The longer your compound capital, the less you need luck and the more you need Shrewdness.
- Manlobbi
Stocks A to Z / Stocks B / Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)
No. of Recommendations: 2
Has anyone totaled Warren Buffett's donations?
This from Bill Gates's blog GatesNotes:
"Our secret weapon, which should not be secret at all, is the incredible generosity of Warren Buffett. Since 2006, his gifts to the foundation have totaled about $45 billion, if you count the appreciation of Berkshire Hathaway stock after it was given. I believe this is the largest gift ever given, and thinking about it fills me with awe and gratitude and a sense of responsibility to make sure it is spent well."
"Warren and I talk often about the work of the Gates Foundation and Breakthrough Energy. In this letter, you'll read the kinds of things I tell him. It should look familiar to Warren and his readers: The model I'm following is his own letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway."
https://www.gatesnotes.com/The-Year-Ahead-2023
No. of Recommendations: 47
No. of Recommendations: 18
Glad to see you here
No. of Recommendations: 32
Glad to see you here
Me to, though the wording is very understated! Rationalwalk besides being a fine person was one of the most creative Berkshire Hathaway analysts here in the past.
If I may purely speculate from what I perceived at the time, rationalwalk left - 100% understandably - because of a combination of high noise levels, and incessant rudeness toward him (in one word, insensitivity).
I posted far less but likewise left somewhat later for similar reasons and started the 'Manlobbi's Descent' board there a year or so after publishing the book in 2016.
Some others also left the Berkshire board when there were periods of high noise, but didn't return.
Echoing what others have observed, the noise levels here have reduced quite a lot. Noise down, politeness up.
Thank you to rationalwalk for any post, and thank you to everyone here for keeping the atmosphere at Shrewd'm more curious, respectful and meticulous (with the converse being than crass, egotistical and lazy - seriously avoid these three).
Consequently such creative and intelligent (and actually psychologically 'normal') authors will enjoy to share their insights.
I write 'normal' because I expect that those that leave when observing narcissism are the normal ones and those that insinuate nastiness, remain and brag about how thick skinned they are, are often the abnormal traumatised ones.
Also please remember that the 'ignore user' (clicking the unhappy yellow face) feature can be useful. I can say however, thankfully, it has almost not been used at all thus far. This is another very good omen.
- Manlobbi
No. of Recommendations: 4
Good morning, thanks for raising this issue. A walk down memory lane is now, safe, on this board, since the Fools board is no longer controlling our comments. In 2008 or so, I began my FSFE, posts, foundation sales forever effect posts , with a list of suggestions to help the market absorb billions of dollars of Buffetts stock sales annually , going forward. I suggested a 50 for 1 split in the Bs , to make the stock and options more liquid which would lead to index inclusion, hence added demand for brkb common. I suggested, buyback authorization at, material discounts to IV. That brka should have the, right if first refusal on all foundation sales, by the Gates Foundation and the Buffett kids foundation sales as well. Guess what happened? Several fools, on that board sent me notes, that me private emails that if I continued to question Buffett etc, they would have me deleted and blocked from the fools board, and they did. Rational walk, Jim, aka mungo, David Rolfe, and many others who use to post there, were always perfect gentleman. It was 2-3 Fools. Jim warned me privately that they could in fact have me blocked from that board, and he was correct. 15 years later, I don't look so crazy and out of touch I guess. Thanks again for starting this board, hopefully it will remain the marketplace for a civil exchange of financial ideas. Be well all. Hc.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Manlobbi, I'm on my cell phone, is there a way to correct typos on my previous post? Thanks.
No. of Recommendations: 9
<<Manlobbi, I'm on my cell phone, is there a way to correct typos on my previous post? Thanks.>>
Only by me deleting the post and you reposting it, though normally only if a chronic problem as most small errors people 'read over' (self-correct unconsciously).
I tried to email you privately but your email was reported as an invalid email, so I have no means to communicate with you other than here, regarding deleting your message if you require.
Please firstly click Personal Settings at the bottom of the site and correct your email.
For that matter, all other readers here without a valid email, please correct it now in Personal Settings as you may forget your password after several years and really regret not having a valid email. Those signing up in December 2022 were not required to validate their email.
A valid email allows 1 your password to be retrieved as well as 2 allowing other Shrewds to communicate with you, or 3 requiring help with something from me. It is worth having a working email in your Personal Settings below.
Direct link:
https://www.shrewdm.com/MB?command=displayPersonal...- Manlobbi
No. of Recommendations: 0
Thanks, obviously many of us, old timers, don't have your computer skills. I think I updated my email address correctly? You can allow my post to remain as written. Btw, ten years ago I opened a case with the FBI due to , on line threats , harassment, etc, on the yahoo boards and the fools board. Hopefully, you will not have to deal with childish nonsense on this board. Take care.
No. of Recommendations: 2
Manlobbi, whenI click on the link you shared, this comes up? Shrewd'm robot: 'I don't know what to do with that url." Thanks again.
No. of Recommendations: 2
<< Manlobbi, whenI click on the link you shared, this comes up? Shrewd'm robot: 'I don't know what to do with that url." Thanks again.>>
If that link doesn't work, click instead 'Personal Settings' at the bottom of the page. Then check your email on Personal Settings and confirm that the email is valid; if not sure try sending an email to it from your main email and make sure it arrives.
There is a board called Shrewdsmith here and any problems with the site, please post links there rather than this Berkshire Hathaway board.
Metaphor: Treat each board as a beautiful polished floor and walking over it with an OT subject is like leaving footprints that everyone sees.(I hesitate to write this post, but as your email isn't valid there is no other way to communicate with you, thus my request to fix the email in Personal Settings.)
- Manlobbi
No. of Recommendations: 45
Metaphor: Treat each board as a beautiful polished floor and walking over it with an OT subject is like leaving footprints that everyone sees.
(I hesitate to write this post, but as your email isn't valid there is no other way to communicate with you, thus my request to fix the email in Personal Settings.)
Hmmm...an OT comment---
They're your boards, but I would suggest being a bit more comfortable with a bit more OT content, if the board participants are.
A different metaphor:
Each board is like a themed party or a bowling night. Everyone knows the theme, and follows it to some extent, and has chosen to participate in its community.
But within each party there are quite a few different conversations and activities going on, not all of which involve the theme of the party.
A bit of diversity of topics can lead to some very interesting serendipity, if it's a reasonably pleasant community.
The problem with things being TOO much on topic is that the board can die: when there is nothing new to say there is nothing to read,
and if the number of boards is too large relative to the population each one feels a bit too dry and sparse and narrow in viewpoint.
Just a thought! Feel free to ignore.
I do however believe all off topic threads should start the subject line with "OT: ".
Jim
No. of Recommendations: 8
A bit of diversity of topics can lead to some very interesting serendipity, if it's a reasonably pleasant community.
My sentiments exactly, and well put. The metaphor was a one-moment thought, not to be literal. OT posts in moderation are not discouraged and will benefit Berkshire discussions, but should have the OT prefix of course only possible when starting new off topic threads.
The 'Send as private email' feature was reporting the email as invalid, but when it works the feature is great for replies intended for just one person to not disturb the board. (A lot of early signups had fake emails, so it is worth reminding everyone to make sure their email is okay so others can reply privately to them.)
- Manlobbi
No. of Recommendations: 6
I'm glad to see support for OT posts. Unless we can change the name of the board to "BRK and other interesting topics" in which case I would be fine with a strict no Off Topics posting culture.
The people here have more in common interest than the name of the board can easily reflect. Why not live with the seremdipity of that?
Sorry for the #metoo but I really like discussing BRK and other topics with these people and don't know how to do that other than on this board.
R:)
