Buffett – The Making of an American Capitalist

If you have always wondered about Warren Buffett and think maybe some of his investment talent may rub off on you if you knew more about him, this book is for you.

This book tells the story of how Warren rose from middle class beginnings to become the wealthiest person in the world. Andrew Tobias wrote of this book, “The bonus of this fine, fine biography is that it could turn you into an investor if you’re not one already, or a better one if you are.” Agreed. I feel much more confident in investing after reading this book. Warren is a flexible investor that has moved far beyond the grounding that he learned from Graham-Dodd. But his base instinct is to find value, preferably deep value, take positions over time at deep value levels, and ride the investment up to fair value and beyond. But his selection process is much more involved including a assessment of management and their orientation to investors. He wants managers that fixate on return on equity. There is much more to Warren’s subtlety, but overall, it is accessible.