How to Invest Like Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett is perpetually one of the richest people in the world and almost universally considered to be the greatest stock picker the world has ever known.

While you might not ever be worth $50 billion, you can certainly learn a thing or two from "The Oracle" and greatly increase your wealth over the long-term.

Though Mr. Buffet has never officially written down his process for evaluating and choosing stocks, there is a lot that can be learned from his letters to his shareholders.

These rules are in line with those shareholder letters:

1. Rule #1: Don't lose money. Warren's basic philosophy is to purchase a stock for less than it's worth and then let the rest of the world finally figure it out, too. This is commonly referred to as value investing and has been the corner stone of his philosophy from the very beginning.

* In fact, the rest of the rules are really rules to find these companies.

2. The company must have strong profitability. Buffet prefers companies that are already profitable as opposed to companies that are likely to someday become profitable. There are several measures he utilizes to determine this. Some of these include Return on Equity (ROE), Return on Invested Capital (ROIC), and the profit margins.

* ROE - While no one knows for sure, the general consensus is that he wants to see an ROE of 15% or more.

* Profit Margins - In this case, we're talking about dividing net income by net sales. Obviously, the higher the better.

3. The company must have low debt. Too much debt is bad for everyone, including companies. In case you thought we skipped ROIC above, we're getting back to it now. Sometimes a company will appear to have a high ROE, but the number is actually artificially inflated. This can happen when the company is using debt to pay its bills. This is where ROIC comes into play.

* ROIC removes debt from the calculation by adding it back to the shareholder equity prior to completing the ROE calculation. You can simply divide the company's total liabilities by the shareholder equity. The higher the ratio is, the more a company is using debt to grow the company. Be careful.

* Companies with a lot of debt can be harmed when either interest rates rise or credit becomes harder to acquire.

4. The company must have competent management. Buffett has always placed a lot of emphasis on a company's management team. He favors intelligent, humble management that doesn't simply follow the crowd. He has stated that his company simply allocates capital; it does not provide management.

* He has traditionally stayed out of influencing a company's management, but he insists that good management be present. Ensure the companies you invest in are being run by a competent management team.

5. Comprehension. Buffet refuses to invest in a business that he doesn't understand. You will find that the businesses in which he invests are relatively simple. He largely avoids the technology companies, because as he has stated, he doesn't really understand that type of business. Only invest in what you are capable of understanding.

6. Be patient. It seems like Buffett has held some stocks since before the dawn of time. He has held many stocks for 5 years or more before the stock ever rose even 1%. Value investing takes time; you're going to have to be patient to see the returns. Don't be in a rush.

While we can't all be Warren Buffett, we can certainly follow his basic principles and improve our own investing results. Focus on under priced companies with a history of profitability, little debt, and a competent management team. And remember to be patient!

If you can do these things consistently, you'll be surprised at the amount of wealth you can gain!

Does Your Spending Reflect Your Priorities?

When most of your money goes toward providing what's most important to you, you tend to live a more fulfilled life and feel more satisfied with the way you spend your money. It's also easier to stick to your personal finance plan when its objectives are to get you what you really want out of life.

Because life priorities can differ drastically from person to person, it's important to be aware of your own personal values.

What do you really want from life? What kind of lifestyle do you seek? What are your life goals? Does your spending reflect those things?

Follow these steps to help determine if your finances are in alignment with your priorities:

1. List your priorities. You might notice different levels of priorities as you write yours down. Things like having a place to live and plenty of food to eat are your basic priorities.

* However, you'll most likely include some "necessary" priorities to ensure a strong future for yourself and your family members, like maintaining good health or providing your kids with a good education.

* Also, list things you love to do that seem more like "luxury" priorities, like reading, traveling or playing golf. These might be on a lower level of priority than your basic priorities, but, nevertheless, they're still important to you, so include these as well.

2. Now, write down how you spend most of your money. Where does it go? Although you may get annoyed that much of your money goes toward the mortgage or paying rent, the fact is that we all require a roof over our heads.

* You might consider the type, size and expense of your home and whether you've gone too far in terms of house expenses. If so, where you live and the mortgage/rent payments might require re-evaluation on your part.

* Maybe a good portion of your dollars goes to other necessary expenses like groceries and paying your utilities. But what else do you spend your money on?

* Do you play slot machines on Saturday for fun and end up losing money? Maybe you love to shop and use shopping as a pastime that ends up costing quite a bit. Perhaps you spend $20 a week on coffee and snacks or $30 a week having drinks with your friends.

* Thoughtfully consider where your money goes from week to week and write it down.

3. Finally, compare your lists. Take a look at your first list, the one with your priorities. Ponder each item; does every item accurately reflect what's important to you? Now examine your second list, the one showing where your money goes. Do the lists appear connected? Does your money go mostly toward your priorities?

* You might be shocked to learn that, even though you listed certain priorities like providing a good education for your children or having a comfortable home, you're spending $100 plus a week on eating out instead of starting an education fund.

* What if you listed reading as one of your priorities, yet you spend nearly $100 a month on cable television you don't watch much? Or if you do, it's the same 3 channels that you'd actually get on a basic cable plan costing less than $40 a month.

* In either case, you've got to ask yourself, "What are my true and real priorities" and "Why aren't I putting my money toward the things that matter most to me?"

Having great clarity in knowing your priorities and being conscious of how you spend your money will help you routinely place money toward what's most important to you. Then, you'll like the way you feel about your finances as funds become available for your favorite things.

Common Real Estate Investing Mistakes

Although real estate may seem like a sure bet for anyone, many investors make the same few mistakes. Eliminate these errors from your investing activities and you'll be well on your way to accumulating the wealth you desire.

Avoid These Mistakes

1. Poor research. Most of us do a lot of research when we plan our vacations or purchase a new television. If you were buying one that was worth 100k, you can bet you'd do even more research! Well, you should be doing that when you purchase a piece of real estate, too.

2. Inadequate financing. Real estate investors frequently like to wheel and deal, and their deals can have a lot of moving parts. Balloon payments, interest-only payments, owner financing, subject-to, and many others are commonplace.

* To make a deal happen, we can get carried away doing everything in our power. Getting a great price doesn't always justify the deal if the financing is inadequate. Are you really sure that you can unload the property or get other financing before that balloon payment comes due?

3. Trying to do everything yourself. Though every real estate investor attempts this at one time or another, you have little chance at success all by yourself. A great investor will have, at a minimum, a real estate agent, attorney, title company, inspector, handyman, and insurance agent - all on speed dial.

* You may not always need them, but they should already be in place, and you shouldn't hesitate to call them if you do want their services. Use your experts to your full advantage.

4. Paying too much. This one is certainly related to doing enough research. Real estate deals primarily sink or swim based on price. If you pay too much, not much can be done to rectify the situation.

* Beginning investors are more likely to mentally fudge the numbers a little bit to make a deal happen. But if the repairs run high, and the price they can sell for is lower than expected, then overpaying in the first place can be disastrous. Do your research and your math and stick to your numbers.

5. Not estimating expenses accurately. This is similar to paying too much. Many investors will look at repairs and think to themselves, "Everyone is saying it will take $20,000 to fix, but I'm sure I can get it done for $14,000." But what if it really takes $23,500? That's part of the reason getting the property at the right price is so important.

* The other aspect of this mistake is not accounting for all expenses. The costs of landscaping, lawn mowing, insurance, utilities, property taxes, and new appliances can really add up in a hurry. Be realistic with your repair planning and take careful notes of all your possible expenses.

Real estate investing is a relatively simple business, but mistakes can create massive challenges in a hurry.

Every seasoned investor has made all of these mistakes. The best investors just make them less often than everyone else. In any housing market, there are moneymaking opportunities, so don't let these mistakes slow you down!