He and his advisers called on voluntary nonprofit groups to shoulder more of the load in delivering social services.
He recalled reading a magazine recently in which a financial adviser called such niche products "just another way to shoot yourself in the head."
A senior adviser later called the comments a pragmatic solution to a pending problem.
The adviser called the move "a clumsy attempt to balance the administration's more distant stance on China."
Her adviser calls every Thursday to check in.
And it is an escape from a White House that a close adviser calls "a very lonely place these days."
The outside advisers have called on the Japanese central bank to pump enough new money into the economy to stop prices from falling.
The first requirement, which one adviser called "the prerequisite for everything," will be to prevent attacks on Israel.
To inquire about the service, advisers should call Vanguard's investment advisory services group for a copy of the necessary software.
Clearly, no matter how many advisers over the years have called themselves value managers, only a small number have acted that way.