About this product: Here is THE book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as “The Oracle of Omaha.”
Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time he became the world’s richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term “simple.”
When Alice Schroeder met Warren Buffett she was an insurance industry analyst and a gifted writer known for her keen perception and business acumen. Her writings on finance impressed him, and as she came to know him she realized that while much had been written on the subject of his investing style, no one had moved beyond that to explore his larger philosophy, which is bound up in a complex personality and the details of his life. Out of this came his decision to cooperate with her on the book about himself that he would never write.
Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer’s questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates—opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear. Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett’s legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people’s lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.
About this product: The definitive work concerning Warren Buffett and intelligent investment philosophy, this is a collection of Buffett's letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway written over the past few decades that together furnish an enormously valuable informal education. The letters distill in plain words all the basic principles of sound business practices. They are arranged and introduced by a leading apostle of the 'value' school and noted scholar, Lawrence Cunningham.
What's new in the second edition? This new edition has extensive additional content that highlights topics of vital national or international significance, including: - the proliferation of stock option compensation and excessive CEO pay; - Berkshire s shareholder-designated contribution program and the controversy over the abortion issue that led to its termination; - the explosion of derivative financial instruments and related perils and how Berkshire dealt with managing a sizable portfolio of them after buying Gen Re; - the dramatic increase in foreign currency trading in the past five years along with the astonishing growth in the US trade deficit; - management succession at Berkshire Hathaway as Mr. Buffett ages; - commentary on his philanthropic thinking in giving his entire fortune to charities; and - the fairness and other matters concerning taxation of corporations.
Here in one place are the priceless pearls of business and investment wisdom, woven into a delightful narrative on the major topics concerning both managers and investors. These timeless lessons are useful to members of a wide range of professions, including law, accounting, finance and management, and provide rich teaching materials for courses in those fields.
About this product: Buffett is back . . . and better than before!
A decade has passed since the book that introduced the world to Warren Buffett -- The Warren Buffett Way by Robert Hagstrom -- first appeared. That groundbreaking book spent 21 weeks on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller list and sold over 1 million copies.
Since then, Warren Buffett has solidified his reputation as the greatest investor of all time -- becoming even richer and more successful, despite the wild fluctuation of the markets. How does this value investing legend continue to do it? That's where Robert Hagstrom and the Second Edition of The Warren Buffet Way come in. This edition is a completely revised and updated look at the Oracle of Omaha -- comprising Buffett's numerous investments and accomplishments over the past ten years, as well as the timeless and highly successful investment strategies and techniques he has always used to come out a market winner. This edition is especially accessible as Buffett's basic tenets of investing are presented and illuminated with relevant and up to date examples.
With an insider's view of the mind of the master, Mary Buffett and David Clark have written a simple guide for reading financial statements from Warren Buffett's succccessful perspective.
Buffett and Clark clearly outline Warren Buffett's strategies in a way that will appeal to newcomers and seasoned Buffettologists alike. Inspired by the seminal work of Buffett's mentor, Benjamin Graham (The Interpretation of Financial Statements, 1937), this book presents Buffett's interpretation of financial statements with anecdotes and quotes from the master investor himself.
Potential investors will discover:
• Buffett's time-tested dos and don'ts for interpreting an income statement and balance sheet • Why high research and development costs can kill a great business • How much debt Buffett thinks a company can carry before it becomes too dangerous to touch • The financial ratios and calculations that Buffett uses to identify the company with a durable competitive advantage -- which he believes makes for the winning long-term investment • How Buffett uses financial statements to value a company • What kinds of companies Warren stays away from no matter how cheap their selling price
Once readers complete and master Buffett's simple financial calculations and methods for interpreting a company's financial statement, they'll be well on their way to identifying which companies are going to be tomorrow's winners -- and which will be the losers they should avoid at all costs.
Destined to become a classic in the world of investment books, Warren Buffett and the Interpretation of Financial Statements is the perfect companion volume to The New Buffettology and The Tao of Warren Buffett.
About this product: Marry Buffett prior daughter-in-law of Warren Buffett and David Clark have done an excellent job of taking a complex subject and making it understandable, interesting and rewarding to study. Using these guidelines of instruction an indivdual could improve his/her ability to find companies to invest in even in these crushing economic times.
DFW
About this product: A collection of pithy and inspiring sayings from America's favorite businessman that reveal his secrets of success
Like the sayings of the ancient Chinese philospher Lao-tzu, Warren Buffett's worldly wisdom is deceptively simple and enormously powerful in application. In The Tao of Warren Buffett, Mary Buffett -- author of three books on Warren Buffett's investment methods -- joins noted Buffettologist and international lecturer David Clark to bring you Warren Buffett's smartest, funniest, and most memorable sayings with an eye toward revealing the life philosophy and the investment strategies that have made Warren Buffett, and the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, so enormously wealthy.
Warren Buffett's investment achievements are unparalleled. He owes his success to hard work, integrity, and that most elusive commodity of all, common sense. The quotations in this book exemplify Warren's practical strategies and provide useful illustrations for every investor -- large or small -- and models everyone can follow. The quotes are culled from a variety of sources, including personal conversations, corporate reports, profiles, and interviews. The authors provide short explanations for each quote and use examples from Buffett's own business transactions whenever possible to illustrate his words at work.
As Warren says:
"You should invest in a business that even a fool can run, because someday a fool will."
"With enough inside information and a million dollars, you can go broke in a year."
"No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time: You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."
"Our method is very simple. We just try to buy businesses with good-to-superb underlying economics run by honest and able people and buy them at sensible prices. That's all I'm trying to do."
The Tao of Warren Buffett inspires, amuses, sharpens the mind, and offers priceless investment savvy that anyone can take to the bank. This irresistibly browsable and entertaining book is destined to become a classic.
About this product: It's no secret that most mutual funds fail to beat the performance of the S&P 500. And if the pros can't beat the averages, it's not unreasonable to assume that most individual investors can't, either. Why? According to Robert Hagstrom, author of The Warren Buffett Portfolio, a big reason is the industry's emphasis on diversification. In the interest of minimizing risk, many investors have "become intellectually numb to its inevitable consequence: mediocre results." As a result, they wind up owning too many stocks and churn their portfolios unnecessarily (for example, the average mutual fund holds 100 stocks and turns over 80 percent of its portfolio annually). In The Warren Buffett Portfolio, Hagstrom shows how Buffett and others use the idea of focus investing to organize winning portfolios.
Unlike Hagstrom's first book, The Warren Buffett Way, which describes how the world's greatest investor selects individual companies, this book looks at the mathematics, the psychology, and the mental models necessary to build a successful portfolio. The basic ideas: Pick no more than 10 to 15 companies with good track records and high probabilities of future success; plan to hang onto them for at least five years; and ignore predictions and the sometimes terrifying swings in market behavior. It's hard to argue with Hagstrom's approach, especially when he practices what he preaches. His fund, the Legg Mason Focus Trust, has 15 stocks, an annual turnover rate of 9 percent, and percentage annual returns in the mid-30s. For thoughtful investors and devotees of Warren Buffett, who are looking for more than the next hot stock tip, The Warren Buffett Portfolio is well-written guide. Recommended. --Harry C. Edwards
About this product: Most people come to know of Warren Buffett through his ability to generate wealth. However, as Janet Lowe reveals in her book, Warren Buffett Speaks, Buffett is more than a money-making machine. Warren Buffett Speaks is a library of notes and quotes that have been collected over the years, aimed at revealing the many aspects of the World's Greatest Investor--his wit, personality, and wisdom. The first half of the book deals with Buffett's view of life, family, and friends, while the latter half focuses on Buffett's investment philosophy and observations about the market. This book is a must for every Buffettologist.
They come to Omaha by the tens of thousands, flocking to an annual meeting that has become legendary for investors, businesspeople, and fans of one of the most savvy capitalists on the planet. They come to eat steak, buy furniture at a discount, and bask in the brilliance of value investor extraordinaire, Warren Buffet.
Hedge fund founder, financial blogger, and professional skeptic Jeff Matthews got his own highly-coveted ticket to the Berkshire Hathaway meeting held only for shareholders and their guests--and proceeded to post reports on his blog, offering tempting glimpses into the much-discussed meeting. Now Matthews delivers a full-length account of his adventures at this infamous financial hoedown. In addition to offering a thoroughly entertaining first-hand account of Berkshire Hathaway's meeting, he answers questions investor's are asking, including:
Does Buffett's famed penny-pinching cripple his companies?
Why does Buffet--a bridge partner and best friend of Bill Gates--not own any technology stocks?
How does the extremely rational Buffett square his well-known social progressiveness with his lily-white audience of investors?
Is Buffet really an "Oracle"?
What information, insights, and ideas do the meeting's attendees pick up-and how do they put this information to use in their own investments?
Will Berkshire-Hathaway survive his death?
Matthews also applies his financial acumen to harvesting potent lessons from his experiences that you can use as you survey the investment field, from finding how the world’s greatest investor evaluates not only businesses but the people who run them, to the importance of “just reading and thinking” and the value of having a smart, cynical partner. With the dispatches from this exclusive financial carnival, Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett's Omaha puts you at the forefront of an investor's dream come true.
"There are very few secrets to be revealed about a man who really doesn’t have many secrets. But this book does take you inside that secret place – the Mecca of the Midwest. It’s very easy to read and full of classic Buffett-isms – well worth the pilgrimage for those of us who don’t own any Berkshire Hathaway shares or for anyone who wants to learn more about investing from the man who says the first rule of investing it to, 'read everything.'" --CNBC.COM
About this product: "Everyone knows Warren is the greatest investor of our time. . . .This book for the first time captures his genius as a manager." –Jack Welch
"Everyone who reads it comes away singing its praises" –Warren Buffett
Much has been written about Warren Buffett and the philosophy that made him the most successful investor in history, yet nothing–until now–has been written about his role as manager of the diverse companies under Berkshire Hathaway’s ownership.
Berkshire Hathaway expert Robert Miles explores the hands-off management style that has proven so successful for both Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. Including rare interviews with executives who run the companies within Berkshire Hathaway holdings, The Warren Buffett CEO provides a unique insider’s perspective from managers such as:
Lou Simpson and Tony Nicely, Presidents and CEOs of Capital Operations and Operations, respectively, Geico
Ajit Jain, President, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group
Richard Santulli, Founder and CEO, NetJets
Besides revealing the successful management style of the powerhouse holding company known as Berkshire Hathaway, The Warren Buffett CEO sheds light on the company’s future as well as on who will succeed the "Oracle of Omaha" when he steps down. You may never get to work with Warren Buffett, but in reading The Warren Buffett CEO you will understand what it is like to work for "the best boss in the world."