Warren Buffett is Da Man

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: Jadow

Originally posted by: Lothar

Originally posted by: scott
WB's shop is too expensive to buy into now.

Does anyone know of any other, smaller funds practicing WB's philosophy and techniques?

You can always buy the Class B shares.

Class B shares are for people living in the Ghetto.

You're either Class A at 132k a pop, or you're some poor gettozin.

You only lose voting rights...Big deal.
Voting rights is not important in a company like Berkshire Hathaway.

 

[thomsbrain]

I've read about Markel Corp (MKL) in the context of "next Berkshires." Tracking the stock over the last decade or two, it has pretty closely mirrored Berkshire. In the last few years, it has outperformed Berkshire by a bit. They have a low P/E, and pay a very small dividend. I'm always wary of buying companies that I know nothing about, but I'm keeping my eye on this one.

In the meantime, if you have the cash to buy Berkshire Class B (still a lot of dough per share!), it's not like these guys aren't making money any more. Far from it. I'm not sure there's much point in finding the "next" Berkshire when the original is still doing so well. You buy Berkshire so that you don't need to look around for the "next" company, because Buffet & Co are presumably doing it for you.

 

[imported_Lothar]

Some conglomerates such as Leucadia National(LUK), Markel Corp(MKL), and Bidvest Group(BVT) share the traits of Berkshire and are considered "miniature" Berkshire among investing communities.

Those companies are very good to own, and are good in their own right.

However, Berkshire is still the the man to beat. Nothing beats experience.
If you can afford Berkshire, get it. If you can't, get one of those miniature Berkshires.
As thomsbrain has eloquently put it, there's no need to gamble on finding the next "Berkshire" as long as Warren Buffet is still alive.
Why settle for clones and look alikes when you can get the real deal?

If you also look hard enough, you can find some mutual funds practicing Warren Buffett's philosophy as well such as...
http://finance.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=FAIRX

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: compnovice
Damn it... The last time I checked, it was ~$93,000.... :Q

Same here....too bad I still don't have $93k, let alone $143k!

 

[Pliablemoose]

$133,800 today

 

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: Jawo

Originally posted by: compnovice
Damn it... The last time I checked, it was ~$93,000.... :Q

Same here....too bad I still don't have $93k, let alone $143k!

I don't know why people are screaming up and down about BRK.A prices
BRK.B will always be 1/30th of a BRK.A share, only difference is voting rights is 1/200th of BRK.A.

I don't care about voting rights considering Warren Buffett owns 38% of BRK.A stock and investors will also vote for whatever he wants.

The last vote by that moron who brought up the PetroChina proposal was a 97.5% vs 1.8% win for Buffett.

 

[TheCanuck]

Originally posted by: Random Variable
The Berkshire Hathaway web site still looks like it was designed in 1995.

http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/

lol it's a GEICO commercial:

Dear Reader,

You probably know that I don't make stock recommendations. However, I have three thoughts regarding your personal expenditures that can save you real money. I'm suggesting that you call on the services of three subsidiaries of Berkshire: GEICO, Borsheim's and Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska (BHLN).

I estimate that about 40% of all auto drivers in the country can save money by insuring with GEICO. The figure is not 100% because insurers differ in their underwriting judgments, with some favoring drivers who live in certain geographical areas and work in certain occupations more than GEICO does. I believe, however, that GEICO more frequently offers the low price than does any other national carrier selling insurance to all comers. You can quickly find out whether you can save money by going to www.geico.com or by calling 800-555-2756.

Fine jewelry, watches and giftware will almost certainly cost you less at Borsheim's. I've looked at the figures for all publicly-owned jewelry companies and the contrast with Borsheim's is startling. Our one-store operation, with its huge volume, enables us to operate with costs that are fully 15-20 percentage points below those incurred by our competitors. We pass the benefits of this low-cost structure along to our customers.

Every year Borsheim's sends out thousands of selections to customers who want a long-distance opportunity to inspect what it offers and decide which, if any, item they'd like to purchase. We do a huge amount of business in this low-key way, which allows the shopper to conveniently see the exceptional values that we offer. Call Scot Caniglia or Susan Jacques at Borsheim's (800-642-4438) and save substantial money on your next purchase of jewelry.

Finally, BHLN sells annuity products directly over the internet at its website www.brkdirect.com. Like GEICO and Borsheim's, BHLN maintains a low cost structure and, thus, can offer savings to many customers. By visiting the web-site, you can evaluate the specific products, get quotes and actually make a purchase. Check to see whether one or more of the products meet your financial planning needs.

Sincerely,

Warren E. Buffett

 

[Howard]

LOL@site

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Lothar

Originally posted by: Jawo

Originally posted by: compnovice
Damn it... The last time I checked, it was ~$93,000.... :Q

Same here....too bad I still don't have $93k, let alone $143k!

I don't know why people are screaming up and down about BRK.A prices
BRK.B will always be 1/30th of a BRK.A share, only difference is voting rights is 1/200th of BRK.A.

I don't care about voting rights considering Warren Buffett owns 38% of BRK.A stock and investors will also vote for whatever he wants.

The last vote by that moron who brought up the PetroChina proposal was a 97.5% vs 1.8% win for Buffett.

Yep, the BRK.B goes for $4,473.50 today. I had $100K worth of corporate bonds from Merrill Lynch that were bugging me, sold them before all the news broke about how they were covering up their sub prime losses, BRK pulls better returns over time, so i just bought a share of A so i wouldn't be tempted to sell it. When i retire i can convert it to B and sell off a share or two as I need it... The market is so freaking strange right now, it sort of nice to have something so predictable with a good return.