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Six Keys to Investing Buffett Style


1. Make money by not losing money. It's an oft-quoted Buffettism: "The first rule of investing is don't lose money; the second rule is don't forget Rule No. 1."

2. Don't get fooled by earnings. Buffett has noted that "most companies define 'record' earnings as a new high in earnings per share." But he says the fact that earnings per share are rising in itself tells you little, because it does not take into account how much shareholders have invested. The more that shareholders invest in a company, the greater its earnings should be.

3. Look to the future. They don't call Buffett the Oracle of Omaha for nothing. While Graham was always reluctant to predict the health of a business, Buffett makes a conscious attempt to identify companies with a good chance of continuing their success 25 years into the future.

4. Stick with companies with wide "moats." Since it's risky to predict the future, Buffett always talks about favoring companies with wide "economic moats." This doesn't necessarily mean that a company has to have a lock on a product or a market. Coca-Cola, for instance, certainly has competition. But Buffett always looks for companies with long-term competitive advantages that make forecasting safer.

5. When you bet, bet big. Most value investors are conservative by nature. The average manager of a value stock fund spreads his or her bets among 146 different stocks, according to fund tracker Morningstar. Not Buffett. The $62 billion that he has invested in publicly traded stocks is concentrated in only about 45 names.

6. Don't be afraid to wait. If you take big swings in the stock market, as Buffett does, there's a big risk of striking out. Buffett's rule: Don't swing that often. And don't swing at bad pitches.
 

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