Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett's Omaha : A Hedge Fund Manager's Dispatches from Inside the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting

by Matthews, Jeff

• ISBN13: 9780071601979
• ISBN10: 007160197X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-07
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

They come to Omaha by the tens of thousands, flocking to an annual meeting that has become legendary for investors, businesspeople, and fans of one of the most savvy capitalists on the planet. They come to eat steak, buy furniture at a discount, and bask in the brilliance of value investor extraordinaire, Warren Buffet.Hedge fund founder, financial blogger, and professional skeptic Jeff Matthews got his own highly-coveted ticket to the Berkshire Hathaway meeting held only for shareholders and their guests--and proceeded to post reports on his blog, offering tempting glimpses into the much-discussed meeting. Now Matthews delivers a full-length account of his adventures at this infamous financial hoedown. In addition to offering a thoroughly entertaining first-hand account of Berkshire Hathaway's meeting, he answers questions investor's are asking, including: Does Buffett's famed penny-pinching cripple his companies? Why does Buffet--a bridge partner and best friend of Bill Gates--not own any technology stocks? How does the extremely rational Buffett square his well-known social progressiveness with his lily-white audience of investors? Is Buffet really an "Oracle"? What information, insights, and ideas do the meeting's attendees pick up-and how do they put this information to use in their own investments? Will Berkshire-Hathaway survive his death?Matthews also applies his financial acumen to harvesting potent lessons from his experiences that you can use as you survey the investment field, from finding how the world's greatest investor evaluates not only businesses but the people who run them, to the importance of "just reading and thinking" and the value of having a smart, cynical partner. With the dispatches from this exclusive financial carnival,Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett's Omahaputs you at the forefront of an investor's dream come true.

Author Biography

Jeff Matthews founded Ram Partners, LP, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, CT, in 1994. His distinctive financial blog, Jeff Matthews Is Not Making This Up, is regularly featured in the Wall Street Journaln++s blog roll and has a loyal following among Wall Street analysts, traders, and portfolio managers, as well as investors around the world.

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Table of Contents

Preface: Pilgrimage to Omaha	p. vii
A Very Rational Place: 2007
Introduction: Wired at Birth	p. 3
This is Big	p. 15
Why Omaha?	p. 21
The Newspaper Generation	p. 35
The Oracle of Omaha	p. 43
This Motley Group	p. 51
The Math Has to Make Sense	p. 59
Buffett's Table	p. 63
The Time Value of Warren Buffett	p. 67
Budding Buffetts: Where to Begin	p. 75
The Most Versatile Investor in the World	p. 79
An Insider's Information	p. 89
"You Don't Want to Let Him Down"	p. 93
Intrusion	p. 103
Whom Do You Trust?	p. 111
Grumpy Old Man?	p. 117
Artful Dodging	p. 123
One-Half of 1 Percent	p. 127
What Now?	p. 133
Road Trip	p. 139
Buffett's Last Nickel	p. 147
"This is a Very Rational Place"	p. 155
Retuin to Omaha: 2008
Introduction: Family Reunion	p. 167
Armageddon Avoided	p. 173
The 1 Percent	p. 181
It's a Beautiful Day	p. 187
The Usual Procedure	p. 191
In Search of the Oldest Living Manager	p. 197
What Would Warren Do?	p. 203
A Convulsion That Makes Enron Look Like a Tea Party	p. 209
Crying Wolf	p. 217
A Particularly Foolish Mess	p. 223
Like Breathing	p. 227
Secrets in Plain Sight	p. 233
Buffett's Radar	p. 239
A Family Affair	p. 245
The Berkshire Flea Market	p. 251
Decline and Fall of The Sainted Seven	p. 257
The "Yes" Won't Change	p. 265
Yesterday I Died	p. 271
His Fondest Hope	p. 277
Coda: Beyond Buffett	p. 283
Notes	p. 287
Index	p. 293
Acknowledgments	p. 297
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