Money and Finance
- The Daily Princetonian Speaks To Paul Volcker
Link to interview: Q&A: Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker '49 DP: Pretty recently, some economists have suggested that the central bankers took [the threat of] inflation too seriously. PV: I’ll give you a simple answer. The responsibility...
- Charlie Munger On Future Inflation
I re-watched the talk with Charlie Munger at Harvard-Westlake (from January 2010) last night on DVD and thought Munger's inflation comment was worth mentioning. After talking about how he knew the derivative and mortgage mess was going to very badly,...
- Annaly Salvos: On The Value Of Insurance
How to value gold is an age old frustration. As every schoolboy knows, it yields nothing and so can’t be valued on cash flows. It has very little industrial use. There is, however, a natural human tendency toward the use of currency so gold is an obvious...
- Berkshire, Buffett, And Munger Links
Before I leave for the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting tomorrow, I thought I’d post some of the more popular and/or recent Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger links. Warren Buffett Videos from CNBC (March 2010) Berkshire Hathaway Speaks Out About Kraft's...
- Nominal Vs Real Return
Nominal returns are the total annual return that you received on the investment. Real return accounts for the effects of inflation. Real Return = Nominal Return - Inflation Rate For the purposes of this example I've assumed that $1 is invested at...
Money and Finance
Beating inflation…
Via notes from Berkshire Hathaway’s 2010 Annual Meeting:
Question: What are key metrics you look for on inflation, and catalysts for a future rise?
Warren Buffett: You give me credit for more brainpower than I actually bring to the question. You can’t look at any metric. If it gets going, it creates own dynamic and is very hard to stop. We saw it in 1970s until Volcker came in with a sledge hammer. Prime rate was at 21% and governments up to 15%. We had a demonstration project 30 yrs ago. If we continue today’s policies, something like that could be possible. Trend is not destiny. We have power to control our future. We do it through elected representatives. I will go back, with what I see, currencies are [a] poorer bet and [I’m] not sure what it means for inflation. If inflation gets into saddle, faith in institutions could break down.
Charlie Munger: Contribute the most to civilization and counter the effects of inflation. To outsmart others isn’t the best way to do it. If you are best painter or best brain surgeon, you will always command your share of the economy around you. Talent is terrific asset to deal with it.
- The Daily Princetonian Speaks To Paul Volcker
Link to interview: Q&A: Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker '49 DP: Pretty recently, some economists have suggested that the central bankers took [the threat of] inflation too seriously. PV: I’ll give you a simple answer. The responsibility...
- Charlie Munger On Future Inflation
I re-watched the talk with Charlie Munger at Harvard-Westlake (from January 2010) last night on DVD and thought Munger's inflation comment was worth mentioning. After talking about how he knew the derivative and mortgage mess was going to very badly,...
- Annaly Salvos: On The Value Of Insurance
How to value gold is an age old frustration. As every schoolboy knows, it yields nothing and so can’t be valued on cash flows. It has very little industrial use. There is, however, a natural human tendency toward the use of currency so gold is an obvious...
- Berkshire, Buffett, And Munger Links
Before I leave for the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting tomorrow, I thought I’d post some of the more popular and/or recent Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger links. Warren Buffett Videos from CNBC (March 2010) Berkshire Hathaway Speaks Out About Kraft's...
- Nominal Vs Real Return
Nominal returns are the total annual return that you received on the investment. Real return accounts for the effects of inflation. Real Return = Nominal Return - Inflation Rate For the purposes of this example I've assumed that $1 is invested at...