The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

This is a long discussion between myself and Nelson – the Canadian Dividend Investor – about The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder.

There are really two definitive books about Warren Buffett – this one and Buffett: The Making of An American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein. Lowenstein’s book is excellent, but he wrote it in 1995 without the cooperation of Warren Buffett. The book was also written before Warren Buffett was extremely famous.

The Snowball, in contrast, was written with the cooperation of Warren Buffett. Alice Schroeder covered Berkshire for Morgan Stanley and knew Warren Buffett personally. With his blessing, she began the project in 2003 and was given unprecedented access to Warren’s files, spent a lot of time talking with him directly, and interviewed all of his close associates.

The book is massive – 852 pages – and is a deep study on Warren Buffett’s life.

The book is controversial and we discuss that in this podcast. Warren Buffett hasn’t publicly criticized it or disavowed it, but Alice Schroeder has commented that the portrayal was difficult for him at times. He doesn’t endorse the book, it’s not sold at the Berkshire meetings, and he appears to have distanced himself from Alice.

I love the book and think it’s filled with life & business lessons. I hope you enjoy our conversation about it.

Links.

* The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life: https://www.amazon.com/Snowball-Warren-Buffett-Business-Life-ebook/dp/B009MYD9F8

Disclaimer

Nothing on this podcast is investment advice.The information in this podcast is for information and discussion purposes only. It does not constitute a recommendation to purchase or sell any financial instruments or other products.  Investment decisions should not be made with this article and one should take into account the investment objectives or financial situation of any particular person or institution.

Investors should obtain advice based on their own individual circumstances from their own tax, financial, legal, and other advisers about the risks and merits of any transaction before making an investment decision, and only make such decisions on the basis of the investor’s own objectives, experience, and resources.

The information contained in this podcast & show notes is based on generally-available information and, although obtained from sources believed to be reliable, its accuracy and completeness cannot be assured, and such information may be incomplete or condensed.

Investments in financial instruments or other products carry significant risk, including the possible total loss of the principal amount invested. This podcast, the host, and the guest do not purport to identify all the risks or material considerations that may be associated with entering into any transaction. This host & guest accepts no liability for any loss (whether direct, indirect, or consequential) that may arise from any use of the information contained in or derived from this content.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.securityanalysis.org/subscribe