sloan told us Thursday night from vacation, where he answered his cell phone as if it were a pizza parlor.

The Social Security number on the card is a void number given to the magazine by the Social Security Administration.

As for Sloan’s signature that appears on the card, it’s actually one prepared for the cover by one of his colleagues at Fortune with better penmanship. Sloan was questioned by a company attorney as to whether he wanted his signature on the cover, and he decided that if an attorney was asking that question, the answer was no.

“Never in my life has my penmanship ever been that good,” said Sloan.