“I Don’t Believe In Imposing My Views on 370,000 Employees And A Million Shareholders. I’m Not Their Nanny.”
— Warren Buffett
Politically, Mr. Buffett happens to be a Democrat. He believes taxes are too low and has pushed for higher taxes. I disagree with him. Yet what matters is that he keeps his personal politics out of his investing.
There is nobody on this earth better at picking a stock than Buffett. He believes in real companies with real products and services that produce real earnings.
He refused to take part in the internet tech boom of the 1990s. He was vindicated when the boom went bust in the brutal bear market of 2000-2002.
Mr. Buffett refuses to put money into Bitcoin. In his words, cryptocurrency “doesn’t do anything.” There’s nothing there.
Yes, Buffett has missed out on some spectacular gains. Yet he is an investor, not a speculator or gambler. He likes value stocks. He invests in solid companies with strong management that are undervalued and have long term growth potential.
Many companies have been letting politics interfere with investing goals. Some companies have even mandated that politics be considered a key investing goal. This has several names, from “Woke investing” to “socially responsible investing.”
Buffett absolutely believes in social responsibility in his personal life. He has vowed to donate the vast majority of his wealth to charity before and after his death. He has even cajoled many other billionaires into signing a pledge to do the same.
Yet Buffett separates his personal life from his job as a CEO. The evidence is overwhelming that his approach has succeeded. Berkshire Hathaway stock just hit an all time high.
What Buffett does with his personal fortune is none of my business. As a shareholder in his company, what he does with company money is absolutely my business. He is a great CEO because he understands this.
The greatest investor in the history of investing believes all politics should be removed from businesses. He is 100% right.
The Oracle of Omaha gets it. Long Live Warren Buffett.
eric