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James's avatar

Warren's persistence, which would help to forge the foundation of Berkshire Hathaway, is certainly evident in your writing. Thank you for sharing this (true) story.

Arda Solmaz's avatar

Great breakdown

He was comfortable putting over 33% of the entire partnership into this single stock. It shows that even back then, he understood that when the odds are heavily in your favor, you bet big, a distinct departure from Ben Graham.

If he had continued with these 'buy, fix, and sell' liquidation plays, Berkshire never would have become the $1 Trillion fortress with $300B+ in cash that it is today. That strategy works beautifully for small sums, but it simply does not scale to managing billions

To move the needle on that much capital, he had to shift toward 'Great Businesses at a Fair Price', compounders like Coca-Cola, Apple.

Thanks for sharing this history.

Barrett Sundberg's avatar

Interesting story - thanks for circulating it

Noel Wieder's avatar

I'm happy you liked it!

Bryan's avatar

Always a pleasure, reading you!

Noel Wieder's avatar

Thanks, Bryan!

Paul Watkins's avatar

I’m so glad you posted this. Buffett just sat down and thought carefully, and independently, about investing. He did it then - it is still possible today.

Just look for a healthy margin of safety…

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Dec 11
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Noel Wieder's avatar

Thanks, Elias!