Prime Minister @JacindaArdern has guided New Zealand through crises and seized opportunities by leading with foresight, integrity and empathy. Her country is better off because of her remarkable leadership—and the rest of us are too.
“Your job is to say ‘no.’”
- Ajit Jain, $BRK’s insurance chief
“It is very difficult to recruit people to sit back and do nothing.
“You will get bombarded with deals, day in and day out. Your base case is, ‘just say no.’
“Every now and then, you will come across a deal that will hit you with a 2x4 and it will be screaming money.
“That’s when you come to me.”
Ajit and Greg note that insurance, investing, and capital allocation all share this trait.
Personally, I am not worried that Berkshire will lack wisdom or lose its way - I look forward to seeing what comes next.
One important lesson for all investors comes from Berkshire's Ajit Jain's exact mandate to his underwriting team: "Your job is to say no. Every now and then you will come across a deal that'll hit you with a 2x4 and it'll be screaming money." Abel and Jain are not budging. They are earning a risk-free yield and waiting for structural market dislocation. The capital discipline remains ruthless.
$BRK.A $BRK.B