Billionaire Warren Buffett's personal trading records indicate a misalignment between his public statements and private actions, as per a report by ProPublica. The Oracle of Omaha, known for his "ethical billionaire" image, appears to have engaged in personal stock transactions contrary to his declared principles raising questions around conflict of interest, the non-profit publication found.
Warren Buffett did not respond to ProPublica's queries, the report added.
Inconsistencies in Personal Trading
Buffett, who has consistently emphasized avoiding personal trades aligned with Berkshire's moves, has a track record that tells a different story, the report states. It adds that leaked IRS data covering two decades, exposes at least three instances where Buffett traded stocks in his personal account just before or during the same quarter as Berkshire's transactions, potentially violating the company's ethics policies, authored by Buffett himself.
The policy requires all Berkshire's securities transactions to be publically disclosed before employees can personally trade the stock.
In 2011, a rare scandal involving David Sokol, then heir apparent to Buffett, who resigned over personal stock trades, did not damage Buffett's reputation.
Public Endorsem*nt of Wells Fargo
Among Buffett's moves tracked by the publication include his enthusiastic endorsem*nt of Wells Fargo in an interview with Fortune magazine back on April 20, 2009. He had then lauded it for its "superior business model" compared to other major banks. Buffett, who is looked up to by many investors as a model thus significantly influenced market dynamics, causing a substantial +20 percent surge in Wells Fargo shares, the report said.
By April 24, Wells Fargo had jumped 13 percent. However, the report noted that hidden from public view, Buffett privately sold $20 million worth of Wells Fargo shares on the same day, revealing a contradiction between his words and actions.
Contradictory Moves
Another instance is one in October 2012 when Buffett sold $35 million worth of personal shares of Johnson & Johnson, which Berkshire also did. However, the company's moves were not revealed in a press release but in the quarterly filing, which revealed the sale when compared to the previous quarter with no specific date of sale. It also did not disclose the sales made in the following two quarters. Here, by possibly shedding his stake first, Buffett avoided the price dip that Berkshire's sales caused for Johnson& Johnson stock, the report noted.
The third instance was in August 2009, when Buffet sold $25 million of Walmart stocks in his personal account while Berkshire doubled its stake in the company during the same quarter. Exact dates were unavailable, the report said but noted that Buffett's choices for his personal and company portfolios seem to be contradictory and verged on violating insider trading policies.
Personal Portfolio Insights
The leaked records unveil Buffett's personal stock sales amounting to at least $466 million between 2000 and 2019. While this may seem a modest sum for a billionaire of his stature, the absence of data on stocks bought and held leaves the actual size of his personal portfolio unknown. Buffett remains tight-lipped about his personal trades, and questions about these actions remain unanswered.
Warren Buffett, a financial luminary, faces scrutiny as revelations about his personal trading practices cast a shadow over his consistent public image. The apparent inconsistencies between his words and actions highlight the challenges in maintaining ethical standards, even for the most revered figures in the financial world.
First Published:
12 Nov 2023, 09:08 AM IST
FAQs
A: Five rules drawn from Warren Buffett's wisdom for potentially building wealth include investing for the long term, staying informed, maintaining a competitive advantage, focusing on quality, and managing risk.
What are the Warren Buffett's first 3 rules of investing money? ›
What are Warren Buffett's biggest investing rules?
- Rule 1: Never lose money. This is considered by many to be Buffett's most important rule and is the foundation of his investment philosophy. ...
- Rule 2: Focus on the long term. ...
- Rule 3: Know what you're investing in.
What is Warren Buffett's golden rule? ›
"Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1."- Warren Buffet.
What are Warren Buffett's 10 rules for success? ›
Warren Buffett's ten rules for success and how we can apply them to our lives
- Reinvest Your Profits. ...
- Be Willing to Be Different. ...
- Never Suck Your Thumb. ...
- Spell Out the Deal Before You Start. ...
- Watch Small Expenses. ...
- Limit What You Borrow. ...
- Be Persistent. ...
- Know When to Quit.
What is the Warren Buffett 70/30 rule? ›
A 70/30 portfolio is an investment portfolio where 70% of investment capital is allocated to stocks and 30% to fixed-income securities, primarily bonds.
What is the Buffett's two-list rule? ›
Buffett presented a three-step exercise to help streamline his focus. The first step was to write down his top 25 career goals. In the second step, Buffett told Flint to identify his top five goals from the list. In the final step, Flint had two lists: the top five goals (List A) and the remaining 20 (List B).
What is the rule #1 of Buffett? ›
Warren Buffett once said, “The first rule of an investment is don't lose [money]. And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule. And that's all the rules there are.”
What is the #1 rule of investing? ›
1 – Never lose money. Let's kick it off with some timeless advice from legendary investor Warren Buffett, who said “Rule No. 1 is never lose money.
What is Warren Buffett's best financial advice? ›
Pay Yourself First. Buffett isn't the first or the only one to recommend “paying yourself first,” but he's a vocal advocate of it. Buffett approaches the problem of prioritizing savings through wise budgeting. As the billionaire puts it: “Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”
Does Warren Buffett believe in gold? ›
The answer to whether Warren Buffett invests in gold is a simple “no.” This probably doesn't surprise the “Oracle of Omaha” followers, as he's been very outspoken and open regarding his investment style, strategies and ownership. He's even spoken directly about whether he would invest in gold numerous times.
“Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” This famous Buffett quote strikes at the heart of the “value investor” approach and reveals the secret of how Buffett made his fortune. After Buffett was rejected by Harvard, he enrolled in an undergraduate degree at Columbia Business School.
What is the number one rule of trading? ›
If there is one thing industry professionals have learned in all their years in the financial markets, it is never add to a losing position. That means never “average down” a losing long position or “average up” a losing short position. This is even more important when using leverage.
How to get rich according to Warren Buffett? ›
I'm a Self-Made Millionaire: 6 Warren Buffett Rules That Can Make You Rich
- Never Rely on Only One Income Source. ...
- Focus on Investments That Contribute to Positive Cash Flow. ...
- Learn as Much as You Can. ...
- Invest In Yourself. ...
- Shift Your Perspective About Money. ...
- Be Frugal Even While Building Wealth. ...
- Bottom Line.
What does Warren Buffett mean by never lose money? ›
It highlights his fundamental investment philosophy with both wit and clarity. Buffett's investment strategy stands out because of his aversion to losses. Instead of accepting losses, he tends to double down on his positions or even increase his investments when they go against him.
What is Warren Buffett's leverage? ›
The researchers found that Buffett boosted his returns using leverage, to the tune of about 1.7-to-1. Applied to a low risk, cheap, and high quality stock portfolio, that leverage boosted returns (and risk). But, simply levering up a similar portfolio of stocks doesn't get you the same massive returns.
What is the Buffett rule number 1? ›
Warren Buffett once said, “The first rule of an investment is don't lose [money]. And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule. And that's all the rules there are.”
What is an example of Warren Buffett 25 5 rule? ›
The rule's origin is reported as advice given by Buffet to his personal pilot, Mike Flint. Flint asked Buffet for career advice, leading to Buffet thinking of the 5/25 rule. Buffet asked Flint to list his top 25 career goals, pick the top five, and avoid the rest until the top five are achieved.
What is the 5 rule of investing? ›
This sort of five percent rule is a yardstick to help investors with diversification and risk management. Using this strategy, no more than 1/20th of an investor's portfolio would be tied to any single security. This protects against material losses should that single company perform poorly or become insolvent.
What is the first rule of Warren Buffett? ›
“The first rule of investment is don't lose. The second rule of investment is don't forget the first rule.” Buffett famously said the above in a television interview.