📖Warren Buffett

Cash is Ammunition

🌿 Intermediate★★★★★

Cash reserves during good times become the ammunition for great opportunities during crises.

💬

Cash combined with courage in a crisis is priceless.

— During the 2008 financial crisis，2008

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Just as ancient generals kept reserves for battle, investors must keep cash on hand. When the enemy reveals a weakness, reserves can secure victory; when the market panics, cash allows buying quality stocks at bargain prices. A general without reserves and an investor without cash are both left vulnerable to defeat.

📖 Core Interpretation

The Strategic Value of Cash:
  • 1. Option Value (The right to act at the most opportune moment)
  • 2. Psychological Advantage (The ability to remain calm during panic)
  • 3. Survival Advantage (A buffer against black swan events)
    • 💎 Key Insight：Berkshire consistently holds $20-150 billion in cash. Critics call it a drag on returns. But in 2008, when banks were failing, Buffett deployed that cash into Goldman Sachs and Bank of America on incredibly favorable terms. Cash isn't just safety — it's the optionality to act decisively when others are desperate to sell.

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    ❓ Why It Matters

    Warren Buffett's response to the "cash drag": "Cash may slightly reduce returns, but it lets us sleep well at night."

    🎯 How to Practice

    Cash Strategy for Individual Investors: Maintain a cash reserve equivalent to at least 6-12 months of living expenses, and keep 10-20% of the investment portfolio in cash to await opportunities.

    🎙️ Master's Voice

    Cash is to a business as oxygen is to an individual: never thought about when it is present, the only thing in mind when it is absent.
    Berkshire always maintains $20+ billion in cash. This seemed excessive during bull markets. But in 2008, while others scrambled for liquidity, Buffett deployed $15+ billion into Goldman Sachs, GE, and other distressed opportunities. Cash is his competitive weapon.

    ⚔️ Practical Guide

    ✅ Decision Checklist

    • Do I have cash reserves for opportunities?
    • Am I fully invested at market highs?
    • Can I act when others are forced to sell?
    • Is my cash position appropriate for the market?

    📋 Action Steps

    1. Maintain 10-20% cash during normal times
    2. Build cash during euphoria
    3. Create a list of investments to buy in a crash
    4. Have conviction to deploy cash in panics

    🚨 Warning Signs

    • Fully invested at all times
    • No liquidity during market stress
    • Unable to act on opportunities
    • Cash only in checking accounts

    ⚠️ Common Pitfalls

    ✕Cash is bad because it generates no return – the option value and sense of security provided by cash are implicit returns.
    ✕One should always be fully invested - Maintaining an appropriate cash reserve is an essential component of risk management.

    📚 Case Studies

    1
    2008 Financial Crisis (2008)
    Invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs and $3 billion in General Electric using cash.
    ✨ Outcome：Obtaining preferential terms of preferred shares + warrants
    2
    Berkshire Hathaway 2024 (2024)
    Holding over $330 billion in cash
    ✨ Outcome：Waiting for "Elephant-Sized" Investment Opportunities

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