Sage Advice
The Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting is unique. It's part entertainment, but the primary draw is to come listen to Warren (age 87) and Charlie (age 94) talk investing principles and home-spun common sense.
Some of my takeaways that I believe are worth sharing:
Investing:
Warren pointed out that he made his first investment at the age of 11 when the US was at war and the future looked very bad. If he had put $10,000 in the S&P 500 on that day it would be worth $51M dollars today. His point: don't try to outsmart markets - stay invested.
Stocks:
Warren and Charlie both discussed the vast supremacy of stocks compared to assets such as gold, crypto currencies (which he termed non-productive assets) and even bonds.
Current President:
There's no question that Warren is not a big fan of Trump. However, he made it clear that despite his disagreements it's not a good idea to "take your ball and go home".
Trade:
He doesn't believe either the US or China will be stupid enough to have a long and protracted trade war. Cooler heads will prevail.
Finally: We stand on the shoulders of parents, grandparents and ordinary citizens whose hard work and creativity make our standard of living better than what it was for kings a century ago. Don't bet against this century being better than the last.
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