Investment Advice from an Old Bastard

I know a lot on here are interested in investment, inflation and interest rates, I was reading this today and the observations that Charlie Munger makes is something that many ....lets say older people feel with todays generation's and the ultimate advice they are given.

Take from it what you will but it is a good read regardless.

At 98-years-old, Charlie Munger still delivers the one-liners

Charlie Munger has been investing with Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway since 1978. While Warren hosts the company’s Annual Shareholder Meetings, answering questions for hours, it is Charlie who delivers the acerbic wit. Given his wealth and age, nobody and nothing is off limits, sometimes to Warren’s chagrin. It makes for fine entertainment when he is prepared to speak the truth that others avoid.

Charlie was born on 1 January 1924, and to mark his 98th birthday, some of his one-liners are collected on this video. As the introduction says:

“Charlie Munger isn't just one of the greatest investors who has ever lived, he is also one of the few brilliant minds who basically has no filter. When he sees something which he thinks is wrongdoing or stupid, he just can't help but being opinionated and speak up about it.”

Let ‘er rip, Charlie

“Those of you who are about to enter business school or are there, I recommend you learn to do it our way but at least until you're out of school, you have to pretend to do it their way.”

“Warren, if people weren't so often wrong, we wouldn't be so rich.”

“I think you would understand any presentation using the word EBITDA, if every time you saw that word, you just substituted the phrase ‘bullshit earnings’.”

“I'm optimistic about life. I can be optimistic when I’m nearly dead. Surely the rest of you can handle a little inflation.”

“The best way to get what you want in life is to deserve what you want. How could it be otherwise? It's not crazy enough so that the world is looking for a lot of undeserving people to reward.”

“Everybody wants fiscal virtue but not quite yet. They're like that guy who felt that way about sex. He’s willing to give it up but not quite yet.”

“Well, you don't want to be like the motion picture executive in California. They said the funeral was so large because everybody wanted to make sure he was dead.”

“It was investment banker-aided fraud. Not exactly novel.”

“Sure, there are a lot of things in life way more important than wealth. All that said, some people do get confused. I play golf with a man he says, ‘What good is health, you can't buy money with it.’"

“Well, there are a lot of things I don't think about and one of them is companies that are losing $2-3 billion a year and going public.”

“In accounting, you can do things like they do in Italy when they have trouble with the mail. It piles up and irritates the postal employees. They just throw away a few cartloads and everything flows smoothly.”

“The general system for money management requires people to pretend that they can do something that they can't do, and to pretend to like it when they really don't. I think that's a terrible way to spend your life, but it's very well paid.”

“I can't give you a formulaic approach because I don't use one. If you want a formula, you should go back to graduate school. They'll give you lots of formulas that won't work.”

“As Samuel Johnson said famously, ‘I can give you an argument, but I can't give you an understanding.’"

“It's perfectly obvious, at least to me, that to say that derivative accounting in America is a sewer is an insult to sewage.”

“Competency is a relative concept. And what a lot of us need, including the one speaking when I needed to get ahead, was to compete against idiots. And luckily, there's a large supply."

“I don't like multi-tasking. I see these people doing three things at once and I think, what a terrible way that is to think.”

“I like cryptocurrency currencies a lot less than you do. And I think that professional traders who go into trading cryptocurrencies, it's just disgusting. It's like somebody else is trading turds and you decide ‘I can't be left out.'"

“Once I asked a man who just left a large investment bank and I said, ‘How's your firm make its money?’ He said, 'Off the top, off the bottom, off both sides and in the middle.'"

“Well, I would rather throw a viper down my shirt front than hire a compensation consultant.”

“I think I'm offended enough.”

 

You need to be a member of 1Eyed Eel to add comments!

Join 1Eyed Eel

Votes: 0
Email me when people reply –

Replies

                  • You guys seen the old Fryers Club Roasts?

                  • She features in the roast that Krupty put up....legend comedian that everyone wanted to take the piss out of.

            • We know what drum you hold the beat to when you go to bed at night Seth.LOL

              I always remember Ava Gardner being interviewed after the film made in Mellbourne, "On the Beach" in 1959.....I was quiet young then so I must have read in a later book.....but her quote always stuck in my mind when she said if the end of the world was going to happen it would be most appropriately Melbourne, implying it was the arsehole of the world!

          • Thanks Pops I will put them on my watch list.I like historical war  films. This one is interesting Munich The Edge of War. The politics of war  and deception

             

        • Thought you would enjoy it Tad,

          I also stuffed the rest of the post trying to correct the date from 1983 to 1883 an old style western prequell to Kevin Costner's Yellowstone. Stars Sam Elliott.

          Also recommend Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos (Kidman) is brilliant in it.

          Finally another show I really enjoyed was "Finch" a Tom hanks film about a guy dying and building a robot to look after his dog.....I cried unashamably at the end............. I read a review that said it lacked originality LOL

  • Charlie and Warren are legends, No doubt. From 1964 to 2020, Berkshire's stock delivered a compound annual growth rate of 20%. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index generated an annualized gain of 10.2% -- including dividends.

     Things are changing rapidly. If someone bragged they made 20% pa to the average Defi Degen they would be pretty unimpressed. That represents an OK week for the competent.

This reply was deleted.

Latest comments

Adam Magrath replied to Hell On Eels's discussion The Eels v Lomax: Timeline and Key Questions
"It could well further delay the hearing. I mean it's only fair that we are afforded the opportunity to undertake our own independent assessment of Lomax's state of mind (especially considering the inference is being made that it's our actions that…"
19 minutes ago
adnan replied to adnan's discussion Pre-Season Challenge, R2: Game day blog vs Sharks
"thats the leb in him"
22 minutes ago
Eelovution replied to Hell On Eels's discussion The Eels v Lomax: Timeline and Key Questions
"More than ever  we fans must stand in solidarity with the board on this matter. Can we trust Vlandys on this matter to be equitable? His comments are dubious."
30 minutes ago
Mitchy replied to Hell On Eels's discussion The Eels v Lomax: Timeline and Key Questions
"Good outline here HOE; what will be interesting is the texts / ph calls and records of them.
To me PVL has shown himself to be a puppy dog for the bigger teams and his 'mental health' call is classical. Lomax' mental state seemed ok when he left…"
50 minutes ago
SuperEel 22’s discussion was featured
Trials always present the double edged sword of fans getting excited that footy is finally returning, while trying to hold back on any bold predictions given the chopping and changing that occurs at this time of year. 
Parramatta fielded a mix of…
1 hour ago
Hell On Eels replied to Hell On Eels's discussion The Eels v Lomax: Timeline and Key Questions
"Mannah-Brow, great to see you.
Good question. I'm not sure. Has a mental health assessment been made or is V'landy's offering a strong personal opinion? 
On 24 December 2025, Storm and Lomax reached a non-binding agreement for 2026. But the exact…"
1 hour ago
EA replied to adnan's discussion Pre-Season Challenge, R2: Game day blog vs Sharks
"Latu is dev this year and top 30 next year.
But I do agree that the RR team have to chose between juniors and exisiting players in the near future."
1 hour ago
Coryn Hughes replied to adnan's discussion Pre-Season Challenge, R2: Game day blog vs Sharks
"Again this is the making of the club we don't want easy choices talent wise we want to make JRs decisions as tough as possible.
As an example Saxon Pryke I see a lot of Jmaine Hopgood in the way he plays similar sized player but may need another…"
1 hour ago
DDay replied to Hell On Eels's discussion Picking Up Where We Left Off?
"Agree with the "cohesion" comment. Watching at Hensen Park, I was impressed by how sharp we looked; when the Eels had the ball the Sharks were backpedaling and, when defending, our our line speed was pressuring the Sharks.
And it was constant, same…"
1 hour ago
Mannah-Brow replied to Hell On Eels's discussion The Eels v Lomax: Timeline and Key Questions
"I think this could be good for our court matter.
These comments from V'landys and the NRL that follow on from the text message from the  Storm to the NRL to 'apply the blowtorch' give weight to the inference that this is exactly what the NRL are…"
1 hour ago
Coryn Hughes replied to adnan's discussion Pre-Season Challenge, R2: Game day blog vs Sharks
"Exactly how we want it now we just have to have that sought of competition in the outside backs.
This is what protects us from the salary cap and all we have to do is keep the correct players.That's the key.
Continue stacking the talent."
1 hour ago
Adam Magrath replied to SuperEel 22's discussion CONFIRMED: Storm asked NRL to bully Eels into Lomax deal
"If this is the angle being taken Lomax needs to undergo the appropriate forms of assessment. If proven to be legitimate, he may not be fit to play for any club at this point in time."
2 hours ago
LB replied to adnan's discussion Pre-Season Challenge, R2: Game day blog vs Sharks
"Penisini was good, his attack had purpose with each carry. Saying he played like a rookie? Come on.
Do not tell me to calm down mate. "
2 hours ago
Eelovution replied to SuperEel 22's discussion CONFIRMED: Storm asked NRL to bully Eels into Lomax deal
"The Vlandys support of Lomax continues with a release today, commenting that the current actions are affecting Lomax's mental health. Mental health is a serious issue and should not be used as an argument to change the public discussion and position…"
3 hours ago
Johnny Suede replied to adnan's discussion Pre-Season Challenge, R2: Game day blog vs Sharks
"Good to see some Russell love, but it was only a trial game against an ordinary Cronulla reserve grade side. Russell probably had the most first-grade experience of anyone out there. Let's see how the next six months pan out."
3 hours ago
KingGutho replied to adnan's discussion Pre-Season Challenge, R2: Game day blog vs Sharks
"We had a decent hit out, in saying that the sharks didn't throw to much at us.
i thought T Brown looks really good, maybe a debut this year.
Pryke looked good, except for he's hands 
twiddle and Lorenzo looked pretty solid as well.
our juniors are…"
3 hours ago
More…

Keaon done deal

As of Thursday, December 11, 2025, South Sydney Rabbitohs forwardKeaon Koloamatangi has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Parramatta Eels, but it is not yet officially announced by the clubs.  Soon to be announced.

Read more…
14 Replies · Reply by Poppa Jan 9
Views: 2074

 

V'Landys on Hello Sport

Happy Monday, if anyone wants a good laugh to start their week, skip to 32:50 mark and listen to this f***wit talk. It is laughable seriously. Claiming the offer of $300k was a great deal and we can put that into our junior system. But said we can…

Read more…
0 Replies
Views: 141

Picking Up Where We Left Off?

Obviously, it’s only a trial. Other than reviving Henson Park, at best it's test of whether juniors' physicality is up to the task. We passed that test. Perhaps, there were symptoms of something else. We seemed to have picked up where we left off at…

Read more…
1 Reply · Reply by DDay 1 hour ago
Views: 216

<script src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- Sidebar -->
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<script>// <![CDATA[
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
// ]]></script>