“Berkshire Hathaway: The Search For the Mastermind” by Donald J. Buffett is a comprehensive look at the life and works of legendary investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett. It features material from the award-winning Warren Buffett Archive containing: interviews, letters, memorabilia, biographies and executive bios. Donald J. Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in California. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Illinois at Champaign Iowa and an MBA from the University of Michigan Graduate School of Business Administration. He served as an operations officer for BTK Energy, a chemical company based in Omaha, Nebraska, and later worked as an energy consultant for GE Energy.
The book features audio recordings from various annual shareholder meetings, interviews with experts in management, pictures, rare footage of Buffett on tour, and more. The audio and video collections are extremely valuable and help to place the perspectives and thoughts of the great man in a different light. The book also includes an impressive list of the full length conversations that took place between the two legendary investors and inspired the writing of this masterpiece. Donald J. Buffett’s candid interviews provide an inside look at the man’s thought process, psychology, negotiating skills and negotiating situations, and also give an idea of his often-inaccessible personality. Some of the topics that were touched on include personal investments, life philosophies, leadership and mentoring, stock market terminology, traveling, tax strategies, business management, weather and geography, managing partners, traveling and negotiating, and his view of technology and social issues.
The video footage alone will take you back to the early days of your own investment career when you were just getting started and during the many roller coasters that a successful investor must go through. Some of the topics that you may have not understood or taken note of while reading the book are important concepts and would have helped you to make better decisions during your investment years. However, the mere presence of these videos would not have made such a difference if not for the engaging writing and interviews that take you deep within the psyche of the world’s most successful investor. The entire 24 years of the Buffett Archive is an incredible journey and one that will bring you closer to the legendary men who touched the financial landscape of the world.