Podcast

Warren Buffett’s Evolution Into a Great Manager

Part 1 of 2
Warren Buffett, the Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway is considered to be one of the greatest investors of all time. He has become an American icon dispensing investment wisdom and commentary over the years through his annual shareholder letters and meetings where he and his long-time business partner Charlie Munger answer questions for hours on end about a wide range of topics.
An industry has developed around Buffett of investment clubs, newsletters, and books mostly focused on his investment decisions.
However, there is another side to Buffett which has been deeply studied and researched by this week’s WEALTHTRACK guest… Buffett as a business manager worth emulating.
We’ll be joined by Lawrence Cunningham, whose official title is a Professor of Law at George Washington University, but over the years he has become an acknowledged authority on corporate governance, corporate culture, and corporate law. He teaches business-related courses that span these fields.
Cunningham has authored two dozen books, several on Buffett and his most famous in collaboration with him.His latest book is Quality Shareholders: How the Best Managers Attract and Keep Them.

He also writes a weekly column for Marketwatch, “Cunningham’s Quality Investing.”

One of the most interesting aspects of Cunningham’s work with and about Buffett is the revelation that there are really two Buffetts, one the great investor that we all know about, and two, his later evolution into a great manager. We’ll focus on what we can learn from Buffett, the manager in this week’s show.

WEALTHTRACK # 1805 broadcast on July 30, 2021

More Info: https://wealthtrack.com/great-investor-warren-buffetts-evolution-into-a-great-manager/

Bookshelf:
The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America: https://amzn.to/3C1Pq2y

Quality Shareholders: How the Best Managers Attract and Keep Them: https://amzn.to/3ffix94

Berkshire Beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values: https://amzn.to/3ijSVdf

WEALTHTRACK Sponsors:
Morgan Le Fay Dreams Foundation
ClearBridge Investments: https://www.clearbridge.com/
Royce Investment Partners: https://www.roycefunds.com/
First Eagle Investment Management: https://www.feim.com/
Strategas Asset Management: https://www.strategasrp.com/

Investment Risks Warranting Protective Strategies

Part 2 of 2
What does history have to teach us about the current geopolitical, economic, and investment environment? A great deal according to renowned historian Niall Ferguson.

His thesis is that applying the lessons of history to contemporary events can result in better investment outcomes.
One of the biggest, most consequential debates among economists, investors and policymakers is over inflation. Is the recent global surge in prices a temporary blip from economies reopening from pandemic shutdowns, or is it a more lasting development with serious consequences?

In this week’s program we pick up on that point – I asked Ferguson about the opposite view, that the pandemic shock and burden of record amounts of debt could actually impede growth and be disinflationary. Ferguson shares his views on this, along with his thoughts on China, cryptocurrencies, and the new world of decentralized finance.

WEALTHTRACK # 1804 broadcast on July 23, 2021

More Info: https://wealthtrack.com/renowned-historian-niall-ferguson-outlines-the-investment-risks-warranting-protective-strategies/

Bookshelf:
Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe – https://amzn.to/2Ujtdw3
Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire – https://amzn.to/2VL2HvP
The War of the World: Twentieth Century Conflict and the Descent of the West – https://amzn.to/3epbI48
The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World – https://amzn.to/3z8p0u6
The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook – https://amzn.to/3B9jKrH

WEALTHTRACK Sponsors:
Morgan Le Fay Dreams Foundation
ClearBridge Investments: https://www.clearbridge.com/
Royce Investment Partners: https://www.roycefunds.com/
First Eagle Investment Management: https://www.feim.com/
Strategas Asset Management: https://www.strategasrp.com/

Inflation Trajectory: Understand the History

If there is one adjective we have heard repeatedly in the last year and a half it is “unprecedented”. It has been applied to describe the amount of monetary and fiscal stimulus that’s been poured into the economy. It has been used in relation to the pandemic lockdowns and reopenings, and the record-breaking runs in stock, bonds, real estate, and commodity markets.
Is there no historical precedent for these events?
Who better to ask than this week’s WEALTHTRACK guest, Niall Ferguson? Ferguson has studied booms, busts, the rise and fall of empires, the power of social networks, and catastrophes of all sorts including plagues and pandemics?
He is one of the world’s leading historians and an influential commentator on contemporary politics and economics. Ferguson is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard, along with being the author of numerous articles, and a regular columnist for Bloomberg Opinion.

His most recent book is Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe, which analyzes how societies have reacted to crises from the Roman response to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius to how various governments have handled Covid-19.

According to Ferguson, experience has taught him that understanding history does help make us better investors. In this week’s interview, he explains why.

WEALTHTRACK #1803 broadcast on 07-16-21

More info: https://wealthtrack.com/using-history-to-predict-the-markets-with-renowned-historian-niall-ferguson/

Bookshelf:
Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe – https://amzn.to/2Ujtdw3
Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire – https://amzn.to/2VL2HvP
The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West – https://amzn.to/3epbI48
The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World – https://amzn.to/3z8p0u6
The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook – https://amzn.to/3B9jKrH

ESG Investing: “The Race of Our Lives”

Part 2 of 2
When legendary value investor Jeremy Grantham turned 80 he made two resolutions: “to be prepared to write a cheque up to the limits of your ability”, and to “say what you think you should say to everybody”.

He is following through on both commitments. He is saying what he thinks he should say to everybody including us, to our benefit!

In this week’s show, Grantham shares his views on climate change, why he calls it the “Race of Our Lives” and how he is investing to combat it.

WEALTHTRACK #1802 broadcast on 07-09-21

More Info: https://wealthtrack.com/jeremy-grantham-shares-his-views-on-climate-change-why-he-calls-it-the-race-of-our-lives/