Warren Buffett

I've just finished research and writing about Warren Buffett--everything from his childhood to his legacy. At age 78, Buffett may or may not be thinking about his legacy, but he's accomplished so much in his life that his legacy is set--regardless of what happens next.

Notwithstanding his renowned success in the investment world, the characteristics that are most admired about Warren Buffett are his honesty, candor and unwillingness to deviate from his principals inspite of criticism from his peers. He knows exactly what he is good at and has complete confidence in his abilities. However, he has managed to go through life without arrogance. He is often characterized as "grandfatherly," which is so true and evident if you listen to him speak during interviews or presentations. There is strip of interviews on the Blog that are worth listening to.

My favorite Buffet story is told by Alice Schroeder (his authorized biographer) in her book, "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life." Buffett says, "The snowball just happens if you're in the right kind of snow; and that's what happened with me. I don't just mean compounding money either. It's in terms of understanding the world and what kind of friends you accummulate. You get to select over time, and you've got to be the kind of person that the snow wants to attach itself to. You've got to be your own wet snow, in effect. You'd better be picking up snow as you go aong, because you're not going to be getting back up to the top of the hill again. That's the way life works."