The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Alice Schroeder
- ISBN：0747596492
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Summary
The biography of the world's richest man and the only book on Warren Buffett that has his full cooperation。 'Life is like a snowball。 The important thing is finding wet snow and a really long hill。 ' - Warren Buffett Warren Buffett is the world's richest man， worth an estimated USD$62 billion。 For the first time in his life， he has agreed to cooperate on a book that will be a biography of his ideas， a perspective that can be applied to business and the day-to-day decisions that dominate our lives。 Buffett has opened his world to Alice Schroeder， giving her unprecedented access to himself， his files， friends and associates。 This will be the book that provides the never-before-published insight into his character and life， distilling the principles and philosophies that have guided him on a path to extraordinary success and esteem。 Author Biography Alice Schroeder began her career as a certified public accountant， working for Ernst & Young before being appointed as a managing director at Morgan Stanley in the equities division。 She was the number 1-ranked Institutional Investor All-America Research analyst in 2001 and 2002， and a member of the All-America Research team for seven years。 Schroeder first met Warren Buffett in 1998。 By 2001， Buffett began to suggest that Alice shift from the business of following stocks in order to write full-time。 - The Snowball: Warren Buffett And The Business Of Life By Alice Schroeder （Paperback）
Reviews
Shane Inouye （Petersen）
，
Love the guy。 Didn’t like the style this particular book was written in。 Seemed like she was filling in spaces whenever an individual was introduced。 Felt almost like I was reading a book titled， Warren Buffet and the people who made him who he is。
Prithvi
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The book tells us why everyone can't be a Warren Buffett。 His unique personality， unique set of problems and unique skill sets made him the most successful investor ever。 He's had his share of problems and one cannot look at him enviously after reading the book。 The book tells us why everyone can't be a Warren Buffett。 His unique personality， unique set of problems and unique skill sets made him the most successful investor ever。 He's had his share of problems and one cannot look at him enviously after reading the book。 。。。more
Eduardo RM
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If you are interested in the detailed life of Warren Buffet: read it。 If you prefer to dive into his thinking， read the annual letters from Berkshire Hathaway instead。
Andy
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DNF。 Just way too much detail。 His childhood in the Depression with his bizarre personal habits and his distant/powerful parents was interesting。 Everybody can't be Buffett just by trying hard。 DNF。 Just way too much detail。 His childhood in the Depression with his bizarre personal habits and his distant/powerful parents was interesting。 Everybody can't be Buffett just by trying hard。 。。。more
Reid Teichroeb
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The entire story covers so much history。 At times， it gets a little deep in the weeds with the terms of the financials。 There are some great lessons for being a conservative， long-term investor。Be fearful when others are greedy， and greedy when others are fearful。
Bartosz Majewski
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This book has 960 pages and i have read it in 3 days。 It's most likely top5 in biographies i've read in my life。 And i've read dozens。 I'm not going to critique it， instead a quote from one of the last chapters:He admits to ambition， but he denies that there was ever a plan。 He finds it hard to acknowledge his own powerful hand as the creator of the sweeping canvas that is his masterpiece。 As he tells the story， a series of happy accidents built Berkshire Hathaway; a moneymaking machine sprang u This book has 960 pages and i have read it in 3 days。 It's most likely top5 in biographies i've read in my life。 And i've read dozens。 I'm not going to critique it， instead a quote from one of the last chapters:He admits to ambition， but he denies that there was ever a plan。 He finds it hard to acknowledge his own powerful hand as the creator of the sweeping canvas that is his masterpiece。 As he tells the story， a series of happy accidents built Berkshire Hathaway; a moneymaking machine sprang up without design。 Its elegant structure of true partnership with like-minded shareholders built on what Munger called a "seamless web of deserved trust，" with an investment portfolio buried inside an interlocked set of businesses whose capital could be moved at will， all of them turbocharged with "float"---all this had come about， he claims， simply as a reflection of his personality。 The final product was a model that could be analyzed and understood， yet few did and， for the most part， nobody coattailed it。 What people paid attention to was simply how rich he was。 Indeed， as much as he wanted them to study his model， Buffett sometimes inadvertently discouraged it; he also wanted people to believe that he just tap-danced into work every day and had fun。But that would be the less flattering version。The truth is this。When Warren was a little boy fingerprinting nuns and collecting bottle caps， he had no knowledge of what he would someday become。 Yet as he rode his bike through Spring Valley， flinging papers day after day， and raced through the halls of The Westchester， pulse pounding， trying to make his deliveries on time， if you had asked him if he wanted to be the richest man on earth---with his whole heart， he would have said， Yes。That passion had led him to study a universe of thousands of stocks。 It made him burrow into libraries and basements for records nobody else troubled to get。 He sat up nights studying hundreds of thousands of numbers that would glaze anyone else's eyes。 He read every word of several newspapers each morning and sucked down the Wall Street Journal like his morning Pepsi， then Coke。 He dropped in on companies， spending hours talking about barrels with the woman who ran an outpost of Greif Bros。 Cooperage or auto insurance with Lorimer Davidson。 He read magazines like the Progressive Grocer to learn to stock a meat department。 He stuffed the backseat of his car with Moody’s Manuals and ledgers on his honeymoon。 He spent months reading old newspapers dating back a century to learn the cycles of business， the history of Wall Street， the history of capitalism， the history of the modern corporation。 He followed the world of politics intensely and recognized how it affected business。 He analyzed economic statistics until he had a deep understanding of what they signified。 Since childhood， he had read every biography he could find of people he admired， looking for the lessons he could learn from their lives。 He attached himself to everyone who could help him and coattailed anyone he could find who was smart。 He ruled out paying attention to almost anything but business---art， literature， science， travel， architecture---so that he could focus on his passion。 He defined a circle of competence to avoid making mistakes。 To limit risk he never used any significant amount of debt。 He never stopped thinking about business: what made a good business， what made a bad business， how they competed， what made customers loyal to one versus another。 He had an unusual way of turning problems around in his head， which gave him insights nobody else had。 He developed a network of people who---for the sake of his friendship as well as his sagacity---not only helped him but also stayed out of his way when he wanted them to。 In hard times or easy， he never stopped thinking about ways to make money。 And all of this energy and intensity became the motor that powered his innate intelligence， temperament， and skills。Warren Buffett was a man who loved money， a man for whom the game of collecting it ran in his veins as his lifeblood。 That love kept him going: buying little stocks like National American， selling GEICO to have the money to buy something cheaper， pushing at the boards of companies like Sanborn Map to do the right thing for shareholders。 It had made him independent and competitive enough to want his own partnership and say no to the chance to be a junior partner running Ben Graham's old firm。 It made him tough enough to shut down Dempster's distribution center and fire Lee Dimon; it gave him the determination to break Seabury Stanton。 It had tamed his impatience and made him listen when Charlie Munger insisted that they buy great businesses， even though listening to other people went against his very grain。 It stiffened his will to survive the SEC investigation of Blue Chip and to break the strike at the Buffalo News。 It made him an implacable acquirer。 It also led him to lower his standards from time to time when his turf dried up。 Yet it saved him from serious losses by keeping him from abandoning his margin of safety。Warren Buffett was a timid man who shied from confrontation and needed people to cushion him from life's rougher edges。 His fears were personal， not financial; he was never timid when it came to money。 His passionate yearning to be rich gave him the courage to ride his bicycle past the house with the awful dog and throw those last few newspapers in Spring Valley。 It sent him to Columbia， seeking Ben Graham， after Harvard turned him down。 It made him put one foot in front of the other， calling on people as a prescriptionist， while they rejected him over and over。 It gave him the strength to return to Dale Carnegie after losing his courage the first time。 It forced him through the decisions in the Salomon crisis to make his great withdrawal from the Bank of Reputation。 It lent him the dignity to face years of almost intolerable criticism without counterattacking during the Internet bubble。 He had spent his life contemplating， limiting， and avoiding risk， but in the end he was braver than he realized himself。Warren Buffett would never call himself courageous; he would cite his energy， focus， and rational temperament。 Above all， he would describe himself as a teacher。 All his adult life he had sought to live up to the values instilled in him by his father: He said that Howard taught him that the "how" mattered more the "how much。" To hold his ruthlessness in check wasn't an easy lesson for him。 It helped that he was fundamentally honest---and that he was possessed by urge to preach。 "He deliberately limited his money，" says Munger。 "Warren would have made a lot more money if he hadn't been carrying all those shareholders and had maintained the partnership longer， taking an override。" Compounded over thirty-three years， the extra money would have been worth many billions---tens of billions---to him。1 He could have bought and sold the businesses inside Berkshire Hathaway with a cold calculation of their financial return without considering how he felt about the people involved。 He could have become a buy-out king。 He could have promoted and lent his name to all sorts of ventures。 “In the end，" says Munger， "he didn't want to do it。 He was competitive， but he was never just rawly competitive with no ethics。 He wanted to live life a certain way， and it gave him a public record and a public platform。 And I would argue Warren's life has worked out better this way。"2It was the will to share what he knew in an act of sheer generosity that made him spend months writing his annual letter to the shareholders; his joy in showmanship that made him want a mobile home at his shareholder meeting; his pixieish sense of fun that led him to endorse a mattress。 It was his Inner Scorecard that made him cling to his margin of safety。 It was pure love that turned him into what Munger called "a learning machine。" It was his handicapping skill that let him use that knowledge to figure out what the future might bring。 It was his urge to preach that made him want to warn the world of dangers to come。He wished he could have the next ten years' worth of newspapers delivered to his doorstep right now。 The years ahead weren't endless， but with luck they could be long。 Trees don't grow to the sky， but he wasn't scraping the horizon yet。 Another new person， another investment， another idea always waited for him。 The things left to learn far exceeded what he already knew。"The snowball just happens if you're in the right kind of snow， and that's what happened with me。 I don't just mean compounding money either。 It's in terms of understanding the world and what kind of friends you accumulate。 You get to select over time， and you've got to be the kind of person that the snow wants to attach itself to。 You've got to be your own wet snow， in effect。 You'd better be picking up snow as you go along， because you're not going to be getting back up to the top of the hill again。 That's the way life works。"The snowball he had created so carefully was enormous by now。 Yet his attitude toward it remained the same。 However many birthdays lay ahead， he would always be astonished each time the calendar turned， and as long as he lived， he would never stop feeling like a sprout。 For he wasn't looking backward to the top of the hill。 It was a big world， and he was just starting out。 。。。more
Georgios Bouk
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Λίγο βαρετή αγιογραφία。
Rohit Kadam
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This is book is less about learning how to invest; rather it reveals to you how the best achievers have a perfectly normal life with personal triumphs and tragedies interwoven in them。 And yet， if you stick to your first principles in life and give it your best shot， you come out pretty darn well in the end。 The snippets on investing and how the man thinks are littered throughout and are pure gold。 A thoroughly enjoyable read and introduces Buffets human side to us very well。
Ines Bacao
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The book is extremely long and details everyone's life involved with Buffet， making it boring。。。 The book is extremely long and details everyone's life involved with Buffet， making it boring。。。 。。。more
Manoj
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Focus and consistency makes your purpose of your life all achievable。
Kat Riethmuller
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Warren Buffett is “everyman” as multibillionaire。 Despite his vast wealth， he has always eschewed ostentation。 He pays himself about $100，000 annually， which in today’s U。S。 economy places him in the upper-middle-class。 He lives in the same simple Omaha， Nebraska， house that he bought in 1958 for $31，500。 He prefers an old gray suit to expensive London tailoring。 In Buffett’s early days， when he was only a multimillionaire and not a multibillionaire， he walked around with holes in the soles of h Warren Buffett is “everyman” as multibillionaire。 Despite his vast wealth， he has always eschewed ostentation。 He pays himself about $100，000 annually， which in today’s U。S。 economy places him in the upper-middle-class。 He lives in the same simple Omaha， Nebraska， house that he bought in 1958 for $31，500。 He prefers an old gray suit to expensive London tailoring。 In Buffett’s early days， when he was only a multimillionaire and not a multibillionaire， he walked around with holes in the soles of his shoes。 To Buffett， wardrobe doesn’t matter; what matters is making money。 He is better at this pursuit than anyone else in the world。 In 2008， Forbes magazine ranked him as the globe’s richest man， with a net worth of $62。3 billion。 Author Alice Schroeder does a masterful job of chronicling Buffett’s improbable， inspiring life。 As a former superstar research analyst， Schroeder uses her expert knowledge of finance and commerce to detail Buffett’s investment philosophy and business activities。 getAbstract praises Schroeder’s remarkable skills as a researcher and writer。 Her book is packed with fascinating details and trenchant observations about the “Oracle of Omaha。” One of the best business biographies available， this book shows how the world’s greatest investor amassed the world’s greatest fortune， while staying true to his essential self。Takeaways:As a boy， Warren Buffett dedicated himself to becoming rich。Now he has more money than anyone else on earth。Buffett earned his fortune by being superb at determining a company’s long-term value and earnings potential， his primary investment criteria。Buffett never lets the ups and downs of the stock market influence his investments。He is always suspicious of stock booms and seldom surprised by stock busts。Buffett carefully looks for undervalued companies。He avoids Wall Street， much preferring to operate from Omaha， Nebraska。Buffett set up his business affairs to operate with a tight center staff。 This policy eases his mind about his responsibility to investors。Buffett is a complex man with simple taste， a conventional man who has led an unconventional life。Buffett plans to give the bulk of his massive fortune to charity。Summary:The World’s Wealthiest IndividualWarren Buffett earned his vast fortune all by himself。 Instead of living amid Wall Street’s bustle， Buffett lives and works in Omaha， Nebraska， a bucolic city in the U。S。 heartland。 Throughout his career， backwater Omaha has been Buffett’s base， though the rest of the business world sees it as a déclassé town of no special significance。 To build his enormous wealth， Buffett exhaustively studied the stock market and the world of commerce， learning everything he could about individual companies， and their potential for growth and earnings。 This hard-earned knowledge has been his guiding light and his path to becoming the richest man in the world。“Warren Buffett was a man who loved money， a man for whom the game of collecting it ran in his veins as his lifeblood。”Buffett’s investment philosophy， adapted from his mentor， investment guru Benjamin Graham， is remarkably simple: Look for companies whose stock values are priced less than the organization’s “intrinsic” value and invest accordingly。 Buffett does not concern himself with the market’s temporary ups and downs。 He invests for the long term， focusing on companies’ sound business fundamentals and capacity to generate superior earnings year after year。 Through this straightforward process， he made his fortune。 Of course， the “Oracle of Omaha’s” legendary expertise in separating commercial winners from losers is much easier described than accomplished。 How did Buffett become the world’s best company evaluator and stock-picker？“When Buffett walked into a room， the electricity was palpable。 In his presence， people felt brushed by greatness。 They wanted to touch him。 They became dumbstruck before him， or babbled inane remarks。”You can find the answer in his single-minded quest， from childhood， to become a millionaire。 One of the earliest photographs of Buffett as a little boy shows him proudly holding his favorite toy， a nickel-plated change-maker， a small gizmo with four tubes that dispensed coins。 As he grew up， Buffett zealously studied everything he could find about business and investing， including decades-old magazines and newspapers。 That he far surpassed his initial financial goal is a testament to his prescience and steely-eyed focus， as well as to his idiosyncratic formula for financial achievement。 His story is the classic American tale of hard work that pays off beyond all expectations。 How the kid who wanted to make a million actually did that – and more – is a truly amazing tale。The Early YearsThe members of the Buffett clan were Nebraska tradespeople， straightforward， honest， no-nonsense types。 Warren’s father， Howard， worked in his own father’s grocery store in Omaha before attending the University of Nebraska。 After that， he sold insurance。 In 1930， Howard’s second son Warren Edward was born just at the start of the Great Depression。 Soon after， Howard opened a stock brokerage， Buffett， Sklenicka & Co。 To do so when people were shunning stocks took real courage。 However， Howard’s business was a winner from the start。“Howard Buffett quickly gained a reputation as perhaps the least backslapping congressman ever to represent his state。”A precocious toddler， Warren loved numbers and collecting things。 His hobbies included counting and measuring。 Of course， these interests would stand him in good stead。 As a boy， Warren was a bona fide businessman。 His first products were packs of gum， which he sold to his neighbors。 Later， he sold golf balls that he retrieved from the lake at Omaha’s Elmwood Park golf course。 He also sold popcorn and peanuts at local football games。 Warren saved every penny he made。 Even as a youngster， Warren avidly read all the investment books and periodicals at his father’s office。 His favorite library book was One Thousand Ways to Make $1，000。 He studied it religiously。 He vowed to himself that by age 35， he would be a millionaire。“Since Warren looked at every dollar as $10 someday， he wasn’t going to hand over a dollar more than he needed to spend。”During the 1940s， Howard， a rock-ribbed Republican， was elected to Congress。 He and his family moved to Washington， D。C。， where Warren entered junior high school and became a newspaper boy。 In 1944， Warren submitted his first income tax return。 By age 14， he had saved $1，000。 Through hard work， he doubled it and purchased a 40-acre tenant farm in Nebraska。 As a teenager， Warren also went into the pinball business， buying and installing the machines in local barbershops。 Additionally， he became a horse race handicapper， selling a tip sheet he entitled Stable-Boy Selections。“He never hosted backyard barbecues， lazed around a swimming pool， stargazed or simply went for a walk in the woods。 A stargazing Warren would have looked at the Big Dipper and seen a dollar sign。”After high school， Warren briefly attended the University of Pennsylvania， which he did not like。 He was shocked when Harvard turned him down。 He got admitted to Columbia University， where he took classes with Benjamin Graham， the famous author of The Intelligent Investor。 He quickly became Graham’s star pupil。 Warren read and memorized Security Analysis， the influential book Graham wrote with Columbia professor David Dodd。“Buffett had a buoyant optimism about the long-term economic future of American business。”By this time， Buffett was a regular investor on Wall Street。 He focused on companies that kept costs low and always made money， such as GEICO， an insurance firm that sold policies over the telephone。 Buffett initially bought 350 shares and later bought many more。 After graduation， he returned to Omaha， where he sold stocks for his father’s firm and taught investing at the University of Omaha。 He married a sensitive， empathetic girl named Susan （“Susie”） Thompson。 By 1951， Buffett’s capital was $19，738， which he invested and reinvested。“The very mention that Buffett had bought a stock could， all by itself， move its price and revalue a company by hundreds of millions of dollars。”He and Susie lived inexpensively on his earnings as a stockbroker and part-time teacher。 This was not hard because Warren was quite cheap。 He would wash his car only when it rained， so he could save on water。 In 1953， Warren and Susie’s first child， Susan Alice， was born。 She became known as “Little Susie。” They later had two sons， Howard and Peter。“Buffett’s testimony in Congress as the reformer and savior of Salomon had turned him from a rich investor into a hero。”In 1954， Buffett and his young wife moved to New York， where he went to work at Graham’s investment firm， the Graham-Newman Corporation。 He subscribed fully to Graham’s investment philosophy of focusing on companies’ net worth and purchasing stock in firms that Wall Street undervalued。 Graham called such companies “cigar butts。” Buffett studied Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s， and “with his prodigious ability to absorb numbers and to analyze them，” he quickly became a sensation at Graham’s firm， invariably recommending great buys。 Buffett learned a valuable lesson about “capital allocation” – “placing money where it would earn the highest return。” This became one of his bedrock investment principles。 When Graham retired， he offered Buffett a partnership to keep him at the firm。 But Buffett had come to New York to be close to Graham。 With him gone， Buffett saw no reason to stay。 He moved his family back to Omaha。“Buffett would undertake almost anything from his short list of most-loathed tasks – get into an angry， critical confrontation; fire someone; cut off a long friendship carefully cultivated; eat Japanese food。。。almost anything – [rather] than make a withdrawal from the Bank of Reputation。”Buffett Associates Ltd。 By 1956， Buffett had $174，000。 Although only 26， he planned to retire and live off the investment income that he could make from his nest egg。 He invited some friends and relatives to benefit from his investment expertise。 Six initial partners joined the new Buffett Associates Ltd。， including his father-in-law， Doc Thompson （$25，000）， his Aunt Alice （$35，000）， and his sister Doris and her husband （$10，000）。 Buffett was the seventh partner。 As a management fee， he charged his new partners “half the upside above a 4% threshold。” He also “took a quarter of the downside。” Soon others joined the partnership， which made money rapidly。 Buffett set up numerous additional partnerships with other investors， including attorney Charlie Munger， who also operated his own investment firm。 He eventually became Buffett’s primary partner。 By now Buffett was making a large return from each partnership。 He constantly reinvested his earnings， so his wealth kept increasing。 Indeed， Buffett’s “snowball” was starting to grow substantially。“In the short run， the market is a voting machine。 In the long run， it’s a weighing machine。”Buffett was managing more than a million dollars a year by 1958。 His goal was to outperform the Dow by 10% annually。 He was doing so well he no longer recruited new partners。 Now someone who wanted his investment advice had to solicit him。 In 1962， Buffett merged his partnerships into Buffett Partnership Ltd。 （BPL）， with assets of $7。2 million。 Buffett was now a millionaire。 His early $3 million investment in American Express paid handsomely， but his investment in Berkshire Hathaway， a New England textile firm， initially did not。 In 1962， he bought 2，000 shares of Berkshire at $7。50 per share。 Then he bought more。 Eventually， he bought the company， as well as the Blue Chip Stamps Company， Illinois National Bank and Trust Company of Rockford， Sun Newspapers in Omaha， See’s candy company and， over time， many more。San Francisco SusieWhile Buffett made himself and his partners wildly rich， Susie became socially active on behalf of Omaha’s poor black community。 She also became a part-time singer， making a separate life for herself though remaining deeply supportive of her husband。 By 1966， Buffett’s wealth totaled nearly $10 million， but Berkshire Hathaway was now “on life support。” He tried to sell it to Charlie Munger。 But Munger， who deeply respected Buffett’s investment acumen， had no interest in owning a firm Buffett did not want。 Eventually， Buffett closed the Berkshire Hathaway plant and laid off the workers。 From then on， Berkshire Hathaway became Buffett’s holding company， his main corporate enterprise。 By 1974， Buffett， with his many companies， was a business mogul， although a small one。 By 1977， his wealth surpassed $70 million。 He was only 47。 But Susie wanted more。 By this time she had moved to San Francisco， where she now lived alone。 She loved her husband， but wanted a life outside Omaha。 Warren and Susie remained devoted， and talked daily on the phone。 In 1978， at Susie’s urging， Astrid Menks， age 32， began to take care of Buffett， eventually moving in with him。 The arrangement was an unusual triangle， but Buffett never felt the need to explain it to anyone。 It worked well for all the parties concerned。Richer and RicherAs the years progressed， Buffett continued to expand his fortune， along with those of his partners and fellow investors。 By 1980， when Buffett was 50， Berkshire Hathaway was listed for $375 a share。 By 1983， the Buffetts were worth $680 million and he was a billionaire by 1985。 In 1987， Berkshire Hathaway traded at $2，950 per share and Buffett was worth $2。1 billion， making him the ninth-richest person in the United States。 By 1991， he was the second richest， with a net worth of $3。8 billion。 Buffett’s initial partners each had made $3 million for every $1，000 they originally invested with him。 Year after year， Buffett’s fortune （his “snowball”） grew exponentially。 By 2008， he was the richest man in the world。 Throughout his climb， he watched his expenses and invested carefully， always investing his profits and letting his funds appreciate at compound interest。 Buffett never allowed the fickle stock market to dictate to him， particularly when it plunged into high tech。 He freely admitted he didn’t understand it， saying， “The software business is not within my circle of competence。。。We understand Dilly Bars and not software。” Thus， he avoided high tech’s bubbles， booms and busts。 Instead， Buffett dictated to the market。The Salomon Brothers DebacleBuffett loved money， but he loved his hard-won reputation for honesty even more。 In 1991， Salomon Brothers – a Wall Street investment bank in which Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway had a $700 million investment – tested his reputation。 A Salomon executive， Paul Mozer， had engaged in a series of rule-breaking bids in his dealings with the U。S。 Treasury。 News of his violations hit Wall Street， which went into a fury。 It turned out that other Salomon executives， including CEO John Gutfreund， had known of Mozer’s misdeeds。 This implicated the firm in the scandal。 Gutfreund， who should have fired Mozer and didn’t， had to resign。 Salomon’s stock nosedived。“Balzac said that behind every great fortune lies a crime。 That’s not true at Berkshire。” （Buffett）During this rough period， Buffett put his reputation on the line by assuming the post of Salomon’s interim chairman。 He was known worldwide for his probity， honesty， openness and integrity。 Thus， his willingness to rescue Salomon Brothers saved it from declaring bankruptcy。 During Buffett’s testimony before the U。S。 Congress about this affair， he said he had told Salomon’s executives， “Lose money for the firm， and I will be understanding。 Lose a shred of reputation for the firm， and I will be ruthless。”Family MattersIn 2004， Buffett’s beloved wife Susie died of a cerebral hemorrhage。 Two years later， he married Astrid Menks， his longtime live-in companion。 Also in 2006， Buffett announced that he planned to give away his Berkshire Hathaway stock， valued at $37 billion。 He stated his intention to donate some 83% of it to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation “for the betterment of the world。” Buffett did not ask the Gates Foundation to memorialize him。 He made only one precondition: It should spend the money quickly to help people in distress。 。。。more
Rick Wilson
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The first half of this book is fantastic， representing a great portrait of a very interesting man。 The second half gets bogged down with random dinners and tabloid gossip。 And it wouldn’t really be a problem except that this is a 900+ page book。 I wish it had been 600， with most of the editing coming from the extensive descriptions of bridge games and dinners。
Omar Fernández
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Great book to get insight into Warren Buffett's life and business thinking。 The book is very well-written， which keeps it engaging regardless of the hundreds and hundreds of pages you have to go through （was it 600+ pages？）。 Great book to get insight into Warren Buffett's life and business thinking。 The book is very well-written， which keeps it engaging regardless of the hundreds and hundreds of pages you have to go through （was it 600+ pages？）。 。。。more
DJ
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This is a DETAILED account that is worthy of 5 stars for keeping it interesting over that many pages。 What a fascinating life。
Omar Ahmad
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I can't help it。 I just love thick and heavy biographies。 This one by Alice Schroeder is the best bio-business book on the work and life of the 'Sage of Omaha'。 #PhilanthropistExtraordinaire #BerkshireHathaway #SuiGenericType I can't help it。 I just love thick and heavy biographies。 This one by Alice Schroeder is the best bio-business book on the work and life of the 'Sage of Omaha'。 #PhilanthropistExtraordinaire #BerkshireHathaway #SuiGenericType 。。。more
Peter Schmeltzer
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Interesting， but extremely long。
Sheep Invest
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A very enjoyable read about the life of arguably the best investor ever。 Apart from the investing lessons （many already known because they are commonly quoted） I found it interesting to learn that Warren during his late teens/early 20s was full of self-doubt and didn't fully find his place in life until he met Susie。 It's easy to think that all celebrities have had everything figured out from the start but many of them are just like us， figuring life out as they go， through trial and error。The m A very enjoyable read about the life of arguably the best investor ever。 Apart from the investing lessons （many already known because they are commonly quoted） I found it interesting to learn that Warren during his late teens/early 20s was full of self-doubt and didn't fully find his place in life until he met Susie。 It's easy to think that all celebrities have had everything figured out from the start but many of them are just like us， figuring life out as they go， through trial and error。The main investing takeaway for me is to always allocate your capital to the best risk/reward bet， no matter whether that is a special situation， a wonderful company at a fair price for the long term or something else。 Setting arbitrary limits for yourself （like "I only invest in small caps" or "I only buy SPAC:s） will just end up hurting your returns。 。。。more
Victor
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Warren Buffett， since he was a child， was highly motivated to save money and increase his wealth。 He always wanted to compound his money， "a snowball effect"。 He is intelligent， was born in the right time， and dedicated a lot to investing。 In the beginning， he aimed to get some small companies that still had a bit of gas for a last action。 Then， he bought many companies/stocks in some amazing deals， especially under the book value。 After being just the investor， he started to "sell" his reputati Warren Buffett， since he was a child， was highly motivated to save money and increase his wealth。 He always wanted to compound his money， "a snowball effect"。 He is intelligent， was born in the right time， and dedicated a lot to investing。 In the beginning， he aimed to get some small companies that still had a bit of gas for a last action。 Then， he bought many companies/stocks in some amazing deals， especially under the book value。 After being just the investor， he started to "sell" his reputation， as whatever he supported people would trust。 He was not a family type of person， although things shifted a bit as he got older。 His father was involved in politics， and Warren believed in some democratic ideas， such as increasing tax on the wealthy， and the distribution of his wealth to charities rather than perpetuating in the family。 。。。more
Maluki Muthusi
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Warren Buffett built a business that reflected his compunding simple habits。
Thomas
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Too big， and slow
Jenny Ma
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I can't say this was an easy book to get through， but man am I glad I did。 The author takes you through every single deal and major event in Warren Buffett's life in meticulous detail - from Warren's inner dialog to the meal on his plate。 Though at times arduous to get through the weeds of contracts and mergers， these incessant descriptions also paints a much more important picture of what makes Buffett so successful: his insatiable appetite to learn new things， yet having the humility to acknow I can't say this was an easy book to get through， but man am I glad I did。 The author takes you through every single deal and major event in Warren Buffett's life in meticulous detail - from Warren's inner dialog to the meal on his plate。 Though at times arduous to get through the weeds of contracts and mergers， these incessant descriptions also paints a much more important picture of what makes Buffett so successful: his insatiable appetite to learn new things， yet having the humility to acknowledge what he doesn't understand， and never following the trends to make a quick buck。 His selectiveness with who he surrounds himself with， demanding loyalty， trust， wisdom， and his generosity in return。 At the same time， we're presented with Warren's downfalls as well。 In the never ending mission to "do the right thing for investors"， at times it came at the expense of his staff and almost destroyed the business he wanted to protect for investors。 Or， the consequences he suffered as a result of his lack of attention and care towards his loved ones。 All in all， these are crucial lessons to help anyone， investor or not， succeed and have a fruitful life。 。。。more
Catherine Pryde
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Simply a necessary read。
Ruiz Gebäudereinigung Hamburg
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Not Bad！
Ludo
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Bit long， but a very thorough insight into Warren。 Focuses more on his social relations and big ideas rather than how he invests。
Tharit Tangkijwanichakul
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The subtitle “the business of life” well describes the book。 I’ve been reading about half a dozen of books written exclusively about Warren Buffett。 I got to say that this is the book that about Buffett as a person， a human being who possess both strength and weakness。 This book doesn’t take you through his financial acumen， not about how to pick a great business， run a company， or even how to behave as an investor。This book is honest in about “people mistakes” Buffett made。 It’s incorporated wi The subtitle “the business of life” well describes the book。 I’ve been reading about half a dozen of books written exclusively about Warren Buffett。 I got to say that this is the book that about Buffett as a person， a human being who possess both strength and weakness。 This book doesn’t take you through his financial acumen， not about how to pick a great business， run a company， or even how to behave as an investor。This book is honest in about “people mistakes” Buffett made。 It’s incorporated with his personal interviews so we hear his voice on the matter。 I’m not sure that this is the author’s intention or not but this book makes it as if one can clearly put a finger on point where Buffett had reach “the next phase” of his life where he revisit his values。 This is a seminal book。 You can live through somebody’s life for just $10 and this is not just a random grumpy man， you know。 。。。more
Jordan Salinas
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4。1
Jaison
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In depth recap of one of America’s most shrewd and respected capitalist。
Alex
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Amazing story of a unique and fascinating person。Also the book is a bit lenghty in some points， because of the very detailed insights， I highly recommend this book。
Augustus
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A well written book。 Enjoyed reading it。
Forrest
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