Fired Forbes Editor's $6 Million 'Gift' Came After Helping With Company Sale

The $6 million "gift" that cost former Forbes editor Randall Lane his job was apparently payment for helping a business partner sell his company, according to the man who made it. RJ Shook said Monday that Lane assisted with his efforts to sell Shook Research, which produces Forbes' rankings of financial professionals, to private-equity firm PPC Enterprises. Shook and his wife sold a controlling stake in the company in July 2025. After the deal closed, Shook paid Lane approximately $6 million in recognition of the editor's "services and guidance" and the success Shook achieved as a . . .