Just Can't Get Enough of Buffett

Can you guess what company reported a 64% drop in first-quarter profits due to derivative bets and is facing regulatory investigations into conflicts of interest? And had charges of fraud laid against senior executives at a subsidiary and steadfastly refuses to pay a dividend even though it has billions on the balance sheet and the CEO says his company will find it hard to maintain growth through its previous strategy of acquisitions and capital investment?

Yes, of course, it's Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. And despite the kind of publicity that would sink lesser companies and their CEOs, Buffett remains universally loved and respected. We just can’t get enough of the Sage. More than 31,000 people flocked to the Annual Meeting of Berkshire Hathaway on May 3, 2008, to pay homage. Media coverage is bountiful and filled with praise and admiration.

One can learn a lot from Buffett. And he has the credentials to make it worthwhile to follow his views and actions. Here then is a Buffett linkfest covering what transpired at the Annual Meeting, the letter to shareholders, and other recent Buffettology.

Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Meeting: Live blogging the event
Billions in cash but no dividend: Ms. Lucci spoofs Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway’s 2007 Annual Report: Letter to shareholders
Berkshire Hathaway’s Q1 results: Earnings plummet due to derivatives
May 4, 2008 news conference: Buy European companies not Berkshire
Buffett on single best investment idea: Buy index funds like Vanguard’s
Under investigation for conflicts of interest: Stake in credit-rating agency
Executives at Buffett subsidy convicted: Fraudulent transactions
Buffett on the recession: Will be worse than what most people expect
Buffett on stocks for the long run: Expect less than 7% a year
Buffett’s children: What do they think of him?

For keeping tabs on Buffett’s sayings and doings, here are two good sources.

CNBC: Buffett Watch
Yahoo Finance: Berkshire Hathaway feed

Comments

[kowalski]

"Buffett remains universally loved and respected."

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Buffett looks more and more like what Plato called the 'perfectly unjust man', who was not only able to deceive the citizens of the polis during his lifetime, but also the olympians (greek gods) in his afterlife.

[valueinvestor123]

Kowalski: I would like to take this moment to thank Buffett for deceiving me with my outsized gains in Berekshire which I have held for 10 years now. I only hope he continues to deceive me in the same way with returns that are almost 3x the S&P.