We Lost a Big One

about 2 years ago

“All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.”

Today we lost a big one in the world of finance. I think many people that are involved in finance would have Charlie on their Mt Rushmore of influential money men. Charlie Munger was Warren Buffett's right hand man for decades and helped to build Berkshire into the powerhouse that it is today. I thought this quote was a perfect example of the wit and wisdom of Charlie Munger: “All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.”

"Always Inverse"

To my mind with his short, and often funny yet pointed zingers, Charlie was the Mark Twain of finance. "Always Inverse" This way of thinking from Charlie has always stayed with me. Often when I think I am stuck and cannot seem to find an answer, I am reminded to look at the problem from all angles to find a solution. Like Charlie would say, some problems are best solved backwards!

Warren Buffett often tells: "My partner Charlie says there are only three ways a smart person can go broke: liquor, ladies, and leverage. Now the truth is, the first two he just added because they started with L. It’s leverage."

Charlie was no fan of crypto, to put it mildly. Being 99 years old, maybe he was just too old to "get it". However, with all the scams and schemes, ie Justin Sun/Steemit, Sam Bankman Fried/FTX, or CZ and Binance, perhaps Charlie will be right in the long haul. Regardless, I will miss hearing his quips at the next Berkshire shareholder meeting...seems like an end of an era.