MoneyMunch

Warren Buffett

About Warren Buffett

HE BEST INVESTOR OF ALL TIMES

Chairperson and CEO of Berkshire Hathawayconsistently ranked as world’s richest man

A famous investor and philanthropist

Also known as the oracle of Omaha

Warren Buffett Personal Information

In 2011, Warren Buffett ranked as the third richest man in the world.  Warren Buffet has determined that he will gradually give 85% stocks of Berkshire to five notable foundations. The major share to go to   Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation around $30 billion. When Warren Buffett took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965 their investments were only $10,000 and in the year 2005 that grew up to $ 30 million.  Warren Buffett’s investment philosophy/principles are one of the most unbeaten.

WARREN BUFFETT

Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Omaha, NE.

Sector: Financial / Property & Casualty Insurance

Holds office since January 1970

Director, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation

Fort Worth, TX.

Sector: Services / Railroads

Lead Director, Washington Post Company

Washington, DC

Sector: Services / Publishing – Newspapers

Member of the Board of Grinnell College,  (as  Trustee)

Member of the Board of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (as Trustee)

Member of the Board of Borsheim Jewelry Company, Inc (as Chairman)

Member of the Board of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 1965 – Present )

Member of the Board of Citigroup Global Markets Holdings Inc. (Director 1987 – Present)

Member of the Board of The Coca Cola Company,  (Former Director, Member of Executive Committee and Member of Finance Committee 1989-2006)

Member of the Board of The Washington Post Company, (Former Lead Director, Chairman of Finance Committee and Member of Executive Committee 1996 – 2011)

Member of the Board of Mid American Energy Holdings Company,  (Director and Member of Compensation Committee 2011- Present)

Member of the Board of Lubrizol Corporation, (Director 2011- Present)

A BUSINESSPERSON FROM THE EARLY DAYS,

Buffett was born in Omaha in the year 1930. His father’s name is Howard Buffett and was a US representative; he was a harsh critic on New Deal interventionist foreign and domestic policy. Buffett has started his early education in Omaha Rose Hill Elementary School.  First time his father was elected the member of Congress in the year 1942. Afterwards he went to Washington, DC with family, there Buffett took admission in Alice Deal Junior High School, and there he finished his elementary school. Then he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in the year 1947.

Buffett showed great interest in making money from his early life. He demonstrated it by delivering newspapers, magazines and other such items. He also worked in his grandfather’s store. His money making habit continuous in high school and he goes on making money by selling stamps and as a commission agent for car sales.  In 1944, he filed his first income tax return for the first time.  This made him more determined and passionate. He with his friend decided to invest $25 on pinball machine and lay it in a nearby barbershop. Within few months, their business started to grow and from one machine, they were able to save enough money to buy more machines.

In 1950 when he was only 20 years old, he saved $19,800.  In 1952, he went to GEICO insurance company in Washington, DC. There he met its Vice President Lormer Davidson and with him he discussed all about insurance business.  Buffett acquired his graduation from Colombia University. First, he wanted to work for Wall Street but later decided to work at Omaha as a stockbroker and also took Dale Carnegie’s course on public speaking.  This course enabled him to teach the |Investment Principles” at the Omaha University. Most of his students were almost twice his age.  While teaching he was able to purchase a Sinclair Texaco gas station. Unfortunately, this turn out to be an unsuccessful investment.

In 1952, he was employed in Benjamin Graham’s partnership. His initial salary at that time was $12000.  Benjamin Graham retired in 1956 with that the partnership ended. Buffett’s savings were more than $174,000. Then he started Buffett Partnership Ltd in Omaha.

In 1957, it grew to three partnerships. In 1959, it was six partnerships operating. By 1960, he had seven partnerships operating as Buffett Associates, Buffett Fund, Dacee, Emdee, Glenoff, Mo-Buff and Underwood.  Then eleven doctors invested $10,000 in partnership.

A MILLIONAIRE

Buffett became a millionaire because of his investments that were in January 1962 more than $7,178,500 out of which $1,025,000 were Buffett owned. Eventually Buffett investment took control of major firms of textile manufacturing. Then Buffett’s partnerships started to purchase shares at $760 for each share. By 1965, Buffett’s partnership started buying Berkshire sharply and paid $14.86 for each share and company having a capital of $19 for each share, excluding the value of fixed assets.  On board meeting, it was decided that Buffett is the owner of Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett made Ken Chace the president of the company. Buffett closed the partnership in 1966 for any new investment.

 

In 1973 Berkshire bought stock in the Washington Post Company. In 1979, Berkshire acquired stock in ABC Capital Cites, announced $3.5 billion, and surprises the media industry.

A BILLIONAIRE

Buffett became famous as a billionaire when he started selling a class shares on 29 May 1990, as the share market closed at $7,175.  He acquired General Re in 1998 in a strange move.  In 2002, he was engaged with Maurice R Greenberg at AIG. Then on 15th March, 2005 Greenberg was forced by the AIG board to resign as a Chairman and CEO, due to the criticism from the Eliot Spitzer, who was a former attorney general of New York State. On 9 February 2006, it was settled that a fine of 1.6 billion would be paid by the AIG. The federal government in 2010 settled with Berkshire and Hathaway for $92 million for avoiding prosecution in AIG scheme of fraud.

In 2002, he signed an $11 billion of contracts to pass down US dollars versus other currencies. His gained from these contracts was over $2 billion by April 2006. In June, 2006 he announced that he would give away 85% of his holdings of Berkshire to five foundations, but his greatest share would be given to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In his letter to shareowners in 2007, he declared that he is searching for a younger successor to look after his business. However, in his search he found Simpson who is only six years less than him.

HE IS THE TOP MONEY MANAGER

Warren Edward Buffett is the top money manager of the twentieth century and the present times revealed in a survey conducted by the Carson Group that showed him ahead of Peter Lynch and John Templeton. In the Times Magazine, he was among the hundred most influential people of the world. United States President Obama gave him the Presidential Medal for Freedom. According to the Foreign Policy’s 2010 report, he is the most prestigious thinker.  Buffet said that his investors in Berkshire Hathaway are actually his business partners and expects them to invest wisely and invest in a long term and never invest short term in a company. Unlike most other businesspersons, Buffett wants his partners to have full control over their shares and never rely on brokerage firms. He belongs to that sort of businessperson whom American people have a high regard for; he is a man who believes in values and not just money. He wants to invest and work for further development of companies. He has also invested in companies such as Burlington railroad and Kraft Foods.

BUFFETT’S PHILOSOPHY/PRINCIPLES

 He is from Benjamin Graham Schoolhouse of value investing. Value investors usually search for certificates having prices that are inexcusably very low as on their intrinsic value. For stocks to determine intrinsic value is very difficult as there is no method to find such figure.  Most of the time the intrinsic value is estimated by probing the company’s fundamentals.

Most of the value investors are always hunting for the products that are utilitarian and prime quality, but are unfortunately sold at artificially low price.  Experienced investors always seek such stocks whose worth is not deservedly assessed by the market. Warren Buffett has entirely different investment approach in the market.  The majority of investors do not support the efficient market hypothesis. Although they do understand that ultimately the undervalued stocks will become valuable once their intrinsic value is correctly assessed. He has entirely different views than those investors.  He has no concern with the supply and demand of the market. Neither has any concern with the stock market activities.  He said, “In the short term the market is a popularity contest, in the long term it is a weighing machine.”

Buffet imitates a classic model of investment.  According to Buffett Benjamin Graham influences him. Graham is the true supporter of value investing and first come up with the idea of intrinsic worth. Buffet observes the company’s overall potential before he invests on its stocks. He does not seek early capital gain but company’s capability in the end to gain profits. Buffet’s main concern is the company’s capability to do business and continue to do it in the end.

HOW WARREN BUFFETT THINKS?

To understand the outstanding features with price, he puts few questions for himself to analyze.

The return on equity is sometimes seen as “stockholders” investment returns by disclosing the rate those shareholders are making income on shares. Buffett studies the ROE to detect the company’s operational capability by analyzing them with other companies in the same industry. Analyzing the return on equity of one year is not sufficient to have a complete picture of company’s performance. To have good result, they should analyze five to ten years company’s performance.  Ways to avoid excess debt of a company Buffett consider debt equity ratio carefully.

Buffett consider debt equity ratio carefully. He prefers little sum of debt over borrowed money so that the profits can be made from shareowners equity.  The degree of proportion that the company employs to finance its assets; higher the ratio, greater the debt. A high degree of debt as compared to equity will result in unstable profits and large writes off for interest.  For more testing of a company, investors frequently employ debt for long term rather than full liabilities.

The company is not considered a successful company unless it shows consistency in profit margins.  The profit margin is figured by dividing the total income by total sales. The investors should observe the trend of past five years for good indication of profit margins. When a company is doing good in business it is indicated by high profit margin.  Increase in profit margins demonstrates effectual management and effective controls on expenses.

He does not recognize companies who are not around for more than ten years.  The technology companies, which are only around for few years are not in the list of investment companies. He only invests in a company that he completely understands, and he admits that he do not understands most of the technology companies these days.

Ability or inability of any company to increase its level of value of shareholders entirely depends on its historical performance. But even good performance in the past do not guarantee equally same performance in future. The investor has to examine its historical performance to predict its coming future. Buffett is extremely good in analyzing the past performances.

The reliance of a company product on its commodity is very significant to Buffett. If the company does not offer anything different than its competitor and only rely on indistinguishable products. Buffet forecast no future for such company. A company with a character that is difficult for any competitor to replicate. He calls such a company an economic moat. Buffett believe in broader the moat, the difficult it will be for competitor to access.

To be hundred percent sure that the companies are undervalued is the hardest part of investing, and Buffett is expert at it.  Before investing in a company the investor first have to assess the intrinsic company value by checking its fundamentals such as earnings, assets and revenues. Usually company’s intrinsic value is higher than the value of liquidation. For example if the company is sold today, its intangible value will not be included, like the brand name, because it is not described on the fiscal statements.

Buffett assesses the intrinsic value of a company by comparing it with its present market capitalization. He measures the intrinsic value to not less than 25%, which is higher than the market capitalization of company. Buffett views company with value.  Buffett business success is in accurately assessing the intrinsic value of a company.

It is interesting to note that Buffett invest in a way like the one-bargain hunters do the shopping. It shows his sensible and practical attitude in business. Such attitude of Buffett is obvious in his entire life. He does not live in a palace; he does not have huge collection of cars and does not even take a luxury car to work. This life style of Buffett is not without any critic, but he has proved himself a great success in the world of business. In 2004, he was the second richest man in the globe, with $40 billion according to Forbes 2004 report. The most important thing here to note is the fact that the most difficult thing for any value investor is to accurately assess the intrinsic value of a company.

WARREN BUFFETT FACES CRITICISM

Buffett was criticized during 2007 – 2008. He was blamed for early allocation of capital that results in suboptimal business deals. His Berkshire Hathaway occurred loss of 77% decline in earnings throughout 2008 and many of his fresh deals seems to be losing large market.

The loss incited the SEC to ask that Berkshire to develop “a more robust disclosure”   components to evaluate the contracts. He helped Dow Chemical to pay $18.8 billion arrogate of Rohm & Haas. Therefore, he became the largest single shareowner in the group on his Berkshire Hathaway that supplied with $3 billion emphasizing his inherent role in current crisis in the market of equity and debt.  According to Forbes, he became the richest man in 2008 with $62 billion. He passed Bill Gates who was number one for thirteen years in Forbes list.  Once again, in 2009 Bill Gates regained its previous position of number one with Buffet second in the list.  Buffet could not sustain number one position due to loss of 25 billion in only 12 months in 2008- 2009.

In June of 2010, he supported the role of credit ratings agencies in the financial crisis of the US. According to Buffett, very few people really understand the bubble because they are great deal of delusions.

In November 2011, Warren Buffet announced that in 8 months he has bought approximately 5.5% of International Business Machine stocks, which values approximately $11 billion.  The rationality behind buying was that IBM could continue with most of their clients while the others are struggling.

Warren Buffett has not authored any books but there have been many books written about Warren Buffett. The closest thing to a book by Buffett is a collection of his shareholder letters compilied by Lawrence A Cunningham titled The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America

QUOTES

“A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.”

“Americans are in a cycle of fear which leads to people not wanting to spend and not wanting to make investments, and that leads to more fear. We will break out of it. It takes time.”

“Beware of geeks bearing formulas.”

“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”

“Derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction.”

“Economic medicine that was previously meted out by the cupful has recently been dispensed by the barrel. These once unthinkable dosages will almost certainly bring on unwelcome after-effects. Their precise nature is anyone’s guess, though one likely consequence is an onslaught of inflation.”

“You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.”

“Risk is a part of God’s game, alike for men and nations.”

“We believe that according the name ‘investors’ to institutions that trade actively is like calling someone who repeatedly engages in one-night stands a ‘romantic.’”

“Our favorite holding period is forever.”

“I have no idea on timing. It is easier to tell what will happen than when it will happen. I would say that what is going on in terms of trade policy is going to have very important consequences.”

“I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.”

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