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To win this Foolish contest and claim your box of Fool gear and prizes, you simply have to finish a joke.

First, the brief background:

Some companies are emerging from the housing-bubble financial crisis much the worse for wear. That includes those directly responsible, like the homebuilders, Wall Streeters (e.g. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Citigroup (NYSE:C)), enablers (e.g. Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM)), and gamblers (e.g. AIG (NYSE:AIG)). It also includes collateral damage like GM and Chrysler.

While many companies were left in a balance sheet lurch, others emerged with fiscal reputations that were as good as or better than before: e.g. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), among others. 

In honor of this contrast, we want you to finish this joke:

Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs walk into a mortgage broker’s office …
The best answer in the comments section below, in 250 or fewer words, will win a free box of Fool gear and prizes. The contest is open until 8 p.m. EST on Dec. 17. A complete list of the rules can be found here. Enter as often as you wish.

Make us laugh!