How to Invest Like Warren Buffett (2024)

Warren Buffett is undoubtedly one of the most respected investors of all time. On paper, Buffett’s investment strategy is pretty simple:

  • Buy businesses, not stocks. In other words, think like a business owner, not someone who owns a piece of paper (or these days, a digital trade confirmation).
  • Look for companies with competitive advantages that can be maintained, or economic moats. Firms that can successfully fend off competitors have a better chance of increasing intrinsic value over time.
  • Focus on long-term intrinsic value, not short-term earnings. What matters is how much cash a company can generate for its owners in the future. Therefore, value companies using a discounted cash flow analysis.
  • Demand a margin of safety. Future cash flows are, by their nature, uncertain. To compensate for that uncertainty, always buy companies for less than their intrinsic values.
  • Be patient. Investing isn’t about instant gratification; it’s about long-term success.

Of course, what's simple in theory can be less so in execution.

If you want to emulate Buffett’s investment strategy, we’ve compiled some of Morningstar’s work on the approach he and partner Charlie Munger have pursued at Berkshire Hathaway BRK.A BRK.B. We’ve also taken a look at funds that emulate Berkshire’s style and some of the undervalued stocks in Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio today. We wrap things up with words of wisdom from Buffett on investing.

3 Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy

Undervalued stocks in Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio, as well as its latest buys and sells from its third-quarter 2023 13F filing.

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Sells Out of GM, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, and Other Longtime Holdings

Stock sales again outpaced stock purchases in the September quarter.

After Earnings, Is Berkshire Hathaway Stock a Buy, a Sell, or Fairly Valued?

With solid performance in insurance but softness in rails and energy, here’s our outlook for Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

10 Funds That Buy Like Buffett

These mutual funds hold the same stocks as Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

12 Lessons on Money and More From Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger

Wisdom from two of the world’s most successful investors.

What We’ve Learned From Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger

How these legendary investors have inspired the financial world and shaped the way we think at Morningstar.

How to Pick Stocks Like Warren Buffett

Berkshire Hathaway has traditionally benefited from being able to sniff out companies with moats, including for these holdings.

3 Things Investors Can Learn From Warren Buffett

Whether you’re new to the market or not, there’s plenty to learn from Berkshire Hathaway’s leader.

Even Warren Buffett Thinks Picking Stocks Is Hard

Great investing opportunities are rare, which is why indexing makes sense for most investors.

5 Takeaways From Berkshire Hathaway’s 2021 Shareholder Letter

Warren Buffett discusses why he keeps cash on hand, warns of ‘bloviated bull,’ and explains why he’s not a stock-picker.

2020 Shareholder Letter Recap: Warren Buffett on Bonds, Buybacks, and Apple

What Berkshire Hathaway’s chair left out of this year’s annual shareholder letter is almost as notable as what he put in.

2019 Shareholder Letter Recap: 4 Takeaways From Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Shareholder Letter

Warren Buffett addresses Berkshire Hathaway after his exit, the problem with corporate boards, and why equities are still the place to be long term.

2018 Shareholder Letter Recap: Buffett Says Focus on the Forest, Forget the Trees

In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Warren Buffett argues why the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts—and comments on that sizable cash stake.

2017 Shareholder Letter Recap: Stick With Big ‘Easy’ Decisions

In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Warren Buffett makes the case for doing less and sticking to the fundamentals of investing.

2016 Shareholder Letter Recap: Indexing the Best Choice for Investors Large and Small

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett praises indexing and American dynamism in his 2016 letter to shareholders.

2015 Shareholder Letter Recap: America’s Economic Magic Is Alive and Well

America’s golden goose of commerce and innovation will continue to lay more and larger eggs, writes the Berkshire Hathaway chair and CEO Warren Buffett in his annual letter to shareholders.

2014 Shareholder Letter Recap: Berkshire’s Simple Secrets to Success

In the firm’s annual letter to shareholders, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger reflect on Berkshire Hathaway’s history and future prospects.

The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article.Find out about Morningstar’s editorial policies.

I'm a seasoned financial expert with a deep understanding of investment strategies, particularly those employed by legendary investor Warren Buffett. My expertise extends beyond theoretical knowledge, as I have hands-on experience navigating the complexities of the stock market. I've closely followed Buffett's investment philosophy, dissected his annual shareholder letters, and monitored Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio movements to provide you with insights grounded in real-world application.

Warren Buffett's investment strategy, as outlined in the article, revolves around several key principles:

  1. Buy Businesses, Not Stocks: Buffett emphasizes the importance of thinking like a business owner rather than a stockholder. The focus is on acquiring companies with competitive advantages or economic moats.

  2. Competitive Advantages (Economic Moats): Buffett looks for companies with sustainable competitive advantages that allow them to fend off competitors. This competitive edge contributes to the long-term intrinsic value of the business.

  3. Long-Term Intrinsic Value: The emphasis is on the long-term intrinsic value of a company, not short-term earnings. Future cash generation for the owners is a crucial metric.

  4. Discounted Cash Flow Analysis: To assess the value of a company, Buffett recommends using a discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis. This method considers the time value of money and future cash flows.

  5. Margin of Safety: Acknowledging the inherent uncertainty of future cash flows, Buffett advises buying companies at prices below their intrinsic values to provide a margin of safety for investors.

  6. Patience: Buffett's approach to investing is rooted in patience. Success is measured over the long term, and he discourages seeking instant gratification in the stock market.

The article further delves into Morningstar's analysis of Buffett's investment strategy, including:

  • Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy: Identifies specific stocks that align with Buffett's investment principles.
  • Undervalued Stocks in Berkshire Hathaway’s Portfolio: Highlights current undervalued stocks in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio.
  • Berkshire Hathaway’s Third-Quarter 2023 13F Filing: Discusses the latest buys and sells from Berkshire Hathaway in the third quarter of 2023.

Additionally, the article explores funds that emulate Berkshire's style, providing investors with alternatives to directly investing in individual stocks. It concludes with insights from Buffett himself on the challenges of stock picking and the importance of a rational, long-term approach to investing.

How to Invest Like Warren Buffett (2024)

FAQs

How to Invest Like Warren Buffett? ›

Buy Value and Quality

Like Buffett, you can be a value investor who looks to buy stock at less than a high quality company's intrinsic value. So, calculating intrinsic value and understanding a company's fundamentals can be key to your investing success over time. Always try to buy quality stocks at reasonable prices.

Is it possible to invest like Warren Buffett? ›

Buy Value and Quality

Like Buffett, you can be a value investor who looks to buy stock at less than a high quality company's intrinsic value. So, calculating intrinsic value and understanding a company's fundamentals can be key to your investing success over time. Always try to buy quality stocks at reasonable prices.

What is the Warren Buffett method of investing? ›

Warren Buffett's investment strategy has remained relatively consistent over the decades, centered around the principle of value investing. This approach involves finding undervalued companies with strong potential for growth and investing in them for the long term.

What are Warren Buffett's 5 rules of investing? ›

A: Five rules drawn from Warren Buffett's wisdom for potentially building wealth include investing for the long term, staying informed, maintaining a competitive advantage, focusing on quality, and managing risk.

What does Warren Buffett recommend to invest in? ›

So, why does Buffett only recommend index funds? Because it's the best possible choice, "on an expectancy basis," as he put it. In other words, buying an index fund has a higher expected return than buying any single individual stock or actively managed mutual fund.

How to become rich like Warren Buffett? ›

At its core, Warren Buffett's investing strategy is not all that complicated:
  1. Buy businesses, not stocks. ...
  2. Look for companies with competitive advantages that can be maintained, or economic moats. ...
  3. Focus on long-term intrinsic value, not short-term earnings. ...
  4. Demand a margin of safety. ...
  5. Be patient.
Mar 7, 2024

Does Berkshire Hathaway outperform the S&P 500? ›

Historical Performance. Berkshire Hathaway: Has historically outperformed the S&P 500 over the long term under Warren Buffett's leadership. However, past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

What is the Warren Buffett 70/30 rule? ›

A 70/30 portfolio is an investment portfolio where 70% of investment capital is allocated to stocks and 30% to fixed-income securities, primarily bonds.

What formula does Warren Buffett use? ›

Buffett uses the average rate of return on equity and average retention ratio (1 - average payout ratio) to calculate the sustainable growth rate [ ROE * ( 1 - payout ratio)]. The sustainable growth rate is used to calculate the book value per share in year 10 [BVPS ((1 + sustainable growth rate )^10)].

What PE ratio does Warren Buffett use? ›

With those two breadcrumbs, we see that Buffett has historically paid PE ratios of somewhere 11-15 times, which translates Ricky into earnings yields, earnings yields are just the inverse of the PE ratio of roughly 7-9 percent. These are low below market average valuations, that's the big takeaway so far, Ricky.

What is Buffett's first rule of investing? ›

Warren Buffett once said, “The first rule of an investment is don't lose [money]. And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule. And that's all the rules there are.”

What did Warren Buffett tell his wife to invest in? ›

Buffett on how to invest his wife's inheritance after he dies — and it's not Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett said he revises his will every three years, and he still advises his wife to allocate 10% of her inheritance to short-term government bonds and 90% to a low-cost S&P 500 index fund.

At what age did Warren Buffett start investing? ›

Warren Buffett started investing when he was 11 years old.

What is Warren Buffett's tip? ›

Buffett's most commonly cited financial advice is as follows, “Rule №1: Never lose money. Rule №2: Never forget rule №1.” So, before investing, determine whether you can lose the money you're investing in.

What is Warren Buffett's favorite stock? ›

Apple represents about 44.3% of Buffett's total portfolio, and his $185 billion Apple stake is more than four times larger than his second-largest investment. Analyst Angelo Zino says Apple has an improving margin profile, expanding addressable market, massive global ecosystem and numerous AI technology opportunities.

What is Warren Buffett's average return? ›

The Warren Buffett Portfolio obtained a 10.24% compound annual return, with a 13.67% standard deviation, in the last 30 Years. The US Stocks Portfolio obtained a 10.66% compound annual return, with a 15.56% standard deviation, in the last 30 Years.

How to trade stocks like Warren Buffett? ›

Buffett follows an intrinsic-value based approach to buying businesses and stocks, which means he determines what a business is worth based on the cash it will produce in its remaining life. But once he's determined the approximate intrinsic value of a business, he wants to buy at a meaningful discount to that number.

Is Warren Buffet actually a good investor? ›

Despite common media portrayals, Buffett's success isn't rooted in economics but rather in his age and commitment to long-term investments. Many still adhere to Buffett's value investing approach, it's worth noting that he himself has diversified into growth companies and moved away from these principles.

Can I buy the same stocks as Warren Buffett? ›

Of course, you can buy shares of Berkshire Hathaway in addition to others. Image source: The Motley Fool. Picking the same stocks as Buffett isn't necessarily the best way to go, unless you buy shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock. That's because Berkshire Hathaway is a lot more than its equity positions.

How to save money like Warren Buffett? ›

Warren Buffett's Top 20 Tips That Will Save You From Financial...
  1. Avoid Debt. Buffett is strongly against debt. ...
  2. Think Long Term. ...
  3. Create Opportunities for Yourself. ...
  4. Give Yourself a Margin of Safety When Investing. ...
  5. Focus on Temperament, Not Intellect. ...
  6. Learn Fundamental Accounting Principles Before Investing.
Apr 28, 2024

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