Warren Buffett: Investor and Entrepreneur

This ho-hum paean to Warren Buffett covers well-trod ground about the investor’s life and career. Finkle (Lessons Learned from Leading Entrepreneurs), an entrepreneurship professor at Gonzaga University, begins with Buffett’s upbringing as the son of a stockbroker and describes his first moneymaking ventures, including an enterprise that took in money from pinball machines Buffett placed in local stores while he was in high school. Progressing through Buffett’s early career, the author discusses the investor’s 1965 purchase of textile manufacturer Berkshire Hathaway, its transformation into a holding company in 1969, and the contributions of right-hand man Charlie Munger, who masterminded successful investments in Geico, Coca-Cola, and Gillette. Finkle outlines Buffett’s investment philosophy, which includes valuing legacy companies over startups, holding on to investments “indefinitely,” and collecting firsthand knowledge about companies before investing (Buffett invested in American Express in 1963 despite a recent plummet in its stock value because he noticed shoppers were still using the company’s credit cards). The biographical background is well-researched, but Finkle’s uncritical treatment frequently indulges in hagiography and brings little new to the table about the “Oracle of Omaha.” The result is a serviceable if overly adulatory account of Buffett’s life. (Mar.)