Buffettology: The Previously Unexplained Techniques That Have Made Warren Buffett the World's Most Famous Investor

In the world of investing, the name Warren Buffett is synonymous with success and prosperity. Building from the ground up, Buffett chose wisely and picked his stocks with care, in turn amassing the huge fortune for which he is now famous. Mary Buffett, former daughter-in-law of this legendary financial genius and a successful businesswoman in her own right, has teamed up with noted Buffettologist David Clark to create Buffettology, a one-of-a-kind investment guide that explains the winning strategies of the master.

* Learn how to approach investing the way Buffett does, based on the authors' firsthand knowledge of the secrets that have made Buffett the world's second wealthiest man

* Use Buffett's proven method of investing in stocks that will continue to grow over time

* Master the straightforward mathematical equipments that assist Buffett in making investments

* Examine the kinds of companies that capture Buffett's interest, and learn how you can use this information to make your own investment choices of the future

Complete with profiles of fifty-four "Buffett companies" — companies in which Buffett has invested and which the authors believe he continues to follow — Buffettology can show any investor, from beginner to savvy pro, how to create a profitable portfolio.

Disclaimer

PART I: THE ART OF BASIC BUFFETTOLOGY

1. Before You Begin This Book

2. How to Use This Book

3. Roots

4. Investing from a Business Perspective

5. What Is Businesslike Investing?

6. Warren's View of Earnings

7. The Price You Pay Determines Your Rate of Return

8. The Corporation, Stocks, Bonds — a Few Useful Explanations

9. Valuing a Business

10. The Only Two Things You Need to Know About Business Perspective Investing: What to Buy — and at What Price

11. What We Can Learn from Warren's Secret Weapon: The Magic of Compounding

12. Determining What Kind of Business You Want to Own

13. The Theory of an Expanding Intrinsic Value

14. The Mediocre Business

15. How to Identify the Excellent Business — the Key to Warren's Good Fortune

16. Nine Questions to Help You Determine If a Business Is Truly an Excellent One

17. Where to Look for Excellent Businesses

18. More Ways to Find a Company You Want to Invest In

19. What You Need to Know About the Management of the Company You May Invest In

20. When a Downturn in a Company Can Be an Investment Opportunity

21. How Market Mechanics Whipsaw Stock Prices to Create Buying Opportunities

22. Inflation

23. Inflation and the Consumer Monopoly

24. A Few Words on Taxation

25. The Effects of Inflation and Taxation on the Rate of Return, and the Necessity to Obtain a 15% Return on Your Investment

26. The Myth of Diversifications Versus the Concentrated Portfolio

27. When Should You Sell Your Investments?

28. Warren's Different Kinds of Investments

PART II: ADVANCED BUFFETTOLOGY

29. The Analyst's Role in Ascertaining Earning Power

30. The Mathematical Tools

31. Test #1, to Determine at a Glance the Predictability of Earnings

32. Test #2, to Determine Your Initial Rate of Return

33. Test #3, to Determine the Per Share Growth Rate

34. Determining the Value of a Company Relative to Government Bonds

35. Understanding Warren's Preference for Companies with High Rates of Return on Equity

36. Determining the Projected Annual Compounding Rate of Return, Part I

37. Determining the Projected Annual Compounding Rate of Return, Part II

38. The Equity/Bond with an Expanding Coupon

39. Using the Per Share Earnings Annual Growth Rate to Project a Stock's Future Value

40. How a Company Can Increase Its Shareholders' Fortunes by Buying Back the Company's Stock

41. How to Determine If Per Share Earnings Are Increasing Because of Share Repurchases

42. How to Measure Management's Ability to Utilize Retained Earnings

43. Short-Term Arbitrage Commitments

44. Bringing It All Together: The Case Studies

Gannett Corporation, 1994

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, 1992

McDonald's Corporation, 1996

45. How Warren Got Started: The Investment Vehicle

46. Fifty-four Companies to Look At

47. Waiting for the Perfect Pitch

Epilogue

Index