Charlie Munger Daily Journal 2018 Shareholder Meeting, Part 3

This is Part 3 of Charlie Munger (Trades, Portfolio)'s 2018 Daily Journal annual meeting. Read Part 1 of the annual meeting here. Read Part 2 of the annual meeting here.

Well I'll take some questions now. We need some system of order.

Question 1: In the book outsiders William Thorndike lists eight CEOs that achieved superlativeperformance to the S&P 500 and their peers, so other than Mr. Buffett and Mr. Murphy, did Berkshire or you invest in the other six companies? And if not, why?

Charlie: Well I can't answer that question, I don't know the others six companies. But I wouldsay, generally speaking as things have gotten tougher, we've been better at sitting on our asses with what we have than we have in buying new ones. It's been hard to buy new ones. We haven't bought a whole company of any size since we bought the truck stop operator. So if you're having trouble with the present time with anything, join the club.

Question 2: Could you please comment on proposed legislation in Washington to restrict or taxshare buybacks.

Charlie: Oh…Well. Rick tells a story about an old Irishman that used to steal fromthe church and drunk all the time. And when he's dying the priest asked him to renounce the devil. And he said I can't do that because in my condition I shouldn't offend anybody. And I don't think I should…If you get me started on politicians, I may be impolitic. So let's go on to another subject.

Question 3: My question is about smaller banks. If you look at banks with assets greater thanabout a billion dollars in the U.S. and go up and stop at the super regional level, there's about 250 of those banks. And my question is, is that a hunting ground that you would think, applying the principles of value investing, is likely to yield one or two great businesses?

Charlie: Well thank you for answering that question, the answer is yes.

Question 4: You and Warren have advocated for decades that CEOs should tell shareholderseverything they need to know to value a business. From visiting and calling courthouses around the country, I've personally seen the success that you've had being awarded contracts against larger competitors for JTI. However your opaqueness regarding contracts that have been awarded but not completed leaves a wide range that an estimated value could fall for. So if a shareholder unwilling to cold call 50 courts around the country to find these contracts that haven't been accepted yet, could you please provide a little bit of detail for us shareholders as far as the willingness for courts to accept these? Have you had any contracts that haven't been accepted after you put in the work?

Charlie: Well we've got contracts or possible contracts at every stage you could imagine. Andit's very complicated and I don't purport to understand each one because I've trusted Gerry and the people who are doing it. But generally speaking I can see that the trend is favorable. But more than that I can only say you would be horrified if you watched it up close how difficult it is. It's difficult. But in spite of its difficulties we're doing pretty well. But we haven't got any magic wand. If you read all the reports…If I read all the reports in great detail and spent all my effort trying to understand it, I wouldn't understand it very well. So I think your chances are very poor.

Question 5: One of my favorite lines from you is you want to hire the guy with the IQ of 130 thatthinks it's 120 and the guy with an IQ of 150 who thinks it's 170 will just kill you.

Charlie: You must be thinking about Elon Musk.

Question 5 (continued…): How do you assess someone when making a hiring decision?

Charlie: Of course I want the guy who understands his limitations instead of the guy whodoesn't. On the other hand I've learned something terribly important in life. I learned that from Howard Ahmanson. You know what he used to say? “Never underestimate the man who overestimates himself.” These weird guys who overestimate themselves occasionally knock it right out of the park. And that is a very unhappy part of modern life. But I've learned to adjust to it. I have no alternative. It happens all the time. But I don't want my personal life to be a bunch of guys who are living in a state of delusion, who happen occasionally to win big. I want the prudent person.

Question 6: What did you see in Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) versus other investors in China? Because in hisbiography it looks like he's more of an outsider. And how similar or different is he versus Todd Combs and Ted Weschler? And Is there any reason why you gave that interview last year with Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) in China?

Charlie: Well I did it because he asked me and I sometimes do that, I am foolish that way. And Isaid what I believed when they asked me the questions. The answer is Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) is not a normal…

He's the Chinese Warren Buffet. He's very talented. Of course I've enjoyed bagging him, but it's interesting that way…I'm ninety five years…I've given Munger money to some outsider to run once in ninety five years. And it's Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio), and of course he's hit it out of the park. It's very remarkable but it's also pretty picky. And of course once I've got Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) if I'm comparing to him, who else am I going to pick? And by the way that's a good way to make decisions and that's what we do. If we've got one thing we can do more of, we're not interested in anything that's not better than that. That simplifies life a great deal because there aren't that many people better than Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio). So I just sit. It's amazing how intelligent it is to spend some time just sitting. A lot of people are way too active.

Question 7:

Good morning Mr. Munger. You said in the past that you expect the U.S. to adopt asingle payer health care system or Medicare for all the next time that Democrats control all three branches of government…

Charlie:

Question 7 (continued): What will this mean for health insurers, hospitals, and medical devicecompanies?

Charlie: Well it will be a hell of a mess. It'll still be a big business but it will be a hell of a mess.The existing system is so over expensive and over complicated and has so much unnecessary cost. So much unnecessary overtreatment of the dying. So much overtreatment of items that would be best left alone. So much unnecessary expense. Yet on the other hand it's the best system there is in the world in terms of the quality at the top. So it's a very complicated subject, but it's a hell of a mess. I find it demoralizing to see in Singapore they spend 20 percent of what we spend in America on medical care and their system is way better. And what they're doing is just the most elemental common sense. But of course it was created by one Chinese guy who was in control. Of course it's more intelligent than the outcome of our political process.

That Singapore system was created by Lee Kuan Yew. Of course it works better. But to have it cost 20 percent and work better in an advanced place likes Singapore…So there's a lot to be demoralized about in terms of the potential of our medical care system. And of course it isn't that our politicians are good at fixing systems like that. So if you don't like it now, I confidently predict you won't like it later either.

Question 8: I read a lot of the stoic philosophers last year. Epictetus, Seneca, MarcusAurelius…

Charlie: Well I can see why you would. There's a lot to be stoic about.

Question 8 (Continued): And as I glean lessons from them there was one name that keptcoming to mind, that is Munger, Munger, Munger….

Charlie: Well some people think that Marcus Aurelius is all right.

Question 8: Can you talk to me about the influence that the Stoics had on you and some of yourfavorite advice from them.

Charlie: A lot. A lot have had (a lot of influence) on me, includingEpictetuswho started as aslave. No I like those old Stoics. And part of the secret of a long life that's worked as well as mine is not to expect too much of human nature. It's almost bound to be a lot of defects and problems. And to have your life full of seething resentments and hatreds, it's counterproductive. You're punishing yourself and not fixing the world. Can you think of anything much more stupid than trying to fix the world in a way that ruins yourself and doesn't fix the world? It's pretty stupid. I just don't do it. I have a rule for politicians. It's a stoic rule…I always reflect that politicians are never so bad, you don't live to want them back. When I was young, the California legislature was full of small time insurance brokers and lawyers looking for an unfair advantage. They were being entertained by restaurants with prostitutes and bars, by racetracks, and liquor distributors and so on and so on. Fade in fade out. We have a different kind of a legislature now, and I just want all those old crooks and lobbyists and prostitutes back. You laugh but you young people, you're going to live to wish…Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump we're immortal.

Question 9: Could you share a reading recommendation for us, potentially a new one, thatmaybe fundamentally change your viewpoint on something?

Charlie: Well there are very few ninety-five year olds that are changing their viewpoint on things.But I do find that there are amusing anecdotes and so forth that I occasionally read and like. But I like the old anecdotes pretty well too. Like that one about the vet and the horse. It's so obvious though, some of these pithy stories. The storytelling really works to get messages around. One of the interesting things is look at our modern politicians and then think about Abraham Lincoln. (Which) modern politician reminds you of Abraham Lincoln? In either party? Lincoln at one time was hired by some guy whose partner had died, leaving practically no money to a wife and three children. And he owed some money to his surviving partner and the surviving partner came to Lincoln and said, “I want you to collect this money.” And Lincoln said to this guy, he says, “Well” he says, “You look like an enterprising fellow who could get that much money back pretty easily through a little effort. And if you want to ring a little money out of this poor widow and her three children then you'll have to get a different kind of lawyer.” Does that remind you of any of our modern politicians? That was Abraham Lincoln. What a story. No wonder he's remembered.

And you know who deserves the credit for Abraham Lincoln and never gets it? It's his stepmother! Abraham Lincoln was the child of two illiterates. But the step mother, who his father just married in desperation to help raise the children, she took a shine to Lincoln and saw he was bookish and she helped him all the way along. I am going to donate a picture of that stepmother eventually to a particular place because I admire what that stepmother accomplished in life. Imagine being responsible more than any other person for the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Question 10: My question is about the intellectual property because you are a lawyer bytraining. Given the complicated landscape in this field, is there a better way to share intellectual property across nations, especially in the case of Huawei, is there better legal framework to handle intellectual properties?

Charlie: Well you know, I don't know that much about the world of intellectual property. I mademy way i n insurance, and furniture stores, and little legal newspapers and so on. So other people are good at intellectual property. I'm good at avoiding subjects which I'm not good at. And one of them is intellectual property. I'm not surprised that the Chinese are stealing a little intellectual property. We Americans did it all the time. We stole Dicken's work. We just reprinted his copyrighted stuff. We stole the technology from the English textile manufacturers. It isn't as though people haven't been pretty aggressive about wanting to know other people's ideas. This is an old problem. I do think that allowing intellectual property to have these profits is desirable. But the exact complexities of how you handle it, I don't spend much time thinking about.

Question 11: In last year's Daily Journal meeting, you talked about one of the five aces of amoney manager was a long runway.

Charlie: Yes.

Question 11 (continued…): I'm young and have at least hopefully a 40 year runway ahead ofme.

Charlie: How are your legs?

Question 11 (continued…): I passed my physical with flying colors, so thanks a lot. I'd like tocompound my money at the highest rate and then give most of it away at the end. Which money managers would you recommend besides you and Warren?

Charlie: Well I just said I've only hired one myself in a lifetime, I don't think that makes me anexpert. Although I must say that one did work out rather well. No I can't help you. Everybody would like to have some money manager that would make him rich. Of course we all would want that. I would like to be able to turn lead into gold. But it's hard. It's very hard. And if you're finding it difficult that just shows you understand it.

Question 12: Charlie and Peter Kaufman. I don't have a question, I just want to thank you bothfor putting together Poor Charlie's Almanac. It has been an incredibly foundational book in my life and it has really helped inflect my thinking on many different things. So thank you both very much for your work on that.

Charlie: It was really Peter Kaufman's idea. He did the whole damn thing, and he paid for ithimself, being a rich and eccentric man. I just wish there was one change in Peter Kaufman. Peter Kaufman has made me adored in India and China. I wish the hell he could do more for me in Los Angeles. (laughter) The Chinese version of Poor Charlie's Almanac has been pirated enormously in China. Totally pirated. But the legal sales are three hundred forty thousand or something. Peter has made me very popular in China but he does nothing for me in Los Angeles. (laughter)

Question 13: You've paraphrased Ben Graham in saying that good ideas are wonderful but youcan suffered terribly if you overdo them.

Charlie: Yes.

Question 13 (continued…): How do you balance that against the risk that you potentiallyforego an opportunity altogether? Or are late to an opportunity for fear that a good idea has been overdone?

Charlie: The problem that is thoroughly understood ishalf solved. The minute you point outthere's a big tension between good ideas yet over done so much they're dangerous, and good ideas that still have a lot of runway ahead, once you have that construct in your head and start classifying opportunities into one category or the other. You've got the problem half solved. You don't need me. You've already figured it out. You've got to be aware of both potentialities and the tensions.

Question 14: In your letter on Berkshire's past and future, you wrote about the principles thathave made Berkshire successful over the years. My question is, why is it that Berkshire's organizational principles as a holding company have not been copied more by others given its incredible success and track record?

Charlie: Well it's a good question. I think the main reason is that it looks impossible. If you werein Procter and Gamble, with its culture and its bureaucracy, and you sat down to figure out, ‘How can I make Procter and Gamble more like Berkshire Hathaway?', it wouldn't go immediately to the ‘too hard pile'. It's just too hard. There's too much momentum.

But you raise by your question a very interesting thing that deserves more attention than it gets. One of the reasons that Berkshire has been so successful is there's practically nobody at headquarters. We have almost no corporate bureaucracy. We have a few internal auditors who go out from there and check this or that. But basically we have no bureaucracy. Having no bureaucracy is a huge advantage if the people who are running are sensible people. Think of how poorly all of us have behaved in big bureaucracy even though we have a lot of talent because we couldn't change anything.

So bureaucracy has a standard bunch of evils on a standard and bunch of stupid wastes and so forth, and avoiding it is hugely important. Of course there's a tendency of successful places, particularly successful governments, is to have more and more bureaucracy. Of course it's terribly counterproductive. And of course the bureaucracy, the individual bureaucrats they're benefiting from more assistance, more meetings, more this, more that. So what looks like poison to us from the outside, because the decisions are so terrible, looks wonderful for them, it's opportunity. I've just described the great tragedy of modern life. Modern life creates successful bureaucracy and successful bureaucracy breeds failure and stupidity. How can it be otherwise. That's the big tension of modern life. And some of these places that gointo a stupid bureaucracy and fire a third of the people and then place works better? They're doing the Lord's work. But you wouldn't think so if you were working there. But there's a lot of horror and waste in bureaucracy and its inevitable. It's as natural as old age and death. With that cheerful thought, we can go on to the next one.

Question 15: I'm researching personality psychology and what makes partnerships successful,such as you and Warren. What are your thoughts on that?

Charlie: Well I'll tell you what makes a partnership successful. Two talented people working wellthe together. Of course that works better.

Question 16: In the past you've praised the significance of cultures at firms like Glenair, Kiewit,and Costco. What are your views on the culture at Daily Journal and in particular Journal Technologies and similar to your Berkshire 50 year essay, can you share a multi-decade vision for Journal Technologies.

Charlie: Well you got to remember that I was old when Journal Technologies came into being. Iguess I had a weak moment when…Guerin talked me into it. And it worked because Gerry took a hold of it and work miracles. So I don't deserve much credit. It's Guerin and Salzman who are responsible for Journal Technologies. I just clap. I'm good at clapping.

Question 17: You speak about the importance of fishing in waters with ample fish. If you werestarting out today, what sea would you be fishing in, other than China of course.

Charlie: Well other than China, but…if there's one good place in the world that's more than myshare. There are others I'm sure, but it's hard for me to believe that any can get better for the Mungers than China. So I can't help you. I've solved my problem. You'll have to solve yours. By the way, the water's fine in China. Some very smart people are wading in. And in due course I think more will wade in. The great companies of China are cheaper than the great companies of the United States.

Question 18: I have a question regarding long term investment and compound interest. In thelast few years with very low interest rates out there it's been difficult to find opportunities for having a long term compound interest based strategy. So beyond investing in Berkshire, Value Investing, or index funding, where would you invite us to find opportunities for long term investment where compound interest is really that force?

Charlie: Well, my advice for a seeker of compound interest that works ideally is toreduce yourexpectations. Because I think it's going to be tougher for a while. And it helps to have realistic expectations. Makes you less crazy. I think that…you know they say that common stocks from the aftermath of the Great Depression, which was the worst in the English speaking world in hundreds of years, to the present time may be an index that's produced 10 percent. Well that's pre-inflation. After inflation it may be 7 percent or something. And the difference between 7 and 10 in terms of its consequences are just hugely dramatic over that long period of time. And if that's 7 in real terms, but achieved starting at a perfect period and through the greatest boom in history, starting now it could well be 3 percent or 2 percent in real terms. It's not unthinkable you'd have 5 percent returns and 3 percent inflation or some ghastly consequences like that. The ideal way to cope with that is to say, “If that happens, I can have a happy life.” Because why shouldn't you be happy in spite of the fact that civilization wasn't quite as easy as it was for my generation. Now beyond that, when it gets more difficult, how should you do it? Well the answer is, because it's going to be very difficult, you should work at it. And if all that gets you is 6 percent for a lifetime of work instead of 5, you should be cheerful about it. If you want to hit it out of the park easily, you should talk to Jim Cramer. (laughter)

Question 19: Building on the question about the corporate culture at Daily Journal Corporation,could we ask the other board members about the long term succession plan for the board.

Charlie: I don't think we want to go to another speaker. (laughter)

Question 20: Has the Berkshire Hathaway equity portfolio outperformed the S&P over the lastfive or ten years? And if it has not, why wouldn't Berkshire just invest in the S&P for its equity portfolio?

Charlie: I think Warren, who is after all a mere boy of 89, thinks that Berkshire can do a littlebetter than the S&P. From this point. I don't think many people can, but he may be right about himself and the team he has in place. It won't be by huge margins, that I confidently predict.

Question 21: How do you think about downside protection and how do you know when to exitan investment?

Charlie: Well you're not talking to a great ‘exiter'. My Berkshire I bought it in 1966. My Costco Ibought… I mean I've been a good picker. But other people know more exiting. I'm trying never to have to exit. So you're talking to the wrong…I think there are working styles of investmentsthat work well with constant exits. It just hasn't happened been my forte. So I'm no good at exits. I don't like even looking for exits. I'm looking for holds. Think of the pleasure I've got from watching Costco march ahead. Such an utter meritocracy and it does so well. Why would I trade that experience for a series of transactions that make me a little…In the first place, I'd be less rich not more after taxes. The second place is it's a much less satisfactory life than rooting for people I like and admire. So I say find Costco's, not good exits.

Question 22:

You mentioned that in an interview with CNBC on May 2018, Berkshire toorestrained on buying more Apple stock. Do you still believe so?

Charlie:

Question 23: Last year you said that you wish you had more of Apple stock, but now its pricehas declined by a lot, so what is your opinion about its moat or the competitive advantage. Why do you think it has declined?

Charlie: Well I don't know why Apple stock is going up or down. I know enough about it so Iadmire the place, but I don't know enough to have any big opinion about why it's going up and down recently. Part of our secret is that we don't attempt to know a lot of things. I have a pile on my desk that solves most of my problems, it's called the ‘too hard' pile. And I just keep shifting things ‘too hard' pile. And everyone once in a while an easy decision comes along and I make it. That's my system. Everything was the ‘too hard' pile, except for a few easy decisions which I make, promptly.

Question 24:

When you're assessing the quality of a business do you place more emphasis onquantitative metrics such as return on invested capital or qualitative ideas like brand strength or quality of management?

Charlie:

Question 25: The simple life is the obvious right answer, but most of America ends up likeMozart, in debt and overspending. How did you maintain the discipline to live the simple life in the face of all these other temptations?

Charlie: I was born this way. (laughter)

Question 26: I'm an engineer at BYD, and I was interested to hear your perspective on thecurrent state of infrastructure in the U.S. and some areas of growth that you might see in the future for infrastructure.

Charlie: Well I think infrastructure will be a big deal. Practically everybody…in China where BYDis so active, by the way the Daily Journal owns some BYD, but BYD is going to be huge electric vehicles. They are already huge. And they're going to be much more huge. And then they're going to be huge in monorails which is also a business whose time has come. And they're also huge in these lithium batteries, and the lithium batteries are being improved…materially improved. And the place is full of fanatics, and by the way they're a big supplier to Apple and Huawei. And they're a very satisfactory supplier to those things. So I am terribly impressed with BYD and its been one of the real pleasures of my life to… Wang Chuanfu is the eighth son of a peasant. An older brother recognizing a genius had been born into the family, he just gave up everything in life to nurture that little brother genius. Now that's Confucianism. And by the way Confucianism will do a lot better for civilization than the Ford Foundation did. Confucianism with a strong family ethos like that is a really constructive thing. And Confucianism partly created BYD. That older brother of Wang Chuanfu was a hero. And of course what Wang Chuanfu has done is a miracle. And of course that was a venture capital type investment. We bought marketable securities, not Berkshire, but Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) did. And it's been a wonderful investment and it's been a very admirable company. And I like being part of something that's inventing better lithium batteries and better monorails and so on and so on. So if you work for BYD, you're a very fortunate person and you're gonna have a wonderful life watching and participating. You could hardly have a better employer. At least if you like demanding achievement and 80 hour weeks.

Question 27: You mentioned earlier that when you had an opportunity to raise prices you didn'twant to raise them during the Great Recession because it didn't seem right for Charlie Munger (Trades, Portfolio) to be raising prices on people that were losing their houses. So I wanted to thank you for that as well.

Charlie: Nobody else ever has.

Question 27 (continued…): I wanted to ask you about the causes of the Great Recession,specifically the credit ratings agencies, and your twenty four standard causes of human misjudgment. I think they hit them pretty much all. Pavlovian Association, denial,…

Charlie: You're right about that. The financial behavior in our leading financial institutions wasinexcusably awful. When other people were making money in a disreputable stupid fashion, everybody piled in because they didn't want somebody else to be making money and they're not participating. The standards in lending, the standards in managing…It was disgusting intellectually, disgusting morally, and of course it caused a whirlwind that could have taken the whole civilization down into a Great Depression. That's a pretty major sin. And none of those people's been punished. It's usual that I agree so thoroughly with Elizabeth Warren, but it was wrong to have that big of a mess and have nobody punished.

Question 27 (continued…): I've written a blueprint for a nonprofit credit ratings agency and I'dlove to get your feedback.

Charlie: Things that far out I usually leave to other people and not because Berkshire Hathawayowns a big chunk of one of the credit rating agencies. But I can see why the existing situation would draw your concern. But there are some human problems I don't want to bother with. And you have just produced one. But you're right it wasn't perfect.

Question 28: My question relates to the country's national debt. We've just recently

passed twenty two trillion dollars and our debt to GDP is above 100 percent now. At a time when our GDP may be near a peak and interest rates may be rising. It seems to me that politicians seem fine running the deficit because there when the crisis comes, and consumers are happy to take a deficit because it's better to consume now than tomorrow. My question is, do you think that there's something we can do about this? And if so, what should be done? Or is human psychology such that until the crisis is upon us, it's hard to imagine anything it's done?

Charlie: Well that's a very interesting question. The whole science of economics had no idea 15years ago that it would be possible to print money on the present scale, and get so awash in internal debt as we have. And certainly in a place like Japan, which is way more extreme, nobody dreamed that was possible. And the people who did dream what was possible…and they were few…they would not have predicted 20 years of stasis in spite of everything the Japanese did which was very extreme.

There's a lot that's peculiar in what we're doing and eventually if you try and solve all your problems by printing money there'll be some disaster. When it's coming and how bad it will be, nobody knows. Nobody dreamed 15 years ago we could do as much as we have now with as little bad consequence. Churchill use to say that Clement Attlee had a lot to be modest about. Well that's the way I feel about the economics profession. They have a lot to be modest about. They thought they knew a lot, but turned out not to be so. There was a Greek philosopher that said, “No man steps in the same river twice.” You know the river is different the second time he comes in and so is the man. And that's the way with economics. It's not like physics where the same damn principles are going to apply. You do the same damn thing at a different time and you get a different result. It's complicated.

And of course you're raising a very important question. And of course nobody really knows the answer. Who knows how much of this we can get by with. My personal bet is that these democracies will eventually borrow too much and cause some real troubles. I don't knowwhen.

Question 29: A lot of people ask how you determine what investment or deal to do, and you tellpeople that you can do this fairly quickly. My question is how do you tell if a money manager or management of a company has the right character or the right integrity? How long does it take you to do that and what are some traits that you look for?

Charlie: Well now that I found Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) I don't look for anybody else. So I'm the wrong person.

What are my chances I'm going to get somebody better than Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio). So it's very easy for me.

What you need is a Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) and I don't know how to get you one.

Question 30: Last year we saw a record amount of share repurchases, and now we're hearingrhetoric out of Washington D.C. specifically legislation to curb stock buybacks. What's your take on stock buybacks and do you think politicians should be telling companies what to do?

Charlie: Well generally speaking I'm restrained in my enthusiasm for politicians tellingcorporations what they should do. But I will say this. When it was a very good idea for companies to buy back their stock they didn't do very much. And when the stocks got so high price that it's frequently a bad idea, they're doing a lot. Welcome to adult life. This isthe way it is. But it's questionable at the present levels whether a lot of it is smart. Was Eddie Lambert smart to buy back so much Sears Roebuck? No. And there's a lot of that kind of mistake that's been made.

Question 31: Similar to your Mozart anecdote, I wanted to ask you, what advice would you havefor someone my age looking to live a long successful life like yourself.

Charlie: Well I haven't had that much success changing any of my children. And I don't think Ican give helpful advice to a perfect stranger. It's hard to improve the next generation, and the standard result is going to be mediocre. Some people are going to succeed. They're going to be few. That's the way human significance is allotted. Human significance will always go to the few. There's no way of creating enough (few in significance), to meet the demand. I think personal discipline, personal morality, good colleagues, good ideas, all the simple stuff. I'd say, if you want to carry one message from Charlie Munger (Trades, Portfolio) it's this, “If it's trite it's right.” All those old virtues, they all work.

Question 32:

You point out a great deal of human folly, but you don't seem to be that upsetabout it. Has that always been the case and is that a correct perception

Charlie:

Question 33: What is your proudest accomplishment in life and why?

Charlie: I don't have a single accomplishment in life that I'm all that proud of. I set out to try andhave more uncommon sense than most. Pretty limited objective. I am pleased I did as well as I did in that game. If I had to do it all over again, I think it'd be a lot harder. I think part of my success was being born in the right place at the right time. So, I'm not particularly proud of success that came from being born in the right place at the right time. I'm pleased but not proud.

Question 34: Mr. Salzman. I have a question for you. Could please comment on how JournalTechnologies implements the invariant strategy principles? Things like trust, getting employees to go all in, positive sum, and win/win relationships.

Charlie: Gerry that's a simple question. How do you solve the problems of God?

Gerry Salzman: First of all you have to deal with each individual because each individual, eachemployee, each independent contractor that we have to work with, each client is different. And so you have to relate to their specific circumstance. You do not handle it because it's in a checklist or something.

Question 35: This question is for both of Charlie and Peter. Charlie once said any year that youdon't destroy one of your best loved ideas is probably a wasted year. Have either of you destroyed any of your beloved ideas in 2018? And if so, what are they?

Charlie: Guerin have you destroyed any good ideas 2018?

Rick Guerin: …Probably unbeknownst to me.

Gerry Salzman: We always think into the future, we're not worried about the past. It's just thatsimple. The day ends, we're on to something different. It's a different challenge every day. And the good part about my job, it changes every day. So I face something different. I'm more like a newspaper editor. I start with the blank page every day. Well how do I go to the next situation? How do I solve a particular problem? That's my day. That's what I do.

Question 36: In October 2008, a month after Lehman filed bankruptcy and in the depths of theabyss, Mr. Buffett famously wrote an editorial saying that he was buying stocks and he was bullish on America. You're famous for bottom ticking Wells Fargo in March of 2009. What made you decide to buy Wells Fargo in March of 2009 instead of October of 2008?

Charlie: Well I had the money in the later period. And the stock was cheaper. Those are twovery important parts of the purchase.

Question 37: I've heard that you started some new real estate developments. What are youdeveloping now and what's going to be the key to its success?

Charlie: No I bought some apartment houses for my grandchildren. It seemed like a good ideaat the time. By the way that phrase, ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.', came to me from a man I knew many years ago. In five minutes between trains he managed to conceive an illegitimate child by somebody he met in the bar car. And my father was asked by the young

man's father, he had a nice wife and three children, “What the hell were you thinking about?” And you know what the young man said? “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” (laughter)

Question 38: Herb Kelleherpassed away recently and I'm hoping that maybe you have someanecdotes about Herb that you would like to share with us?

Charlie: Yeah well. Well he was a very remarkable business man. I never knew him, but he wasan original and he created an amazingly sound company while drinking one hell of a lot of whiskey and smoking a hell of a lot of cigarettes. This is not my personal style. To do as well as he did with so much Bourbon and so many cigarettes, it set a new record in human life. So, we should all remember Herb Kelleher. And we should all wish we could have so much strength that we could abuse it so much and still perform. I didn't get such a hand. I regarded it as a miracle.

Question 39: If you didn't have access to Li Lu (Trades, Portfolio) and to the Chinese exchanges through him, likemany Americans don't, would you feel comfortable investing in the American Depository Shares of most Chinese companies that are comprised of a V.I.E. Structure and offer shareholders few rights and minimal protections from the Chinese government?

Charlie: I don't know much about depository shares. I tend to be suspicious of all investmentproducts created by professionals. I tend to go where nothing is being hawked aggressively or merchandise…sold aggressively. So you're talking about a world in which I don't even enter. So I can't help you. You're talking about a territory I avoid.

Question 40: The derivative portfolios of major U.S. banks are getting quite large on thebalance sheets. S.E.C. reporting doesn't require much transparency. So do you worry about this kind of stuff in the banks that you own? And do you worry about other banks as well?

Charlie: All intelligent investors worry about banks because banks present temptations to theirmanagers to do dumb things. There's so many things you can easily do in a bank that looks like a cinch way of reporting more earnings soon, where it's a mistake to do it, long-term considerations being properly considered. As Warren puts it, “The trouble with banking is there are more banks than there are good bankers.” And he's right about that. So I would say that if you invest in banks you have to go in at a time when you got a lot going for you. Because there'll be a fair amount of stupidity that creeps into banking.

Question 41: When you don't have the luxury of picking your negotiation counter parties, what'syour best recommendation for dealing with somebody who, not only won't negotiate rationally but will also criticize you for trying to negotiate rationally?

Charlie: You're talking about a situation I try and solve by avoidance. If I can solve that problemI'd have a line around the block. I mean you wouldn't be able to squeeze in here. Everybody who has an insoluble problem with a difficult person…Think of what we'd all do to solve that one? I'm afraid I don't have a solution to that one. Avoidance is my general principle method.

Question 42: I have two questions. Both you and Mr. Buffett worked in Buffett's grandpa'sgrocery store during your teenage years. Do you think that your early working experience helped

give you a strong advantage in this investing profession?

Charlie: Absolutely. I was able to learn from my dead great grandfather when I was a little boy.What I learned at a very young age when I was just a kid, I could see some of the adults around me were nuts and yet they were very talented. I could see how much irrationality there was in very talented people.

So I got interested in seeking out the patterns and understanding why it happened and learning tricks to cope and so on. And I did that when I was a little kid. And of course it helped me. Who is not helped by an early start in a promising activity? And what activity could be more promising than in diagnosing stupidity?

Question 43: What level of discount would you be applying to potential investments today?

Charlie: Well generally speaking, I think the professional investors have to accept less than theywere used to getting under different conditions. Just as an old man expects less out of his sex life than he had when he was 20.

Question 44: I want to come back to William Thorndike books, and I now have the list of theeight companies. It is General Dynamics, Berkshire Hathaway, The Washington Post, DCI, Capital Cities, Teledyne, General Cinema, and Ralston Purina. I know that Berkshire Hathaway had the long-term investment in the Washington Post and Capital Cities and have been invested in companies of John Malone. But why did Berkshire not have a long-term investment into General Dynamics, Teledyne, General Cinema, or Ralston Purina?

Charlie: Well we did have a huge investment in General Dynamics for a long time and we madean enormous amount of money with it. After the defense business contracted, nobody else was willing to sell anything except for General Dynamics, which kept selling at higher and higher prices. And Warren noticed that. We had a huge position in general dynamics and made a fortune. We always admired the founder of Teledyne who was a genius. Henry Singleton. But we admired him from afar, we never invested. It's just one of many mistakes of omission.

Question 45: I was happy to see you at this meeting turned 90, now you're ninety-five…

Charlie: You think you're happy, think of the way I feel! (laughter)

Question 45 (continued…): Well I hope you live to be 120 and I always thank you for yourpositive influence on our lives. My question is related to stress and sleep and longevity. In business, there are what I call ‘criminal competitors'. You're honest and ethical but the competitor across the street is beating you by cheating and running a massive insurance fraud. Business and life can cause a lot of stress, but you've always seemed to stay cool. What mental tools do you use to de-focus and keep your equanimity for ninety-five years? How do you detach? And even during the Salomon Brothers scandal were you always able to get eight hours of sleep at night?

Charlie: Well that is not true. As a matter of fact, I had more difficulty sleeping when I wasyoung, but I do have a tip that I've learned late in life. I never consciously blanked out my mind when I tried to go to sleep, so I allowed my mind to wrestle through my problems and keep me awake very very late while I lay in bed wrestling with problems. And then if I didn't sleep well one night I figured, “What the hell I'll sleep the next night.” But that was pretty stupid. But now I actually deliberately blank out my mind I can go to sleep rather easily and I recommend it to all of you. It really works. I don't know why the hell I didn't get to it before 93. (laughter)

Question 47: You gave Robert Cialdini one share of Berkshire for writing influence, and atwenty thousand dollar check to Atul Gawande for writing a New Yorker article on health care. Are there any other writers you gave something to for their writing or ideas?

Charlie: I've forgotten, but there aren't many.Atul Gawandeis a very remarkable person and sois Cialdini. So I do that kind of weird stuff occasionally, but I don't do it all the time. I'm proud of those two by the way.

Question 48: If someone can invent a time machine and you can go back and have dinner withyour 41 year old self, what piece of advice would you give your former self?

Charlie: Well I'd avoid that one mistake of omission that cost me half of the net worth I wouldnow have if I'd been smarter. We can all go back and make some decision better. But it's the nature of thing that you're going to blow one occasionally. My general idea is there's no point in fretting too much about what you can't fix. It's a big mistake to fill yourself with resentments and hatreds and so on. It's such a simple idea but so many people ruin their lives unnecessarily. Envy is such a stupid thing to have because you can't possibly have any fun with that particular sin. Who in the hell ever had any fun in envy? What good could envy possibly do for you? And somebody is always going to be doing better than you are. It's really stupid. So my system at life is to figure out what's really stupid and avoid it. It doesn't make me popular, but it prevents a lot of trouble.

Question 49: Could you comment on why there's so little health care in the Berkshire portfolio?

Charlie: I think we don't understand it well enough and we don't like a lot that we do understand.

Those are two pretty good reasons for not investing.

Question 50: Do you have any thoughts on a winner-take-all business model, and have youseen it in the 50's and 60′?

Charlie: That's ideal if you can find one in advance and predict it accurately. It's perfect. Winnertake all. It's obviously perfect. It's very difficult to do because everyone's looking for the same thing.

Question 51: I'm at a point in my life where I don't really know my circle of competence, so Iwould like to know how you found yours.

Charlie: Well it's a hugely important thing, knowing the edge. It's hardly a competence if youdon't know the edge of it. You know, if you have a misapprehension regarding your own competency that means you lack competence, you're going to make terrible mistakes. I think you've got to constantly measure what you achieve against other people of achievement, and you have to keep being determinedly rational, and avoiding a lot of self-delusion. But after a lifetime of observing it, I think the tendency to be pretty rational about one's own competency is largely genetic. I think people like Warren and I were just born this way. Now it took a lot of education. But I think we were born with the right temperament to do what we did. And I have no way of taking you back and rebirthing you.

Question 52: In spite of being partners for so long, why is Warren so much richer than you?

Charlie: Well. He got an earlier start. He's probably a little smarter. He works harder. There arenot a lot of reasons. Why was Albert Einstein poorer than I was? (laughter)

We are coming to the end of our allotted time. I'll take one more question and then we'll quite

Question 53: You've been very positive on the investment prospects for China and you've saidthat most of Americans are missing out on China. What do you think we're missing? And what should we be aware of when we invest in China?

Charlie: Well what you're missing is that there's more opportunities there than there is here.And I don't see how I can guide you any more firmly than that. Are you finding things so easy here you don't need China?

Well with that we're through.

Gerry Salzman: Thank you all for attending the Daily Journal shareholder meeting this year. Wewelcome you all back for next year.