All these anecdotal quotes about Warren Buffett who issues bonds in Europe and didn't create Berkshire from index investing

His successful leveraged investments are analogous to negative expected value bets that people would typically relegate to degenerates.

He advocates indexing for the little people. This has nothing to do with what he did, or does now. (And there's nothing wrong with that)

Yes, he doesn't invest in indexes himself, but it isn't just for the little people. He recommends it for his family. The big secret to Buffet's success is not his picking ability, it is his management ability and good business sense. Yes, of course he does pick to an extent, but he also buys large enough positions to sit on the board and install the right people to make things happen. He also uses his already large portfolio to help create opportunities between the companies he owns.

It's unlikely even Buffet himself could replicate his initial stock picking success over a long period of time and he would be the first to admit that.

I don't see anything in the thread to suggest Berkshire was created from index investing. Someone just mentioned investing like Buffet.

What I meant was that he recommends that the average investor should invest in the S&P 500 or total US market only. He doesn't seem to think people should invest their money abroad.

There's a decent argument that American companies are multinational and therefore already exposed to foreign markets. I don't subscribe to that, but it's not totally unfounded.

That strategy would have lost out in the rise in uk stocks due to the drop in the pound

That rise only exists when you look at the ftse denominated in GBP not USD.

A lot of the FTSE 100 companies do look at how RDSB (Shell) Oil is denominated in $

Whatever you do, if you are a typical HN reader, do NOT invest like Buffet.

Hint: he never sells.

Berkshire files form 13F with the SEC that anyone can read.

He sells.

Serious question, when you're accumulating more assets and haven't retired yet, why is it a problem to never sell?

My expectation of a typical HN reader is that they are saving for more things/experiences/goals, not just retirement.

I'm curious why you would have that impression and why you think investing is the way to achieve those things.

Nothing saved for the short term should be in stocks. That would be an easy way to lose 30% of your vacation fund I'd you needed to sell on a dip.

Probably true, but I would also assume most readers are not putting all of their investments into one single fund for retirement.