Warren Buffett's Ground Rules

Timeless guidelines from his letters: "Mr. Miller has done a superb job . . . If you are fascinated by investment theory and practice, you will enjoy this book." —Warren Buffett

In the fourteen years between his time in New York with value-investing guru Benjamin Graham and his start as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett managed Buffett Partnership Limited, his first professional investing partnership. Over the course of that time—a period in which he experienced an unprecedented record of success—Buffett wrote semiannual letters to his small but growing group of partners, sharing his thoughts, approaches, and reflections.


Compiled for the first time and with Buffett's permission, the letters spotlight his contrarian diversification strategy, his almost religious celebration of compounding interest, his preference for conservative rather than conventional decision making, and his goal and tactics for bettering market results by at least 10% annually. Demonstrating Buffett's intellectual rigor, they provide a framework to the craft of investing that had not existed before: Buffett built upon the quantitative contributions made by his famous teacher, Benjamin Graham, demonstrating how they could be applied and improved.


These letters offer us a rare look into Buffett's mind and accessible lessons in control and discipline—effective in bull and bear markets alike, and in all types of investing climates—that are the bedrock of his success. Warren Buffett's Ground Rules paints a portrait of the sage as a young investor during a time when he developed the long-term value-oriented strategy that helped him build the foundation of his wealth—rules for success investors need, today and every day.


"An extraordinarily useful book for anyone who is interested in investing." —Guy Spier, author of The Education of a Value Investor

"This book is much more than a compilation of excerpts from Buffett's letters, smartly organized by investment theme. Miller begins every chapter with an articulate and insightful synthesis, which helps the reader understand Buffett's key ground rules on each theme." —Robert Pozen, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management


"Just when you thought you knew everything about the investing guru, [this] book provides unique insights." —Worth Magazine