Warren Edward Buffett is an American philanthropist, business magnate and investor, who is often referred to as the “Oracle” or “Sage” Of Omaha. As chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has been the company’s largest shareholder since 1970. More than 60 companies are owned by Berkshire Hathaway, including insurer Geico, battery manufacturer Duracell and restaurant chain Dairy Queen. The self-made billionaire Buffett, born in Omaha (Nebraska), started from scratch and worked his way up to the top. He started small, and over the decades made billions in fortunes.
Warren Buffets investment philosophy
Buffett follows the Benjamin Graham school of value investing developed by Columbia Business School professors Benjamin Graham and David Dodd. Graham’s book, The Intelligent Investor, was published in 1949. Buffett attempts to do this by buying companies that are out of favor in the market, assessing the company’s fundamentals to value it. He is a value investor, implying that he looks for companies that are undervalued but have the potential to make money.
The Giving Pledge by Warren Buffett
A group of 40 of America’s wealthiest individuals pledged to give away the majority of their assets to help address some of society’s most pressing problems in August 2010. Following a series of conversations with philanthropists around the world, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett developed the Giving Pledge as a way to set a new standard for generosity among super-rich individuals.
Concept of Giving Pledge
An open invitation for billionaires, or those who would be if not for their generosity, to publicly commit to offer the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Those who join the Giving Pledge often write a letter, explaining why they are committed to philanthropy, often describing the causes that motivate them. Currently, more than 200 of the world’s wealthiest individuals, couples and families have committed to the Giving Pledge. They represent 27 countries across the globe.
Books on Warren Buffett
In Hagstrom’s book, you may find investing lessons from the impressive record Buffett has put together. In its third edition, The Warren Buffett Way lays out all the rules of thumb Buffett uses in investing and illustrates them with case studies from Buffett’s portfolio.
- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, by Warren Buffett & Lawrence Cunningham
- The Warren Buffett CEO: Secrets from the Berkshire Hathaway Managers, by Robert P. Miles
- Dear Mr. Buffett: What an Investor Learns 1,269 Miles from Wall Street, by Janet Tavakoli
- The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, by Alice Schroeder and Buffett, Making of an American Capitalist, by Roger Lowenstein
