Everybody wants to be like Warren Buffet but very few will ever achieve investment prowess that is anything close to the legendary investor. But this isn’t from the lack of trying.
If anything, legions of devotees have pored over and analysed the thinking and strategies of the greatest investor of our time. And why shouldn’t they? Buffet’s investments have outperformed just about anyone and we think his ideas are definitely worth listening to.
However, trying to get a handle on the many different aspects to the Buffett way of investing is easier said than done. But the fact is there is only one simple secret to Buffets success that you need to know to achieve investment success – and that is discipline.
Keep your head
In Buffets own words when he was describing his great mentor Benjamin Graham: “To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insight, or inside information. What’s needed is a sound intellectual framework for decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework.”
For all the books and papers that have tried to dissect Buffets winning investment formula, his secret recipe can be distilled into the simple truths about having a sound framework for your decisions and to keep emotions out of investing.
Stick to your guns
Buffet isn’t one to be dancing on rooftops when the market is going up, nor is he one to panic when the market is correcting. He simply sticks to his strategy of identifying great companies and holding them for the long run.
This isn’t to say he doesn’t under perform in any given year, but the investments he’s made over a lifetime have been nothing short of spectacular, and that is because he stays disciplined and true to his methodology – regardless of how the broader market is performing.
That will sound like a crazy concept to many. After all, how many of us can say that our investment decisions have not swayed in some shape and form by the noise of the share market?
Ignoring the market noise may not only be good for long term performance of your portfolio, it is also good for your mental health!
As Buffet said, “buy into a company because you want to own it, not because you want the stock to go up”.
Now you are probably thinking that being disciplined is all well and good, but how do you get this “sound intellectual framework” that Buffet is talking about to identify great companies to invest in?
There are 3 key filters you should apply when narrowing down your investment universe….
- Strong financial health
- Proven management team
- Promising operating outlook
Warren Buffet also has the luxury of being able to analyse thousands of publicly listed businesses twice a year, allowing him to make timely and well-informed investment decisions. Unfortunately for most retail investors, this is simply impossible without the right tools or share market research software.
At CFL we take care of the “framework” question by designing investment portfolios, which may include expert investment managers, stocks, alternative and property investments to suit your individual investing objectives.
Most important of all, however, we will help you get on top of your emotions when market volatility causes you to doubt yourself.
There are 2 emotions most investors are driven by when trading stocks, “Fear” and “Greed”, and in the majority of cases, these emotions will persuade you to buy at the top and sell at the bottom.
To take another Buffet saying “you should be greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy” – the only way you can seize the opportunity is to have a robust stock selection methodology that has been shown to work over the long run and the confidence to stay the path.