Berkshire Hathaway

Porter says he does not believe that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway can reliably beat the overall stock market. Not just because of its foolish preference for lower- quality, private companies instead of market-dominating public companies. Today, the problem with Berkshire is structural.

In today’s Daily Journal, Porter attempts to build a portfolio that’s based on the structure and asset allocation of Berkshire Hathaway’s, but that’s only made up of world-class businesses that, when measured objectively, are better than their Berkshire analogs.

Most people believe they must take risks and take on leverage and do all other kinds of financial wizardry because they’re not as smart as Warren Buffett. But that’s all nonsense. All you must do is buy the biggest and best businesses, in the best industries. That’s all. It’s obvious. And it’s easy.

Berkshire Hathaway’s structure guaranteed investment success while Warren Buffett’s personal reputation made investing respectable. The combination showed, beyond any doubt, that capitalism was more effective than socialism. But since the Global Financial Crisis, Berkshire’s track record has been abysmal.

If you want to become a great investor, learn from two of Warren Buffett’s purchases – his worst and his best. Porter takes readers through the history and numbers of both.