One Billion To Win: Warren Buffett’s Lesson for the Rest of Us
Mercer teammates do “victory” dance after defeating Duke in the NCAA season opener
As we enter the final days of March Madness 2014 , not much is mentioned in the news media now of Warren Buffett’s billion-dollar offer to the person who created the perfect bracket for the NCAA tournament. In fact within days of the start of the college basketball series, the number of qualified entrants for the billion-dollar contest dwindled from 15 million persons to 15. With upsets that threw out Duke, Oklahoma New Mexico , statisticians and expert sports analysts were left to wonder why so soon? Sports pundits took to their blogs and the airwaves to discuss the situation pronouncing it a fixed proposition. Perhaps , but it was in good fun, provided some with an additional challenge and added to the always exciting basketball tournament. Besides, there is another way to look at the contest.
Warren Buffett is seen by most of us as a genius investor. Biographers, columnists, self-help gurus tried to decipher how the “Oracle of Omaha” does it. Bridge player, father (who gave his children money to start foundations to serve the greater good) and supporter of ObamaCare, he is in fact of this earth. Yes, he gets the market, but he gets us too. Buffett is not only a shrewd investor, he is a man who though an agnostic, understands the human condition. We are after all creatures of emotion. We have good days and bad days. While it easy to look at stats, to analyze , to judge the appearance of things, people and information ultimately we are all products of God. We cannot predict and ultimately can’t control outcomes. In today’s data driven society sometimes we forget that – but Buffett who is credited as an investor for all times always remembers.
Small Biz Boomer 