In Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) annual report, famed value investor Warren Buffett lists acquisition criteria that he deems to be important. He expects a record of consistent earnings power, good return on equity with little or no debt, capable management, and most importantly a simple business with entry barriers for competitors. Given Warren Buffett’s stellar investment track record, one would be hard pressed not to use his acquisition criteria as a benchmark or sanity check for their investments. Notwithstanding the price at which we can pay for companies that meet Buffett’s criteria, we think we have found a suitable candidate in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) as a potential pick for our portfolios.
3 Things You Should Know About Small Business (TheStreet)
Warren Buffett weighs in on small business. Aspiring entrepreneurs who were a part of the Goldman Sachs Foundation’s “10,000 Small Businesses” program got a chance to hear words of wisdom from billionaire investor Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at a community college in Cleveland last week. Buffett sits on the advisory council to the Goldman Sachs program. The Oracle of Omaha, known for his shrewd business acumen, said the key to success is satisfied customers, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
LeBron James Apparently Sends His Financial Statements To Warren Buffett Sometimes (BusinessInsider)
LeBron James and Warren Buffett exchange e-mails from time to time, and apparently LeBron sends him financial statements sometimes, he told Lee Jenkins in a big Sports Illustrated profile this week. …”I sent an e-mail about this to Warren Buffett. I’m a kid from Akron who lived in poverty for a long time, and I sometimes send financial statements to one of the richest guys ever. It’s kind of scary. I’m like, ‘Why is he talking to me?’ But anyway, the e-mail was about representing your country. It’s not about sports. It’s about everything else.
The Billionaires vs. The Millionaires (ETFDailyNews)
Warren Buffett was at it again recently: telling anyone who would listen about the need for a “millionaires tax” in the United States. However, while the Corporate Media was (as usual) heaping praise on Buffett, the reality is that Warren Buffett is not being “magnanimous”, he’s being disingenuous. Why is Warren Buffett so adamant about the need for the Tax Man to start squeezing the millionaires? So that he (and his billionaire Oligarch-buddies) can continue to avoid paying his fair share of taxes.
Wells Fargo, American Express, and More: Warren Buffett’s Favorite Financial Stocks (InsiderMonkey)
Berkshire Hathaway’s 13F filing for the third quarter of 2012 showed that the financial sector was Warren Buffett’s favorite area to invest in last summer; Berkshire had more capital invested in financial stocks than in any other sector. See the full list of stocks Berkshire reported owning. We have gone through the filing and picked out the holding company’s five largest positions in financials by market value. Investors shouldn’t buy stocks just because Buffett likes them, but we think that billionaires’ top picks can make good sources of investment ideas for further research. Here are our quick thoughts on Buffett’s favorite financial stocks: Buffett’s favorite financial stock was large bank Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC).
The Good Farmer: Howard G. Buffett’s Crusade to Eliminate Hunger in America (Parade)
If Warren Buffett is the Oracle of Omaha, then his 57-year-old son, Howard—a farmer who works 1,400 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat in central Illinois—might just be the Donator of Decatur. Through his Howard G. Buffett Foundation, he gives away tens of millions of dollars annually to improve living standards in impoverished communities worldwide. Lately, though, the foundation has also been focusing on the home front, working with Feeding America on a problem that some might be surprised to find in the world’s richest country—hunger. Recently, Howard took a break from fall harvesting to talk with PARADE about the growing problem of food insecurity in America.
How the daggy ukelele gained sexy street cred (CanberraTimes)
What does the third richest man in the world really hanker for? We got a hint in June when Warren Buffett, the sharemarket savant, teamed up with rock star Jon Bon Jovi for a duet at a swish Forbes magazine function. Appearing in a fetching dark suit nicely set off by a purple tie, Buffett, 82, cradled a ukulele on his pot belly and strummed away with joyful abandon. Bon Jovi remarked that the octogenarian’s tiny four-string instrument could make him develop “a taste of these girls yelling for you”.
Explaining Warren Buffett’s Career In One Paragraph (Forbes)
I thought this was rather good from The Telegraph. It’s an explanation of Warren Buffett‘s career in one terse paragraph: …For this really is the secret, the magic sauce. Now yes, of course Buffett is an excellent investor. No doubt about that at all. But what has propelled him to the top (at times) or the upper regions of that Forbes list isn’t just that skill: it’s also leverage. For here’s the little secret about insurance companies.
Thou Shalt Not Covet: Warren Buffett And The Corrupting Of The American Soul (CanadaFreePress)
“Bottom line…would raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans have a chilling effect on hiring?” It was Matt Lauer’s final interview question for his guest, on last Tuesday’s episode of NBC-TV’s “Today” show. …The guest was famed investor Warren Buffett, CEO of the Berkshire Hathaway holding company and a personal friend of President Obama (and by the way, did you know that Obama calls him, and not the other way around? Mr. Buffett would want you to know). He was spouting the usual “it’s time to raise taxes on us rich folks” rhetoric for which he’s become famous.
