Monday, January 30, 2012

How valuable is the knowledge of Warren Buffet at Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting?

I have read a few books on Warren Buffet. Now I'm thinking about buying a share of Berkshire Hathaway so I can attend their annual meeting. Is it worth it to attend a Berkshire shareholder meeting to get more insight on investing like Warren Buffet?



Many say just buy Berkshire stock instead of trying to out perform it. Unfortunately the Oracle of Omaha and Charlie Munger are not going to live forever.How valuable is the knowledge of Warren Buffet at Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting?
I've been there a couple of times, bought a 'B' share and went, and I enjoyed it. I don't know that you come away with a lot of hints as to how they do it, but you do get Warren's and Charlies takes on a lot of different things in the market. The best part of a Berkshire meeting is Warren and Charlie sitting up in front of an arena full of people doing nothing but answering questions for five hours. As far as I know, these questions are not prescreened (maybe they ought to be!!!). A lot of questions will be Berkshire specific, but a lot will be trying to get their take on things going on in the general economy and the world. Often, they will try and frame answers to questions in the context of what Berkshire is doing. How much you get out of it depends on how good the questions are. Last year they got to answer the same question about silver at least three times. There are also always people with agendas in asking their questions. One person asked about Russia, who was undoubtedly invested heavily in Russia and got an answer that they wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole after what happened Yukos. Another asked about how Jeremy Siegel's latest book changed their philosophy, Charlie replied "I think he's demented". Warren then asked if there was anybody they haven't insulted. I think what you get out of a Berkshire meeting is an idea of how they look at things. My biggest shock as a short term trader was how much our philosophies lined up, other than how long we hold assets (Berkshire virtually never sells anything). I refered to my first trip back there as seeing how the other half lived...turned out it was much the same as me. I'd recommend going...although I don't know that I'd make it a yearly thing just for their insight. For a financial meeting, it can be pretty entertaining at times.How valuable is the knowledge of Warren Buffet at Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting?
You can get WB's guidance on the internet...you do not need to be a share holder...I am an owner and I have never attended a meeting...I don't need to be present when the oracle speaks. Buy it and keep it. While he and Munger will pass from the scene, rest assured they will protect BH's future.How valuable is the knowledge of Warren Buffet at Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting?
The fact is that a few companies have outperformed Buffett over the past 20 years (such as Microsoft and Danaher). I know several people that have gone to the annual lovefest at Berkshire Hathaway, and they really enjoyed it, so it's probably a great idea.

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