Portfolio X-Ray: Berkshire Hathaway

Note: Read this introduction to see what I am doing in this series.

About Berkshire Hathaway
Anyone that knows anything about the market has probably heard about Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A, BRK-B), or at least its Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett. But not a lot of people truly know what Buffett’s company is.

In simple terms, Berkshire Hathaway is a massive conglomerate that owns many companies in multiple industries; to get an idea of some of these companies, take a look at this page. But Berkshire Hathaway has its origins as a textile mill in Massachusetts, which Buffett used as a jumping off point to invest in multiple companies, most famously being his investment, and subsequent purchase of insurer GEICO. The Berkshire Hathaway/Warren Buffett story has been told many times, though perhaps the best is told by The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder, often considered the “official” Buffett biography. Continue reading “Portfolio X-Ray: Berkshire Hathaway” →

What I Want to be When I Grow Up

In my previous post, I talked about I had narrowed my choice for grad school down to six options, and my intention to get my masters in finance. I’m sure many of my more savvy readers out there were curious why I decided to pursue that degree instead of getting my MBA. I spoke briefly about my disdain for an MBA previously, and I still view it as the de facto degree that many business-inclined folks decide to get simply to have a leg up on others that they work with or might be competing for better jobs. Good for them, but I started an online MBA once or twice and I just didn’t like the broadness of the degree. I like my education to feel more focused, and if I am not planning on going into marketing, I shouldn’t really have to take a marketing class just to know “the basics.”

So instead of trying to fit a career into a degree, which is why I went back to school for my accounting degree previously, I have decided to find a career which seems interesting enough to me and then supplement that plan with focused education. That’s why I’m planning on a degree in finance, as it will most likely enhance my intended career path. Continue reading “What I Want to be When I Grow Up” →

World-Wide Invest Better Day

Disclaimer: I am riding the coat tails of one of my employers here, and the thoughts expressed here do not reflect the opinions of The Motley Fool in any way. I was not compensated for this post in any way. Please do your own research prior to investing your own money in stocks, and a great place to start would be www.fool.com.

The folks that I do my paid writing for, The Motley Fool, invented a holiday yesterday, and I hope it is something that continues going forward. Dubbed World-Wide Invest Better Day, or WWIB, featured a day of programming from Fool analysts all over the country at various meetings. Unfortunately, I was unable to take part during the day, but the short videos that I was able to watch gave me an idea for today. Many of the videos featured the analysts speaking about their favorite stocks, and every hour the folks there, who are much smarter than me, gave a stock idea and why it would make a good investment. Continue reading “World-Wide Invest Better Day” →