The latest offering from the estate of the late Senator and current billionaire investor, William F. Buffett, is called “The Buffett Archive: An Investor’s Guide to the Buying and Selling of Corporate Portfolio securities, Periodicals, and Financial Advisor Portraits.” In this comprehensive audio guide, you will learn how to use the various important documents that make up the core of your portfolio. You will gain a complete understanding of how to evaluate companies and how to select the best long-term investment options. Furthermore, by using the audio recorder, you can review the numerous short-form reports that Mr. Buffet has made available as well as participate in the many annual shareholder meetings that occur throughout the year.
The one thing that I find the most interesting about the audio that is included with this package is that it is seemingly built around 24 years of annual shareholder meetings. Of course, it would not be a complete presentation if there were not some sort of behind the scenes look at some of the key issues or decisions that have taken place during those years. For example, one of the more interesting segments includes Mr. Buffet’s comments on the mortgage crisis that took place just prior to the collapse of the housing market and the resulting economic disaster. It appears that he had some harsh words for the bank regulators that were all over Wall Street during that time and some of the decisions they made that contributed to the crisis. He also went after Congress for passing an initial mortgage bill that he felt contained too many loopholes that the Federal government needed to close in order to help stabilize the mortgage market.
When listening to the audio from the Buffett Archive, it appears that the standard investor meeting involves a wide range of topics ranging from world events to the latest information on his investments and the overall direction in which he is leaning. But, if you are looking for a deeper dive into his personal philosophies or his overall investing philosophy, you will need to consult the short form of the annual shareholder meetings tape and/or the short video footage offered. The videos can be viewed on your computer as a slideshow presentation or directly from your browser, whichever is preferable. In addition, there are several other videos and audio podcasts that you can find on the web that cover the various topics that were discussed at the annual shareholder meetings.