More info

• Official Berkshire Hathaway site
• Warren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders
• Wikipedia on Berkshire Hathaway
• Wikipedia on Warren Buffett
• Wikipedia on Charlie Munger
• CNBC - What Would Warren Buffett Do?
• Berkshire Hathaway Intrinsivaluator

Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company that has enjoyed phenomenal growth for more than 40 years, using a conservative approach that continues to find opportunities and earn money for shareholders. Warren Buffett is the chairman and CEO, and his holdings in Berkshire Hathaway stock have made him one of the richest people in the world.

Berkshire Hathaway stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The class A shares (BRKA) are valued at more than $100,000, while the class B shares (BRKB) are more accessible at less than $4000.

Please see the Disclaimers and Rationale below. You can also check our Privacy Policy.

Good Reasons to Consider Owning
Some Berkshire Hathaway Stock:

• You want to consistently beat the Standard & Poor's 500 by a wide margin. Berkshire Hathaway has had a compounded annual gain of 21.4% versus 10.4% for the S&P 500. The cumulative result since 1965 is a whopping 361,156% gain for Berkshire Hathaway versus 6,479% for the S&P 500. For details see the charts and tables.
• You want to partner with the best investor in the world Many people try to 'think like Buffett', or invest in the same companies Berkshire Hathaway does, or somehow duplicate the results of the Berkshire Hathaway team. You don't have to go to all that trouble. By investing directly in Berkshire Hathaway, you are pooling your money with Warren Buffet, sharing the rewards of his expertise at the same rate he does.
• You hate bloated CEO salaries. Forget about underperforming executives earning 100s of millions. Forget about hedge fund managers skimming 20% off the top. Warren Buffett draws a salary of $100,000. The companies Berkshire Hathaway owns are also frugal with salaries and other costs. The earnings of the companies are plowed back in for more growth and shareholder value.
• You want investments you understand. With few exceptions, Berkshire Hathaway buys or invests in companies involved in down-to-earth activities such as insurance, apparel, building products, and retail sales Most are household names, like Geico, Fruit of the Loom, and Benjamin Moore. If you read Warren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders you will get a clear understanding of the conservative, common-sense approach Berkshire Hathaway takes, and that are expected from the managers of their holdings.
• You don't want dividends. This cuts both ways, so we include the flip side below as a reason not to buy. Berkshire Hathaway does not pay a dividend, choosing to reinvest their earnings. This is an advantage at tax time, since you don't have to pay tax on dividends you don't get. However, if you want cash from your Berkshire Hathaway holdings, you will have to sell some shares.
• You like discounts. Berkshire Hathaway shareholders can get 8% off of Geico Insurance premiums.

Some Reasons NOT to own Berkshire Hathaway Stock

• What happens when Warren Buffett is gone? He was born in 1930 and will not be around forever. However, he and Berkshire Hathaway are keenly aware of this and have a succession plan in place. Furthermore, the investment and management principles that he follows are deeply imbedded in the culture of Berkshire Hathaway.
• You want dividends. This cuts both ways, so we include the flip side above as a reason to buy. Berkshire Hathaway does not pay a dividend, choosing to reinvest their earnings. This is an advantage at tax time, since you don't have to pay tax on dividends you don't get. However, if you want cash from your Berkshire Hathaway holdings, you will have to sell some shares.
• You want global investments. Berkshire Hathaway is heavily focussed on the US, even after considering the global nature of modern business. For global diversification, or emerging markets opportunities, look elsewhere. But for the portion of your investments that you want in the US, consider Berkshire Hathaway.
• You want to be a trader, not an investor. What can I say? Suit yourself. Let us know when you get your first billion.

I'm Joe Casey. I make charts. I have no relationship with Berkshire Hathaway beyond holding some of their class B shares. I am not a broker, analyst, or advisor, just an investor looking to build a retirement income.

I think Berkshire Hathaway is a great company, a great stock, and a great example to the rest of American business. In this site I try explain why I think this is so, and encourage you to consider investing in Berkshire Hathaway, too.

Please let me know if you have any problems, questions, comments, or suggestions for the site.

I've put together another site that makes Printable Mortgage Charts. If you are thinking about a mortgage this might be helpful to you.