What You Can Learn From Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Website | Personal finance

Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors, and his company, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B), has been an excellent long-term investment. Here’s a look at the Berkshire Hathaway website and what you might learn from it.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Berkshire Hathaway website is that it’s far from your typical business website. Looks like it was designed decades ago. There are no photos on the main page — or many other pages. Instead, it simply serves as a sitemap, offering links to many topics of interest. Most of the links are listed below, with a brief explanation. Next is a pointer to what is arguably the site’s most important content: Buffett’s annual letters to shareholders. These letters contain countless investing lessons that each of us can learn from.

Here, Buffett reminds readers that he doesn’t make stock recommendations – but then suggests that people could save a lot of money by patronizing two Berkshire companies – GEICO (for insurance) and Borsheim (for jewelry). ). Attendees at his annual meetings know he likes to hook up his companies, like See’s Candies.

Like most other corporate websites, Berkshire tucks its press releases away. This is where you’ll see quarterly financial results announcements as well as acquisition news and annual meeting updates. Those interested in Berkshire may want to check in here every month or two.

Here are links to quarterly and annual reports dating back to 1995. This is very handy for investors who dig deep into the company’s past to better understand how it got to its current state.

Buffett’s annual meetings are very important, so you’ll find a visitor’s guide to Omaha and other information related to the annual meeting of shareholders.

Energy (along with insurance and transportation) is one of Berkshire’s largest businesses today. Here you will find a presentation for investors detailing the considerable investment and leadership in renewable energy.

With Buffett turning 92 in August, shareholders have long been interested in who will succeed him and what Berkshire will look like after Buffett. Here you’ll find a letter from Buffett and one from his vice president and longtime partner, Charlie Munger, looking back and forward.

Here are links to dozens of companies wholly owned by Berkshire, such as Benjamin Moore, Brooks, International Dairy Queen, Johns Manville, Justin Brands, McLane, Business Wire, Clayton Homes, Forest River, Fruit of the Loom, GEICO, Nebraska Furniture Mart, NetJets, Pampered Chef, Shaw Industries, and the entire BNSF Railroad.

This page contains links to topics such as Berkshire’s Insider Trading Policy, Prohibited Business Practices, Governance Guidelines, and more.

Many companies report on their sustainability goals and progress on their websites, and here Berkshire links to about 20 subsidiary sustainability reports. The link to the Berkshire Hathaway Sustainability Leadership Council states, among other things, that it has hosted eight sustainability summits, with 600 attendees in 2020 alone.

Buffett is one of the greatest philanthropists in history, and on this page he explains how he gives away around 99% or more of his fortune over time.

Finally, we come to what could be considered the real meat of Berkshire’s website: 45 years of Warren Buffett’s annual letters to shareholders, dating back to 1977 (when part of the letter discussed textile operations). Buffett’s tenure in the company dates back to 1965, and this page links to where you can buy a book compiling the very first letters.

The letters are very informative for shareholders and potential shareholders of Berkshire, but they can also inform other investors, as it often details not only some of Berkshire’s activities, but also discusses various topics of interest to the business community. , such as derivatives, bear markets and boards. His most recent letter, by way of example, describes in detail the energy sector in general and Berkshire Hathaway Energy in particular.

Buffett’s letters are also full of inspirational (and sometimes amusing) jokes, such as “Charlie and I aren’t stock-pickers; we’re business-pickers” and “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair than a fair business at an exceptional price.”

It’s worth spending some time on Berkshire Hathaway’s website, especially if you’re going there to read some or all of Buffett’s letters. As you learn more about Warren Buffett and his company, you can become a better investor.

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Selena Maranjian holds positions in Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool holds positions and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool recommends the following options: $200 long calls in January 2023 on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), $200 short puts in January 2023 on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and short calls of $265 in January 2023 on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.