The Warren Buffett Portfolio: Mastering the Power of the Focus Investment Strategy

Description

The Warren Buffett Way provided the first look into the strategies that the master uses to pick stocks. A New York Times bestseller, it is a valuable and practical primer on the principles behind the remarkable investment run of the famed oracle of Omaha. In this much-awaited companion to that book, author Robert Hagstrom takes the next logical step, revealing how to profitably manage stocks once you select them. THE WARREN BUFFETT PORTFOLIO will help you through the process of building a superior portfolio and managing the stocks going forward.

Building a concentrated portfolio is critical for investment success. THE WARREN BUFFETT PORTFOLIO introduces the next wave of investment strategy, called focus investing. A comprehensive investment strategy used with spectacular results by Buffett, focus investing directs investors to select a concentrated group of businesses by examining their management and financial positions as compared to their stock prices. A strategy that has historically outperformed the market, focus investing is based on the principle that a shareholder s return from owning a stock is ultimately determined by the economics of the underlying business.

Hagstrom explains in easy-to-understand terms exactly what focus investing is, how it works, and how it can be applied by any investor at any level of experience. He demonstrates how Buffett arranges his stocks in a focus portfolio and reveals why this is as responsible for his incredible returns as the individual stocks he picks. Ultimately, Hagstrom shows how to use this technique to build and manage a portfolio to achieve the best possible results.It s no secret that most mutual funds fail to beat the performance of the S&P 500. And if the pros can t beat the averages, it s not unreasonable to assume that most individual investors can t, either. Why? According to Robert Hagstrom, author of The Warren Buffett Portfolio, a big reason is the industry s emphasis on diversification. In the interest of minimizing risk, many investors have "become intellectually numb to its inevitable consequence: mediocre results." As a result, they wind up owning too many stocks and churn their portfolios unnecessarily (for example, the average mutual fund holds 100 stocks and turns over 80 percent of its portfolio annually). In The Warren Buffett Portfolio, Hagstrom shows how Buffett and others use the idea of focus investing to organize winning portfolios.

Unlike Hagstrom s first book, The Warren Buffett Way, which describes how the world s greatest investor selects individual companies, this book looks at the mathematics, the psychology, and the mental models necessary to build a successful portfolio. The basic ideas: Pick no more than 10 to 15 companies with good track records and high probabilities of future success; plan to hang onto them for at least five years; and ignore predictions and the sometimes terrifying swings in market behavior. It s hard to argue with Hagstrom s approach, especially when he practices what he preaches. His fund, the Legg Mason Focus Trust, has 15 stocks, an annual turnover rate of 9 percent, and percentage annual returns in the mid-30s. For thoughtful investors and devotees of Warren Buffett, who are looking for more than the next hot stock tip, The Warren Buffett Portfolio is well-written guide. Recommended. --Harry C. Edwards