bookie71

The only problem with checklists is that you have to be very careful that you use them and don't think things out. In the accounting profession you need a checklist to make sure you haven't missed a checklist. It's amazing what gets missed simply because some of the new folks don;t step back and simply read through the statements they are drafting. I am not against checklists, but do believe they can be overdone. jmho

That's why I like Costo - no doors and very unfancy offices at headquarters.

Insert Quote The selling by Gates foundation is 3~5% of daily volume for the past several months, I think the consistent selling has had a negative effect on the share price, not sure how much though. Why would they sell so much? It's not that foundation needs the cash now, and Gates has said something like he sees BRK share price go much higher. . . I think they are required to distribute a certain % (5%?) of assets each year, by law, as they are a private foundation. I think WEB requires they spend a certain amount each year also. Since BRK has no dividend this requires sales.

they may be the best business, priced right etc - I just don't like their business model. i would rather buy a tobacco company.

To each of you, A Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year!!!!!!!!!!! Keep compounding, but take time for your family Chuck

The Fed's want the banks to lend more and at the same time they want the TARP repaid, reducing the lendable funds. Aren't politicians great?

Since it is no longer on NYSE it doesn't qualify for "margin" nor is it's value counted. I had my first margin call ever, today even though I had lots of equity. Be warned.

Be very very careful - http://boards.fool.com/Message.asp?mid=28145940 read several of messages -

what is the risk that all these current Kindles out there become obsolete very quick like? . don't forget the "nook" that Barnes and Noble is pushing hard.

I believe that many folks said he had lost his mind when he bought Wells Fargo a few years back.

Maybe gold see http://www.adn.com/money/industries/mining/story/1005008.html

Let's see, only the A's have voting rights, I wonder who controls the A's? Any doubt as to the outcome of the vote? ::) 8)

I thought he did the split so he could offer the BNI share holders a tax free swap if they wanted one.

Additional equity is not additional liabilities - additional equity helps assure that liabilities get paid.

I wonder if by splitting the B's, it will make it easier for the Gates Foundation to dispose of the required number of shares each year?

A question for you experts out there, "Aren't you automatically put on credit watch any time you do an unusually large deal?"

He isn't spliting the A's only the B's

I wonder what effect this series of articles will have on the company???? http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/11/mcclatchy_digs_into_goldman_sa.html

Taxes are a factor in any intelligent decision, BUT too often taxes will out weigh common economic sense. I have been doing taxes since 1965. Too many folks only look at the tax effect and don't look at their long range plans. For most people (I doubt if there are many on this board who fit in this category) long range planning is about six months down the road. Most make decisions based on the fact that they read and hear that the rich don't pay taxes, so they don't want to pay taxes. They hear about tax free exchanges and insist that they do one even if they don't want "like kind " property. Two years later they come back and say, "Why did you let me do that?" GOOD DECISIONS must be based on solid economic facts, of which only one factor is the tax effect. jmho

For about 25 years our firm had 3 tax returns that were part of the "cost of living" index. Several years (4-5) they redid the COLA formula and dropped the tax returns. I'm not sure why, but at that time the lady I had dealt with at the Dept of Labor in Washington D.C. told me that they felt times had changed and the items that made up the index had changed. I'm not sure if this answers any of the above questions, but the calculation has changed. We had replaced a CPA who had retired.

The big problem is that after WEB leaves can his replacement keep his hands out of the operating companies. It is easy for someone to say they will but doing it is alomost impossible for most people. It'll start with small things, perhaps a monthly or weekly report then something else until it becomes just another big company.

"If we have a moderate amount of inflation (not Hyper) then theoretically our houses would increase in value and the debt load on those houses would be easier to pay off, meaning that fewer people would default. Also all of the debt both personal and governmental would be easier to pay off." . . But, don't forget that you have a surge of "Boomers" going on fixed incomes and that will make it harder to pay off, especially if they have large amounts of consumer debt.

I believe that there are two old addages: 1 - Don't put all your eggs in one basket; 2 - Put your eggs in one basket and watch it very closely. #2 works best for me and has for quite some time - Schwab says I'm too concentrated, but they have given LUK an F rating for quite some time ;D

A lot of folks got burned really bad with this latest downturn. I suspect it will be quite some time before a lot of them reenter the stock market if ever. I know several that went to cash at the bottom and that are still there.

For the past few years several companies in Anchorage have been trying to start their own phone books. One company, GCI has (from nothing) has become the number one dominant carrier, by a large percentage, the other large phone company who used to be number one and now is CS, the third phone book is an outfit out of Salt lake City and their book always has a ram on the cover. ACS has the real yellow pages. My unscientific observations of the books used in our small office building: All three bring enough books for all the phones plus some in the building. I take most of the GCI and Ram books to recycling an no one seems to want them. I take the older ACS books to recycling as everyone seems to keep them, including myself. I believe that this is what a well known investor calls a moat. I don't use the internet for phone numbers , because I just don't think of it (different generation). The numbers I call regularly are in my cell phone.