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Lessons From Warren Buffett

Lessons From Warren Buffett: How Even Bright, Rich People Go Broke

Leverage, the use of borrowed money to increase your return, may be tempting, but Warren Buffett warns against it. Even, rich, successful investors can be ruined when circustances turn against them.

“Whenever a bright person, a really bright person, goes broke that has a lot of money, it’s because of leverage,” Buffett said at the 1999 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. “It would be almost impossible to go broke without borrowed money being in the equation.”

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© 2022 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.