Tag Archives: Charlie Munger

Investing Errors Come From Psychology, Not Information — Charlie Munger (2 of 2)

“A latticework of mental models” describes ways that Charlie Munger sees intelligence and wisdom. Mental models describe more than simple IQ, or Intelligence Quotient. Munger Avoids Investing Errors by Many Mental Models Munger believes a wise person is best served by 80 to 90 mental… Continue reading

Investing Errors Come From Psychology, Not Information — Howard Marks (1 of 2)

When two giants of investing, Charlie Munger and Howard Marks, emphasize a similar theme, it pays to take note.  It is interesting to me that they, and many other investors, eventually move well beyond the quantitative analysis of business to the “second level” of psychology,… Continue reading

Dodging Bullets Keys Investment Success

Great investors have skills to seize opportunities and get into good situations.  Equally as important can be the skill at “scrambling out of bad situations,” as Charlie Munger would say, or “dodging bullets” as it sometimes feels when helping companies solve challenges.  At the Berkshire meeting… Continue reading

Ownership Mind: A Prerequisite for Equity Owning

There is an old fashion idea that one “should dress for the position that you want.”  If you want to be a bank executive, you should wear a suit and tie even if your current role does not require it.  Not sure this reference is totally relevant… Continue reading

Podcast Interview about Competitive Advantage, Berkshire Hathaway, & Recurring Revenue

I recently enjoyed being interviewed for a podcast with Jock Purtle of Digital Exits where we discuss what Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger would invest in today — if they were young. Hint: competitive advantages, recurring revenue. What would Buffett and Munger invest in if… Continue reading

Portfolio Churn — Enemy of Investment Returns

Churn destroys investment return.  Strangely, traditional private equity builds itself to churn.  Churn reduces investment returns for several reasons such as transaction costs, business disruption, and the difference in tax rates between ordinary income and capital gains.  This last difference is the easiest to quantify as… Continue reading

2014 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Letter – Buffett and Munger Observations From 50 Years

Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, Berkshire Hathaway posted their 2014 Berkshire Hathaway annual letter. As this is the 50th anniversary of Warren Buffett taking control of Berkshire, this letter included two extra sections. Both Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger wrote about their observations about the first fifty… Continue reading

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting Notes for 2014

For those you have not attended a Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, picture this scene at the 2014 meeting.  A stadium is filled to its capacity of 30,000 people with another 8,000 in overflow rooms at the adjacent conference center and hotel.  For nearly six hours,… Continue reading

Berkshire Hathaway: If You Love the Management, Set Them Free

Private equity investors often take the “father knows best” approach to working with their management teams.  To me, this is crazy — particularly when the management team has years of experience with the business, the investors are new to the business, and the track record… Continue reading

Joys of Ice Cream, Apple Pie, and Recurring Revenue

Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, once told a friend of mine that if Charlie were a young man, he would be “trying to find online recurring revenue businesses” — like many that are being built and growing today. The combination of recurring revenue… Continue reading