The Essays of Warren Buffett
Lessons for Investors and Managers
Published on 1. December 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-118-82115-2 (ISBN)
Description
An updated edition of the bestselling collection of timeless wisdom from the world's greatest investor Readers of Warren Buffett's letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders have gained an enormously valuable informal education in the art of investing. Broad in scope and long on wisdom, Buffett's letters explain his principles on sound investing, selecting managers, valuing businesses, using financial information profitably, and other vital topics for investors. This newly updated Fourth Edition includes Buffett's latest wisdom on such topics as the financial crisis, the housing bubble, corporate governance, Berkshire Hathaway's acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the role of oversight in heavily regulated industries, today's best investing opportunities, and the weaknesses of popular option valuation models.
* Features investing advice in plain English from one of the world's most legendary investors * Includes Buffett's insights on the current financial crisis and recession * Offers new and potent insight on good corporate governance and other issues vital to executives and managers For investors, corporate executives, managers, and Buffett fans, The Essays of Warren Buffett, Fourth Edition features the kind of wisdom on investing, finance, and leadership that can be found nowhere else.
* Features investing advice in plain English from one of the world's most legendary investors * Includes Buffett's insights on the current financial crisis and recession * Offers new and potent insight on good corporate governance and other issues vital to executives and managers For investors, corporate executives, managers, and Buffett fans, The Essays of Warren Buffett, Fourth Edition features the kind of wisdom on investing, finance, and leadership that can be found nowhere else.
Reviews / Votes
The one Warren Buffett book you need to read (What Investment, May 2014)More details
Edition
4th Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 227 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
516 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-118-82115-2 (9781118821152)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
05/2021
6th Edition
Wiley
€24.80
Article is exhausted; no reprint
Previous edition
Book
01/2009
3rd Edition
Wiley
€17.90
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Lawrence A. Cunningham is a Professor at George Washington University, Washington, DC, and a leading authority on value investing. He originally prepared this collection as the centrepiece of a symposium featuring Buffett's letters, held when he was Director of The Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Center on Corporate Governance at Cardozo Law School, New York City. His numerous books include What Is Value Investing?, Outsmarting the Smart Money, and How to Think Like Benjamin Graham and Invest Like Warren Buffett.
Content
Foreword to the Third Edition xi Preface xiii Prologue: Owner-Related Business Principles 1 Introduction 13 Corporate Governance 15 Finance and Investing 20 Investment Alternatives 26 Common Stock 28 Mergers and Acquisitions 31 Valuation and Accounting 33 Accounting Shenanigans 37 Accounting Policy 37 Tax Matters 38 I. Corporate Governance 39 A. Full and Fair Disclosure 40 B. Boards and Managers 43 C. The Anxieties of Business Change 56 D. Social Compacts 63 E. An Owner-Based Approach to Corporate Charity 65 F. A Principled Approach to Executive Pay 72 G. Risk, Reputation and Oversight 82 II. Finance and Investing 87 A. Mr. Market 88 B. Arbitrage 92 C. Debunking Standard Dogma 98 D. Value Investing: A Redundancy 110 E. Intelligent Investing 117 F. Cigar Butts and the Institutional Imperative 124 G. Life and Debt 128 III. Investment Alternatives 133 A. Surveying the Field 134 B. Junk Bonds 138 C. Zero-Coupon Bonds 145 D. Preferred Stock 152 E. Derivatives 162 F. Foreign Currencies and Equities 172 G. Home Ownership: Practice and Policy 179 IV. Common Stock 183 A. The Bane of Trading: Transaction Costs 184 B. Attracting the Right Sort of Investor 189 C. Dividend Policy and Share Repurchases 191 D. Stock Splits and Trading Activity 202 E. Shareholder Strategies 204 F. Berkshire s Recapitalization 205 V. Mergers and Acquisitions 211 A. Bad Motives and High Prices 212 B. Sensible Share Repurchases Versus Greenmail 223 C. Leveraged Buyouts 223 D. Sound Acquisition Policies 226 E. On Selling One s Business 230 F. The Buyer of Choice 234 VI. Valuation and Accounting 239 A. Aesop and Inefficient Bush Theory 240 B. Intrinsic Value, Book Value, and Market Price 243 C. Look-Through Earnings 249 D. Economic versus Accounting Goodwill 255 E. Owner Earnings and the Cash Flow Fallacy 264 F. Option Valuation 271 VII. Accounting Shenanigans 275 A. A Satire on Accounting Shenanigans 276 B. Standard Setting 284 C. Stock Options 285 D. Restructuring Charges 290 E. Pension Estimates 294 F. Realization Events 296 VIII. Accounting Policy 297 A. Mergers 297 B. Segment Data and Consolidation 299 C. Deferred Taxes 300 D. Retiree Benefits 303 IX. Tax Matters 305 A. Distribution of the Corporate Tax Burden 305 B. Taxation and Investment Philosophy 311 Epilogue 315 Concept Glossary 323 Disposition Summary 325 Index 327