A quick announcement before I begin today’s post – My new book, Boundless, is now available for ordering!
After a wonderful response during the pre-order phase, I finally have the book in my hands and am shipping it out quickly. If you’d like to get your copy, click here to order now.
Plus, I’m offering a special combo discount if you order Boundless along with my first book, The Sketchbook of Wisdom. Click here to order your set.
Warren Buffett recently published his 2024 letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. Lots of lessons, as usual, but the one point that stands out to me is his update on this year’s AGM in Omaha, where he’ll be seen for a much shorter time than normal.
As I wrote earlier, I made the journey to Omaha last year. For years, I had put it off. There was always a reason. But deep down, I knew that if I didn’t go, I would regret it. So I went. It was about sitting in that arena, feeling the energy of over 30,000 people who had traveled from all over the world—not just to hear stock market advice, but to absorb a philosophy. A way of thinking. A way of living.
It was about seeing Buffett, who along with Charlie, had built an empire on good decisions, common sense, and an unwavering commitment to rationality.
It was about looking at him and realising that, despite his wealth, what made him truly rich was something else—his principles, and his ability to keep playing the game he loved for so long.
Charlie’s passing in 2023 was the first hard reminder that this era is ending. Buffett’s words in this letter (“disbanding the meeting earlier than regular time”) feel like the second.
Buffett has spent his life teaching people how to think about money, but the deeper lesson for me has always been about “time.”
Money, if you invest wisely, can always be earned back. Time cannot.
My mind says (heart doesn’t agree) that this year may be Buffett’s last AGM. Or maybe he’ll surprise us all and keep going. But whether this is the last time or not, personally for me, his message remains the same: Do not waste time. Do not defer what matters. Do not let life slip by while waiting for the perfect moment. In investing, in learning, in living—act with conviction.
Because at the end of the day, the biggest risk isn’t losing money. It’s looking back and realising you never truly lived.
Anyway, I have prepared some notes on Buffett’s 2024 letter. Click here to read my notes.
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With respect,
– Vishal
The Sketchbook of Wisdom: A Hand-Crafted Manual on the Pursuit of Wealth and Good Life.
This is a masterpiece.
– Morgan Housel, Author, The Psychology of Money
In the 2008 shareholder meeting of Wesco Financial, a shareholder asked Charlie Munger to describe what caused Warren Buffett’s success.