Summer Reading - Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

So luckily I decided not to take any classes this summer so I have a lot of free time on my hands, if you don't count work, moving, and getting married. However, I do have time and I hate to sit idly by and not learning something new. So with that in mind I have developed my own summer reading list. I just completed the first one and like my expedition through the summer movie schedule, I will review here for the benefit of all the readers out there. The first book on my list was The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life, by Alice Schroeder. I think everyone knows who Warren Buffet is, at least everyone in the business world, and especially those who monitor the machinations of the "market" each and every day, how ever one defines it to be. Before reading this tome and it is a tome at 922 pages, more than a simple novel or biography, what I knew of Mr. Buffett was merely his skill at investments and picking stocks. After digging through the numerous pages on his background, motivations and actions I now see a man that although has been renowned for his success in business and investments, has not been controlled by it. Mr. Buffett has never let his determination and ambition sway his moral center, or compromise his belief in ethical, honest business. What defines Mr. Buffet more than his vast wealth is his dedication to conducting business with such honesty and forthrightness one could almost forget the antithesis of Mr. Buffet, the character of Gordon Gecko from the movie Wall Street, whom so many traders and investors have come to admire. In the current market climate it is especially relevant to take a deeper look at the investors that in many ways have taken the economy to the depths it is today. I think the rarity of an investor like Mr. Buffet and the preponderance of investors and traders like the fictional Mr. Gecko is the cause of the irrational and dishonest actions viewed recently. Where Mr. Gecko uses illegal and illicit information to research potential investments, Mr. Buffett uses his insight, intelligence, and diligently researches public information to arrive at his decisions. Mr. Gecko continually gains control of corporations with little thought or care about the continued operations of the company or the people employed by them. Throughout his history, Mr. Buffett has looked at corporations as long term investments, rather than short term personal monetary gains. Evidenced by his purchase of Berkshire Hathaway, Hochschild-Kohn, the Omaha Sun, and others Mr. Buffet always took human capital into consideration, not just financial capital. It is interesting to read in the book that Mr. Buffett with all his billions could have maybe had even more if he hadn't made decisions simply because it was right, and not necessarily right for his bottom line. Mr. Buffett not only expected the companies he invested in have a level of moral turpitude he demanded a high level of ethical behavior from himself as well. In his annual letter to his various partners in 1967, he stated a new principle by which they would all live and invest by: "We will not seek out activity in investment options, even if offering splendid profit expectations, where major human problems appear to have a substantial chance of developing." Why would a man who lived by the dollar and cents in his possession care about the human element? How often do we see that reflected in other business leaders today? If more managers and investors understood the human toll that their actions take each and every year, I doubt such stringent regulation would be necessary. The honesty displayed by Mr. Buffett in both his motivations and his actions is an example for all who aim to contribute not just to themselves, a corporation, or the market, but to society. Mr. Buffet knows that the final determination of his "assets" will be the sum of much more than his nominal worth. Overall, this deeper understanding of Warren Buffet was an engrossing read, and while the length can be daunting, it moves fast and is deeply engaging. It's possible you'll find his personal life more fascinating than his business life, and some times you'll have to decide which is which.