Legendary investor Chris Bloomstran shares insights on valuing Berkshire Hathaway, impact of cash on portfolio returns, components of stock market returns, S&P500 expected return, Berkshire Hathaway's intrinsic value, and capital allocation since 2018.

Today, we will be diving into Costco. Costco is a favorite business story and model for many operators and investors. It was founded in 1983 in Seattle, and it has grown into a juggernaut with over $169 billion in sales and almost 60 million members globally. To me, Costco is the best example of doing one thing for customers and getting better at it constantly for decades. To help me break down Costco, I talked to both Zack Fuss and Chris Bloomstran. Zack is an investor at Continental Grain, a 200-year old family-owned business that is focused on investing and operating businesses throughout the food and agriculture ecosystem with assets across the US, Latin America, and Asia. Chris is President and Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group and a long-time shareholder in Costco. In this Breakdown, we'll start with Zack by diving into the Costco business model, examining the relentless focus on efficiency that separates Costco from its peers, and exploring the secrets behind its private label brand, Kirkland. I'll then talk to Chris about Costco's growing international opportunities and the lessons that operators and investors can take away from studying the business and founder Jim Sinegal. I hope you enjoy this Breakdown of Costco. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.-----Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes[00:03:03] - [first question] - The fundamental equation that makes Costco work[00:04:02] - Dynamics of a shared scale economy business[00:06:45] - Jim Senegal’s devotion to perfecting one model for decades[00:10:10] - Examples of how far Costco is willing to go to provide value for its members[00:12:27] - Analysis of a private label strategy, and why Kirkland is such a success[00:15:35] - Key differences that separate Costco from their competitors[00:18:19] - An open-source retailing relationship with suppliers[00:21:10] - How they maximize sales per square foot over time[00:25:45] - Thoughts on leverage in unit-concept stores and why Costco doesn’t use leverage to accelerate growth [00:28:02] - Lessons that can be learned and applied to other businesses   [00:30:47] - How Costco approaches international expansion[00:33:54] - Why Jim Sinegal is such an exemplary CEO

On today’s show, Stig has invited famous investor Chris Bloomstran from Semper Augustus to teach us a masterclass about valuation techniques. It’s no surprise that Chris Bloomstran is heavily followed on Dataroma alongside investors like Warren Buffett and Howard Marks.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: How to value a company’s equity portfolio  4 methods to estimate the intrinsic value of Berkshire Hathaway  Why Berkshire Hathaway, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t have a lot of cash on its balance sheet How to size your position based on your valuation and expected performance   BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, and the other community members. Read Chris Bloomstran’s website  Read Chris Bloomstran’s letters to his clients Tobias Carlisle’s interview with Chris Bloomstran Buffett resource on CNBC  NEW TO THE SHOW? Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Stay up-to-date on financial markets and investing strategies through our daily newsletter, We Study Markets. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts.  SPONSORSSupport our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: River Toyota Range Rover Vacasa AT&T The Bitcoin Way USPS American Express Onramp Found SimpleMining Public Shopify HELP US OUT!Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Chris Bloomstran, President & Chief Investment Officer of Semper Augustus, discusses studying Berkshire Hathaway & Warren Buffett, the risks of Berkshire's Apple stake, Berkshire's valuation, and the importance of integrity in investing. He also shares lessons on managing time, rising above a difficult childhood, and using social media to criticize charlatans. Plus, insights on rational asset allocation, analyzing company profitability, and the impact of football experience on investing.

Chris Bloomstran, President & CIO of Semper Augustus, shares insights on achieving long-term success through a dual margin of safety. He warns about irrational exuberance in hot stocks like Tesla & Nvidia. Topics include lessons from a mentor, avoiding the dotcom bubble, quality businesses, skepticism about Cathie Wood's ARK portfolio, and trimming pricey holdings like Costco & Nike.

Stig has invited legend investor Chris Bloomstran from Semper Augustus to teach us how to value Berkshire Hathaway on today's show. Semper Augustus has an outstanding track record with a CAGR of 11.5% since his fund's inception on 2/28/1999, compared to 6.9% for the S&P500. There is no one in the space we respect as much as Chris Bloomstran when valuing the intrinsic value of Berkshire Hathaway. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:00:00 - Intro10:21 - The intrinsic value of Berkshire Hathaway and what the P/B of Berkshire Hathaway tells us & what it doesn’t tell us. 16:34 - How to think about depreciation and maintenance CAPEX19:02 - Why the insurance business is worth approximately as much as the energy and railroad businesses combined35:17 - How to think about Berkshire Hathaway’s bigger equity positions1:13:49 - Where you can use Berkshire Hathaway to park cash? Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, and the other community members. Listen to Stig’s masterclass with Chris Bloomstran on valuing Berkshire Hathaway or watch the video.  Tune in to Stig’s masterclass with Chris Bloomstran on equity valuations or watch the video. Chris Bloomstran’s website. Read Chris Bloomstran’s letters to his clients.  Buffett resource on CNBC. NEW TO THE SHOW? Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Stay up-to-date on financial markets and investing strategies through our daily newsletter, We Study Markets. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts.  SPONSORSSupport our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: River Toyota Range Rover Briggs & Riley American Express The Bitcoin Way Public Onramp USPS SimpleMining Sound Advisory Shopify AT&T BAM Capital Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fmSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Today’s business needs little introduction. Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest businesses in the world and run by arguably the most famous investors of our time, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. To break down the business, I’m joined by Chris Bloomstran. Chris is the President and CIO of Semper Augustus and has gone as deep on Berkshire as anyone I’ve ever encountered, making him the perfect person to do this with. Given the reams of excellent content already out there about Buffett and Berkshire, we focused our conversation on the specific elements that make this business so special. Please enjoy this breakdown of Berkshire Hathaway. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes[00:02:26] - [First question] - What Berkshire has taught the world about float[00:14:00] - How much of Berkshire's success was predicated on insurance [00:23:17] - Whether or not Berkshire’s capital source has been more important than stock selection [00:30:04] - Why there’s such a disparity between good stock pickers and holding companies[00:36:24] - What the major signposts of durability are when evaluating companies[00:38:29] - Acquiring Alleghany and using that as a case study that reflects their values[00:47:22] - The role that energy has played in Berkshire’s growth [00:59:54] - Thoughts about the major pieces of Berkshire and the future of the company [01:05:46] - Important lessons learned about investing and business from Berkshire’s story

Investor Chris Bloomstran discusses Semper Augustus investing philosophy, portfolio-level metrics, and why he thinks stocks are attractively valued today. He shares his lessons from studying high price-to-sales stocks and talks about his daily routine, favorite reading materials, and the value of ValueLine. The podcast also delves into Warren Buffett's investment strategy and Chris Bloomstran's future plans and aspirations.

My guest today for a flash update is Chris Bloomstran, the founder and CIO of Semper Augustus and a popular past guest on the show. We talk about his view on the state of the public equity market, why it will be hard for the market to deliver great returns for the next decade relative to the last, and where opportunities may lie. Please enjoy. This episode is brought to by Koyfin. For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag   Show Notes (1:42) – (First question) – Adjustments to his portfolio in the age of a pandemic             (6:41) – Chris Bloomstran Podcast Episode             (9:36) – The Federal Reserve Act (12:32) – Surprising action in the markets during the crisis             (13:08) – 2020 Investment Letter (15:02) – Why we won’t see the same performance in tech over the future as we’ve seen the last decade (21:00) – The carnage in energy sector and return potential (30:06) – Berkshires activity since the crisis started (35:48) – Where sectors are valued in the current market (41:12) – Expectation for deflation over inflation  (48:54) – Characteristics to look for in businesses to own over the next 10 years (52:05) – Economic factors they are focusing on   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag

My guest this week is Chris Bloomstran, the president and chief investment officer of Semper Augustus Investments Group. He became famous in investing circles a few years back for his incredibly detailed investigations of Berkshire Hathaway. While we do cover Berkshire towards the end of the conversation, we spend most of our time talking about what makes for a quality business. I loved some of his angles on the current landscape, including our discussion of companies like Richemont and Disney which are actively taking distribution back in house. Please enjoy our conversation. For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag   Show Notes 1:18 - (First Question) – Largest investing error 4:52 – Defining quality investor and their investment strategy 11:48 – Incremental return on capital and other themes that they focus on with investments 15:33 – Importance of unique business models 22:58 – Ownership of the customer relationship 28:06 – Bringing distribution back in house 29:55 – Doing something unique with owned distribution 32:40 – His thoughts on growth and value             32:42 – Chuck Akre podcast episode 37:12 – History of his interest in Berkshire Hathaway and he characterizes the business 53:29 – How is Berkshire protected into the future 59:17 – Most important trends in adjustments 1:08:00 – Which sectors or industries would he focus on 1:10:02 – Most intriguing business he’s unlikely to own 1:11:44 – Kindest thing anyone has done for him   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag