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Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012
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Warren Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway into something remarkable— and Fortune journalist Carol Loomis had a front-row seat for it all. When Carol Loomis first mentioned a little-known Omaha hedge fund manager in a 1966 Fortune article, she didn’t dream that Warren Buffett would one day be considered the world’s greatest investor—nor that she and Buffett would quickly beco
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Hardcover, 345 pages
Published
November 21st 2012
by Portfolio
(first published November 21st 2011)
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Andrew
The main difference is one additional article in the '1966-2013' edition written by Warren for Fortune magazine in May 2013 called "Buffett is bullish ... on women."
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Start your review of Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012
A panoply of Fortune articles, excerpts of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters, and Buffett's speeches, this book strives to depict Warren Buffett as a man and a businessman. It falls short on both fronts. Except for the impressiveness of the chronological compendium of Warren Buffett-isms, the book suffers most from its lack of focus and a coherent, unified thesis that the editor, Carol Loomis, somehow chose to omit. The book reads as though Loomis never really thought hard
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I liked this book overall, but it really wasn't what I expected. Lured by the subtitle "Warren Buffet on Practically Everything," I was expecting a book in which Buffet brought his keen intellect and concise thinking to all sorts of subjects. But the book is primarily about the world of investing, and gets rather technical at points. Still, there is plenty for a layman like myself to enjoy, and I learned a ton, namely that most investing is something to be left to the professionals, and even the
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"Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012: A Fortune Magazine Book"
"Warren Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway into something remarkable-- and Fortune journalist Carol Loomis had a front-row seat for it all.
When Carol Loomis first mentioned a little-known Omaha hedge fund manager in a 1966 Fortune article, she didn't dream that Warren Buffett would one day be considered the world's greatest investor--nor that she and Buffett would quickly become close personal friends. As Buffett's fortu ...more
"Warren Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway into something remarkable-- and Fortune journalist Carol Loomis had a front-row seat for it all.
When Carol Loomis first mentioned a little-known Omaha hedge fund manager in a 1966 Fortune article, she didn't dream that Warren Buffett would one day be considered the world's greatest investor--nor that she and Buffett would quickly become close personal friends. As Buffett's fortu ...more
Oct 22, 2017
Hugo Åkerstrand
added it
This is a hard book to review. First you have to decide whether to review the factual content, the man or the writing. A crude average of all the parameters will tell you that I liked the book. For sure, I have had to struggle with my financial illiteracy during certain sections but I also feel like the book rubbed off some knowledge on me.
And there is of course knowledge to gain when reading a description on one of the worlds most prominent capitalists- we do, whether you like it or not, live ...more
And there is of course knowledge to gain when reading a description on one of the worlds most prominent capitalists- we do, whether you like it or not, live ...more
This is not a book in the sense one develops a thesis or a story. But it another sense it could be, possibly biased by the authors selections. The story it develops is one of buffets life as an investor. Some of the content is quite solid, but some of it could have been avoided without any loss to the central theme of the book. The very short snippets for instance are fun to read, but hardly add anything except to the folklore around the great man. Another thing I have a slight gripe about is ca
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I recently watched the documentary of Warren Buffet on HBO and highly recommend it. This book covers much of the same ground. I think everyone can benefit by learning from the greatest investor of our time. And his sense of humor is terrific too!
Collection of articles through history that have Buffett at the center - newspapers, journals, articles, everything. The clues to his genius and legendary status as one of, if not the richest man in America are found throughout the personal glimpse that Loomis - his personal editor for years - has combined in this collection.
While it does walk similar in line with an autobiography, it's clear that Buffett would prefer to dole out his wisdom through his publically available annual letters to his ...more
While it does walk similar in line with an autobiography, it's clear that Buffett would prefer to dole out his wisdom through his publically available annual letters to his ...more
I originally picked out this book because I like reading biographies on inspirational people, and Warren Buffett just made an impression on me when it said he donated 37 billion dollar to charity
The thing that most impressed me in this book is that it showed everything from Warren Buffet's life including the part on how he built his business empire. He made Berkshire Hathaway into something that is incredible. It showed that he didn't just have success, he also had tremendous failures but he cli ...more
The thing that most impressed me in this book is that it showed everything from Warren Buffet's life including the part on how he built his business empire. He made Berkshire Hathaway into something that is incredible. It showed that he didn't just have success, he also had tremendous failures but he cli ...more
It is a good book to nurish your mind.
A few people have mistaken this book for Warren Buffett's biography, all I can say to them is to please choose your books carefully. This is not a biography but a selection of articles from Fortune magazine and some excerpts of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters and his speeches. It also touches upon topics such as investment principles, philanthropy, work ethics and management decisions. This book can only be useful if you know the background stories behind those articles.
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An excellent and surprising book - much more a trove of stories about the humble, generous, and delightful man than a book about investing, but you certainly learn a thing or two along the way, as well as gain a deep sense of respect for the Oracle of Omaha. It helps that the author is his long-time friend and journalist Carol Loomis; she approaches the story from the human perspective rather than a fawning catalogue of his amazing successes. Still, I finished the book feeling less clever and kn
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Everyone loves Buffett, there is something intriguing about him. I love the wisdom of Warren Buffett and was really looking forward to this book, however it is nothing but tidbits and random bits and pieces of articles written about him (and a few by him) over the last 46 years - organized in chronological order of appearance.
I thought I would read more about why Buffett is 'Tap Dancing to Work' but this book is without any real theme or greater meaning to it. So at times the book didn't hang t ...more
I thought I would read more about why Buffett is 'Tap Dancing to Work' but this book is without any real theme or greater meaning to it. So at times the book didn't hang t ...more
Ok again, I picked this book because it was listed elsewhere as one of the top 25 Book to read by Warren Buffet. Now, when one of the most successful (financial, family, humanity) man in the world recommends just 25 books out of hundreds, you read it silly!!
It does not disappoint. Many interviews and pearls of wisdom are here. If you wish to save money for retirement, invest or just not make bad investment decisions, I’d recommend it. It’s as simple to follow as a law of physics. Gravity exists ...more
It does not disappoint. Many interviews and pearls of wisdom are here. If you wish to save money for retirement, invest or just not make bad investment decisions, I’d recommend it. It’s as simple to follow as a law of physics. Gravity exists ...more
You know how you have an annual report from your 401K sitting around and you find yourself browsing through it when munching on a bowl of cereal? Somehow, someone thought that publishing those articles in the annual reports and Fortune Magazine written by or about Warren Buffet would be a good idea. I definitely disagree, the only marginally interesting parts were the glimpses of his personal life (hey, did you know his birthday is the day before mine?), and there aren't nearly enough to make th
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This is a compilation of Fortune magazine articles. It has some nice golden nuggets in some of the articles, but you won't feel the need to read it cover to cover. It's an interesting read, although I'm not sure that it's the best place to start if you're looking to learn about Warren Buffett. After reading this, I will be reading Security Analysis and anything else written by Benjamin Graham.
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Last month, one of the most influential business journalists of our time decided it was time to hang up the pen. Carol J. Loomis, the longest-tenured journalist ever at Fortune Magazine (60 years!) was recently described as the business writer combination of Cal Ripken Jr (durability and integrity) and Michael Jordan (megastar and superior ability). So it seems apt to take this opportunity to review her 2012 book Tap Dancing to Work – Fortune’s collective pieces on Warren Buffett. One could say
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Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012
Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012 by Carol J. Loomis is a biography of the legendary investor Warren Buffett. This book contains articles written about Warren Buffett and written by Warren Buffett. The book talks about the struggles of the being an investor and other off topics struggles like how much money he should leave to his kids. He goes into some of his personal/childhood life f ...more
Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012 by Carol J. Loomis is a biography of the legendary investor Warren Buffett. This book contains articles written about Warren Buffett and written by Warren Buffett. The book talks about the struggles of the being an investor and other off topics struggles like how much money he should leave to his kids. He goes into some of his personal/childhood life f ...more
I don’t think I am passionate enough about the stock market or care enough about Warren Buffett to thoroughly enjoy this book. Overall, the story could’ve been condensed and gotten the same lessons/advice across. I’m pretty sure I heard about this book from one of Bill Gates’ “top books to read” list... little did I know that he was talked about so much in the book and that he is such a good friend of Buffett’s. With that being said, there are still some good takeaways like not living life looki
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Buffett has the outstanding ability of transforming difficult notions on the market and business into crystal clear concepts using metaphors and intuitive analogies. If you want to understand Buffett and, specifically, his general approach to business and investing, this is your book.
For an amateur investor like myself some of the passages were difficult to read due to the business lingo, but provided great insights when I put my "study hat" on and tried to grasp the concepts.
The format of the ...more
For an amateur investor like myself some of the passages were difficult to read due to the business lingo, but provided great insights when I put my "study hat" on and tried to grasp the concepts.
The format of the ...more
How to invest, run a business and reason with others
A great recollection of the values and principles of Buffet, all in one book.
Key Takeaways
On Buying a Business:
We prefer large, simple businesses (if they use a lot of technology we won’t understand it), consistent earning power, little debt, management in place (we can't supply it) and an offering price (we don't want to waste time). We will not engage in unfriendly transactions. We can promise complete confidentiality and are able to respon ...more
A great recollection of the values and principles of Buffet, all in one book.
Key Takeaways
On Buying a Business:
We prefer large, simple businesses (if they use a lot of technology we won’t understand it), consistent earning power, little debt, management in place (we can't supply it) and an offering price (we don't want to waste time). We will not engage in unfriendly transactions. We can promise complete confidentiality and are able to respon ...more
Money management skills will increase, decent read. It can be dry to some and repetitive , but general financial intellect will improve.
I would recommend anyone who wants to be better money managers in their simple day to day life to pick this book up. You may not be a genius at stocks and debentures but this will instill a sense of discipline when it comes to money. So in the words of warren buffet it's a win win. You learn patterns and thinking's of the sage of Omaha. I don't invest or look i ...more
I would recommend anyone who wants to be better money managers in their simple day to day life to pick this book up. You may not be a genius at stocks and debentures but this will instill a sense of discipline when it comes to money. So in the words of warren buffet it's a win win. You learn patterns and thinking's of the sage of Omaha. I don't invest or look i ...more
Warren Buffett " The God of Stocks" as he's claimed in China is the most formidable proponent of value investing in our era. Carol Loomis has effectively captured his journey of 47 years including his early "hedge fund" days, his big bets and misses, his managerial skills and his take on philanthropy.
Buffett has always been a media darling and there was never going to be a dearth of material to write on him.
Loomis given her close relationship with Buffett and as an insider in Berkshire Hathaway ...more
Buffett has always been a media darling and there was never going to be a dearth of material to write on him.
Loomis given her close relationship with Buffett and as an insider in Berkshire Hathaway ...more
Very interesting read, just found it repetitive at times because it's a collection of published articles over the decades of his life. So we see a lot of the same facts around Buffett - has three kids, his wife Susan passed away, he's Chairman & Chief Executive of Berkshire Hathaway, and the Buffett Foundation manages his charitable giving. I did like the dynamics between Bill Gates & Buffett and their friendly banter. Seems like Buffett has a soft heart & a good sense of humor. When Obama propo
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A great book to begin with. Not only does it provide insight into Warren Buffett’s career and business rules, it brings readers to the rudimental characteristic of American debt and equity markets through the eyes of the Omaha’s great investor.
Nonetheless, I should express that the book is not a biography-in its entirety-of Warren Buffett, but the compilation, mostly from Fortune, of events and perceptions that have occurred throughout the business life of this man (until the book publication, o ...more
Nonetheless, I should express that the book is not a biography-in its entirety-of Warren Buffett, but the compilation, mostly from Fortune, of events and perceptions that have occurred throughout the business life of this man (until the book publication, o ...more
I was going to give this book three stars, but I'm giving it an extra star. The reason: there's really good investing advice for those who are looking for it. Warren seeks out a bargain in the market, namely a stock with a low price to earnings ratio, a business model that's easy to understand, and solid financial footing. This is a big departure from what a lot of finance blogs recommend, but this strategy lead Warren to be the second richest man in the world.
Also a very interesting biography. ...more
Also a very interesting biography. ...more
I have a lot of respect for Warren Buffett and the development of his philanthropic style. He seems to be a fundamentally decent human blessed with a rare skillset and the ability to set aside emotion.
The main criticism and the rationale for the 3 star review is that the format (magazine clips) gets to be quite repetitive. Almost every article has Buffett's background, which while helpful for the magazine reader, becomes quite repetitive the 15th article in.
I hope Loomis actually writes a focuse ...more
The main criticism and the rationale for the 3 star review is that the format (magazine clips) gets to be quite repetitive. Almost every article has Buffett's background, which while helpful for the magazine reader, becomes quite repetitive the 15th article in.
I hope Loomis actually writes a focuse ...more
I got this book from Bill Gates' recommendation list. Compared to conventional biography, this one is a collection of and about his mini-articles. While it has many writings of Warren Buffet himself, the book felt less impactful. It would have been interesting if Warren Buffet's character was portrayed in a semi-fiction style. Also, for those who want to learn about Warren Buffet, he has a lot of video coverage from CNBC. You can easily look them up on YouTube.
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This book is great for Buffett fans. It's not a biography. It doesn't introduce any new insights into Warren Buffett's psyche or his thoughts. What it does do is condense 56 years of Warren Buffett articles and interviews into one book.
There are better books for those looking for insights into Buffett's investing methodology and thoughts or for those looking to understand what makes the man tick.
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There are better books for those looking for insights into Buffett's investing methodology and thoughts or for those looking to understand what makes the man tick.
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This would've benefitted from more editing. It just gets unbelievably redundant which takes away from some of what would be an otherwise enjoyable long term look at Buffett.
Also the author has been friends with him for 30+ years but offers little in the way of interesting insights beyond what most folks that follow BRK wouldn't already know.
Given all that and length of read, I wouldn't recommend ...more
Also the author has been friends with him for 30+ years but offers little in the way of interesting insights beyond what most folks that follow BRK wouldn't already know.
Given all that and length of read, I wouldn't recommend ...more
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Readers also enjoyed
Carol Junge Loomis is an American financial journalist, who retired in 2014 as senior editor-at-large at Fortune magazine.
Loomis had the longest tenure of any employee in Fortune magazine's history, having joined the staff in 1954 as a research associate and retired on July 1, 2014. In 1966, she coined the term "hedge fund".
She is the pro bono editor of Warren Buffet's annual letters to shareholde ...more
Loomis had the longest tenure of any employee in Fortune magazine's history, having joined the staff in 1954 as a research associate and retired on July 1, 2014. In 1966, she coined the term "hedge fund".
She is the pro bono editor of Warren Buffet's annual letters to shareholde ...more
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