You may have heard about the snowstorm that hammered the D.C. area. Fools had to swap their jester caps for wool hats and their calculators for shovels. But they didn't let Mother Nature stop them from fulfilling their duty to provide investors with useful commentary.

What You Should Know About Goldman Sachs
Some might dislike Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) for its government connections, market dominance, and endless supplies of capital. Others might hear a legion of angels getting their wings as the cash registers ring.

Fool writer Morgan Housel took on the task of figuring out where Goldman is making its money and what's likely to happen to those segments. "We call Goldman an investment bank, but this is about as accurate as calling Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) an aluminum-can company, " Morgan writes. "Investment banking is an appetizer for Goldman's main course: trading."

Is it wise to buy shares? Let Morgan's article help you figure that out.

Bags Fly Free: The Profits in Purpose
Advertising maven Roy Spence brought candy to his boss, but the sweets were rejected. He didn't take it too hard, though. On a recent visit to Fool HQ, Spence enthusiastically related the anecdote -- involving his proposal to distribute Snickers bars on Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) flights -- to illustrate the strengths of a purpose-driven business.

Fool writer Jennifer Schonberger brought it all together for readers, using Spence's own words: "[Spence] describes purpose as the 'definitive statement of the difference you're trying to make in people's lives.' ... 'What's simpler is clearer, and what's clearer gets done,' he said. 'If you have a purpose in your organization and everyone knows what it is, it makes decisions simpler.' Are you going to violate the purpose of the company or not?"

Spence has gathered his opinions during a professional life that has included working with some big names, including AT&T (NYSE: T), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Deere, and the U.S. Air Force.

Use the comment box below to tell us what purposes you think specific companies have.

Roundtable: The Biggest Investing Danger in 2010
Fool editor and writer Anand Chokkavelu pulled a few Fools in from the snow to talk about the perils lurking in 2010, which starts in less than a week.

Fool writer Matt Koppenheffer looks back before looking ahead: "From late 2007 to early 2009, investors found themselves face-to-face with one of the most severe stock market crashes that the U.S. has ever seen. Even seemingly high-quality companies like General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) saw their stocks chopped by more than half. ... The market seems to have been cleansed of extreme fear, but the greed that helped drive 2009's big gains has been waning as well."

But don't despair.

Matt brings us back to this Foolishly reassuring fact: "While over-vigilance can do as much damage to your portfolio as neglect, investors will be well served in 2010 by making sure that their portfolio is chock-full of high-quality companies that are still trading at reasonable prices."