The second-to-last question of the day is asked, and it’s about Burlington Northern.
“Are you also purchasing rights of ways and do they have other purposes?” a shareholder wants to know.
He is, no doubt, wondering whether the...
What I Learned, Part V: On Expected Returns and Diluting the Berkshire Gene Pool
“What is the expected return on capital from Burlington?” asks the shareholder from Hamburg, Germany. “And if you can’t buy more railroads would you expand into shipping?”
As Warren Buffett launches into his answer, I muse that this is not the first time a German has asked the best question at a...
What I Learned Writing a Book, Part IV: Of Colonoscopies, Cash and Cutouts
The question Buffett’s been asked is simple: ‘What’s the difference between Berkshire using undervalued stock to buy Burlington Northern, and Kraft using undervalued stock to buy Cadbury?’
It’s also quite good: Buffett has been beefing to anybody who’ll listen—and CNBC pretty much listens whenever he’s awake—about...
What I Learned Writing a Book, Part III: “He Can’t Not Answer A Question.”
Buffett runs the meeting briskly and efficiently—and within minutes of his first appearing on stage we reach the guts of the thing, when he offers a motion to approve the 50-for-1 stock split and elimination of paper certificates for the Berkshire
What I Learned Writing a Book, Part II: The Oracle Appears, Alone…Sort Of
There is some gamesmanship going on as we enter the cozy, wood-floored Peter Kiewit concert hall here in downtown Omaha.
Of course, it’s nothing like what goes on at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. At that “Woodstock for Capitalists,” as...
What I Learned Writing a Book about Warren Buffett: Part I
The Mini-Meeting: January 20, 2010, 8:30 a.m.The most surprising thing about this “mini” Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting is the intimacy.Leaving a raw winter’s morning outside and entering the warm confines of downtown Omaha’s Holland Pe...
Seattle, First City of Disposable Plastic Thermos Containers
Well, Starbucks finally has its act together, if Wednesday’s earnings release is any indication.At least, its financial act.Starbucks’ environmental act still leaves a lot to be desired—particularly here in the U.S., where getting a Starbucks cof...
Goldman 8, Public Zero…The Teachable Moment of Bare Escentuals
We’ve been radio silent here at NotMakingThisUp the last week or so, for what we hope will prove good reasons.
The first reason is that for the past week your editor has been in conference meetings at Ground Zero of Healthcare Reform.
Now, Ground ...
New Year’s Resolution: Think For Yourself
It was a cool Florida evening one year ago next month when your editor joined a distinguished investment strategist, familiar from near-constant CNBC exposure, and a third market observer on a makeshift stage in the dining room of a country club to dis...
What if the Government Ran Airport Security? Oh, Wait, It Does…
Editor’s Note: Your editor strongly advises swallowing your coffee before reading this virtual column and risk spitting out that coffee. As always, we are not making this up.The following poem, which was written under the pen name “Blogger Bob,”...
Shazam! From the Boss to the King to John & Paul (But Not George or Ringo), Not to Mention Jessica & Nick…2009 Edition
Editor’s Note:
Back by popular demand, what follows is our year-end sampling of the Christmas songs playing incessantly on a radio station near you, and it demands from your editor only a few updates this holiday season.
For starters, we have not...
The Meredith Whitney Memorial NotMakingThisUp Trivia Quiz
Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Meredith Whitney, the analyst known for correctly predicting Citigroup Inc.’s dividend cut last year, reduced earnings estimates for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley through 2011….If it’s Thursday, it must be tim...
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