Warren Buffett. Highly respected and admired as one of the most successful investors of all time. He began his career in 1956 with an initial fund of $105,000,, and by investing wisely he managed to make more money than anyone could've dreamed. So wanna know how you can make a fortune like Buffett? First, look at the whole business when he deciding which stocks to buy.
Rather than making decisions based on the tips of advisors, friends or online articles, put in the time and effort to diligently research the company. Stick with what you know. Buffett never invested in rapidly evolving businesses, like those in the technology sector, for the simple reason that he didn't know enough about them and couldn't evaluate whether the investment would be successful or not. So whenever you're presented with the opportunity to invest money in the 'next, big'' thing, it's better to be 'safe than sorry'. Be ready to go the distance.
In 1973 Buffet invested ten million dollars in the Washington Post Company and by 2003 this investment had grown to more than one billion dollars. He managed to do this by researching the company thoroughly and sticking with his investment, even when the company's share prices dropped. Because he had such a solid understanding of the business, he was able to ignore short term losses and patiently await for long term gains. Don't play the stock market. Some investors think it wise to actively trade their stock, without considering the hidden costs of brokerage fees and taxation.
Other investors believe that they shouldn't put all their eggs into one basket so they spread their investments out over as many different companies as possible. But consider this. If you have fifty stocks in your portfolio and one of them appreciates by one hundred percent, how much has your net worth grown by? By two percent. But, if you only have ten stocks in your portfolio and one of them appreciates by one hundred percent your net worth will have grown by ten percent.
That's a big difference! But if we truly want to follow Buffett's example, we would invest not only in businesses, but in our fellow man. In 2006,, he donated thirty billion dollars to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organization set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife that aims to improve education and health care and end poverty throughout the world. Now that sounds like an investment we can all profit from!