Next time he’s tackled on the subject, Bezuidenhout might point out to inquisitors that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and, in a local context, Jeremy Ord have all done rather well without the support of a formal qualification.
What one needs to look for in a new business relationship has been on my mind a lot lately. So I turned to the Oracle of Omaha’s views on the subject.
By Alec Hogg Here’s an interesting thought to start the week, courtesy of the Oracle of Omaha. If a secretary is hired for a job that requires typing at 80 words a minute and she only manages 50, she won’t last long. Similarly if a new salesman doesn’t manage to close the deals, he’ll be … Read more
With a market cap approaching R100bn and sales close to R200bn, financial results from Brian Joffe’s Bidvest are always something of an event among Johannesburg’s investment professionals. Sasha Naryshkine among them. In this interview Naryshkine explains why he’s such a big fan of the man his Vestact colleague Paul Theron has dubbed “The Magician of … Read more
Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett (right) is close to the Obama Administration. He supported Obama ahead of his first Presidential Election and is a confidant on important economic issues. Buffett has also been the flag waver for a proposal to ensure every American earning over $1m pays 30% of it in tax. But if media … Read more
Every couple of months, one of the country’s finest writers, Gus Silber, encourages me to apply my mind for The Comet, an e-zine he compiles for another friend, Brightrock’s Suzanne Stevens. Given the demands of Biznews, my freelance writing is restricted to this single client. So I actually look forward to applying my mind – … Read more
Hi there, Yesterday afternoon I listened carefully to my old pal Piet Viljoen sharing his perspectives. A value investor to his toes, Viljoen has worked so hard at swimming against fashion he now genuinely loves it when a share he’s been buying falls in price. At the annual RECM conference yesterday he explained how he … Read more
South Africans Roelf and Ilze Alberts – he a money manager, she a psychologist – are huge Warren Buffett fans and Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. They combined their business with their passion last week to spend three days at author Bob Miles’ “Genius of Warren Buffett” course. It featured insights from a number of people who … Read more
Here’s the update – with a short video showing how the fleet footed David Shapiro managed to get himself a great seat – and a look at what the CenturyLink arena looks like a few minutes after 7am on AGM day. Like the rest of the South African contingent, top SA money managers Kokkie Kooyman … Read more
Warren Buffett’s pulling power is legendary. Every year more than 30 000 of us take the winding road to Omaha in Nebraska to attend the Berkshire Hathaway AGM. Few care about the financials. The magnet is listening for five and a half hours as Buffett and vice chairman Charlie Munger answer questions ranging from investment … Read more