While private equity shops have drawn the ire of some of Wall Street's hallway monitors -- they've been accused of stripping companies down and costing American jobs -- they're also experts at maximizing profitability.
What's their secret?

They sometimes act as knights in shining armor -- helping troubled businesses turn things around -- while lending money at exorbitant interest rates of around 16%, even in a near-zero interest rate environment.

Other times, these companies may deploy billions of dollars into an unconventional investment -- like single family homes, for example -- as I explained in this article