Berkshire Beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values (Columbia Business School Publishing) Paperback – February 18, 2020

Berkshire Beyond Buffett is a must read not just for Buffett fans, but for anyone who wants to understand where business is headed. Far ahead of his peers in academia, Larry Cunningham came to the realization that Warren Buffett has lessons to teach that go far beyond business and investing, and which are valid for a far broader audience than just the Berkshire crowd.This books takes the reader deep into the culture of Berkshire Hathaway and shows how a seemingly disparate group of businesses share a remarkable and deeply enduring common culture.The rest of us can benefit greatly from studying and seeking to emulate that culture in our own lives and this book serves as a wonderful and eminently readable resource and jumping off point.

Great amount of detail - especially about the concetrations of ownership.

You cannot read "preacher" books all the time. I also enjoy investing, and have studied this topic some too. Before I went into ministry, I gained an education in business. This is still an interest of mine. So I have been thinking about creating a position in Warren Buffet's company, but was concerned with the future after he resigns or is resigned to another place, so this book talks about the long lasting nature of Berkshire. This company is conservative in perspective, and would be a safer investment in the market, but would become a core holding of mine. The book deals with the culture of the company, which is hands off, and highly trusting. It also buys companies that seem to be a value in the market, but it is bigger than mere value, it is buying great companies, and willing to pay a fair price. I noticed that a lot of the companies that Buffet buys are family run companies, which have a strong work ethic too. The book also provided perhaps some leadership lessons that would helpful, but it mostly was about the longevity of Berkshire. Some of the companies are not my favorites, but I like the approach of the holding company, and trust in their ability to manage resources well. The company is trading pretty cheaply these days, at about 1.3 of value of the company. Buffet said he would buy back shares at 1.2, which if he feels that his company is a good deal, it probably is. This is not a flowing read, but it is an interesting one, especially if you are going to have "skin in the game." I was highly motived to read it.

You won't learn much more about Buffett or Berkshire unless your an investing newbie. But there is some nice history on the subsidiaries acquired over the years.Secret of success: zero cost capital (from insurance ops) + acquisitions in times of panic + decentralized management + compounding interest.

Larry Cunningham has done a superb job on how Buffett's functions can be split up among various people and Berkshire will keep sailing up.In short,S&P 500 has averaged 10% per year & Berkshire has averaged 20% per year. Compound that over decades and the difference comes to 1/2 a million % not 10% over one year.There are some Buffett's functions that cannot be replaced as there is only one Warren Edward Buffett ( WEB). Here is a partial list:1.Public Relations. Can talk to the President. Obama will probably not pick up a call from Buffett's successor2.Tower of integrity ( results in true permanent financial value to Berkshire)3. Bursts of Brilliance:3a.Thought up the BAC deal when in his bath-tub! Made Berkshire > $ 7 ½ Bill.3b.Bought BNSF which increased Berkshire per share earnings by 40% while giving up only 10% of Berkshire equity3c.Hiring of Ajit Jain to run the Insurance Operations leading to no cost fundsAll three of these added real value to Berkshire Shareholders. Would Ted Weschler be able to do similar ?4.Buffett the teacher - a huge asset to the entire Value Investor community, not just Berkshire shareholders. Buffett addresses the inevitable changes that come every 5-10 years.We Value Investors will be 'lost' if Buffett 'retires'5.Buffett is a fundamentally good man, a true living treasure for the world6.Running the Annual Meeting, done with near perfection. A new CEO will take a few years to come up to speed.In summary, I feel Berkshire will return > 15% a year over decades after WEB steps down from Berkshire ( assuming the index keeps returning about 10% )All these points are my own opinions from attending Annual Meetings the first Saturday in May for 10 years, reading annual letters from WEB, reading books on WEB, thinking through,etc,etc.

Cunningham lands the reader in the middle of a pocket watch where the intricacies of Berkshire's mechanical gearing can be viewed and understood and leaves the reader confident Warren Buffett's legacy will be everlasting.Cunningham provides excellent insights into the underpinnings of this enormous enterprise and why we might expect reasonable returns to perpetuate beyond Buffett. Shareholders possessing any doubts should be encouraged to pick up a copy of this enjoyable read to gain probing understanding and reassurance of the depth of the Berkshire bench. Cunningham explains in digestible prose the organic forces at play lead by autonomous subsidiary management groups which almost certainly will assure continued success at Berkshire. The book also provides unique insights on the qualitative underpinnings of a 'Berkshire' business and helps the reader understand why these subsidiary companies possess the ability to outperform their peers. The book provides unique business insights on many different levels, but it serves best in helping the Berkshire Shareholder eliminate doubt about their Berkshire investment after Buffett and Munger are no longer with the company. (It might also serve the less patient as a preview of Buffett & Munger's widely anticipated vision on what they anticipate Berkshire will become over the next fifth (50) years expected to be released at this year's annual meeting.)

Great book on Buffett/Berkshire. Easy to read, sound, and a great read for managers, entrepreneurs and investors alike. A must read.

MERCI PARFAIT

Livro muito bom sobre como o Waren Buffet montou a Berkshire Hathaway e de como ele se tornou o homem mais rico do mundo. O autor teve um negocio comprado pelo Buffet no inicio do livro.É impressionante como a disciplina de investimento ajudou ele a construir este império. Um dos mantras dele é a descentralização, ou seja ele so entra em negócios que tenha alguém que pode controlar o negocio como dono de negocio.

Great

The first bit of the book was enlightening and got me thinking and taught me a valuable lesson for life. Understanding the basic concepts of Berkshire is helpful and teaches one about values in business. So it was definitely worth the money and the time.However, the rest of the book is dull and reads a little like a broschure for Berkshire. I honestly don't know what the latter part of the book is trying to accomplish. I kept on having to force myself to continue reading hoping for something worth the time. All seems repetitive.My tip, enjoy the first 50 Pages.