Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein

by Roger Lowenstein

Since its hardcover publication in August of 1995, Buffett has appeared on the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Newsday and Business Week bestseller lists. The incredible landmark portrait of Warren Buffett's uniquely American life is now available in paperback, revised and updated by the author. Starting from scratch, simply by picking stocks and companies for investment, Warren Buffett amassed one of the epochal fortunes of the twentieth century--an astounding net worth of $10 billion, and counting. His awesome investment record has made him a cult figure popularly known for his seeming a billionaire who has a modest lifestyle, a phenomenally successful investor who eschews the revolving-door trading of modern Wall Street, a brilliant dealmaker who cultivates a homespun aura. Journalist Roger Lowenstein draws on three years of unprecedented access to Buffett's family, friends, and colleagues to provide the first definitive, inside account of the life and career of this American original. Buffett explains Buffett's' investment strategy--a long-term philosophy grounded in buying stock in companies that are undervalued on the market and hanging on until their worth invariably surfaces--and shows how it is a reflection of his inner self.

Unknown Binding

About the author

Roger Lowenstein is an American financial journalist and writer. He graduated from Cornell University and reported for The Wall Street Journal for more than a decade, including two years writing its Heard on the Street column, 1989 to 1991. Born in 1954, he is the son of Helen and Louis Lowenstein of Larchmont, New York. Lowenstein is married to Judith Slovin.
He is also a director of Sequoia Fund. In 2016, he joined the board of trustees of Lesley University. His father, the late Louis Lowenstein, was an attorney and Columbia University law professor who wrote books and articles critical of the American financial industry.
Roger Lowenstein's latest book, Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War, was released on March 8, 2022, and won the 2022 Harold Holzer Lincoln Forum Book Prize.

Reviews

[Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most fascinating aspect of Buffet, to me, is how his childhood personality seems to be a constant throughout his teenage years, college years, young adulthood, and senior years. In many senses, he had the temperament of an old man while he was young, in that he was stable, loyal, and had a long-term focus. It seems obvious that this made him consistently effective as an investor in the long term.

He was not interested in flashiness both in his personal life and his professional life. This trait amalgamated itself in him living far below his means, but also missing some of the technology boom, and rightly avoiding short term trading. It seems that his personality influenced his investing style as a value investor.

Another interesting aspect of Buffet is that he set incredibly lofty goals as a young person, and then achieved every single one of them, which seems to be rare. While humble, he never lacked self-belief, but concurrently, no one ever viewed him as arrogant.

It seems difficult to separate his personal life and investing life, partially because he often bought shares in companies that had a nostalgic significance for him, for example Coca Cola.

The only negative part of Buffet I noticed in this book, was that he seemed to be value his business far above his family. Not only did he spend very little time with his children, but he did not seem especially invested in their success. Perhaps, this is because he was such a self-starter, and he did not want to give his children a head start that others could not enjoy.

[Hermann Steinweg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gelesen in deutsch!!