Buffett’s Breadcrumbs: A Thousand Dollars and a Quiet Life

My Uncle Earl, God love him, always said Warren Buffett was a magician. Not a rabbit-out-of-a-hat magician, but one who could make money appear, slowly and steadily, like a particularly patient ghost. Earl wasn’t much for investing himself, preferring lottery tickets and the occasional bet on competitive eating, but he respected the quiet accumulation. I’ve always been drawn to that, too. The idea of a thousand dollars, not transforming into a yacht, but just…persisting. Growing, even. It’s a modest ambition, I admit, but after years of watching tech stocks do elaborate dances and then fall flat on their faces, it feels…safe.

Everyone talks about ‘following’ Buffett, which sounds exhausting. Like joining a parade. I prefer to think of it as scavenging his breadcrumbs. Picking up the stocks he’s already deemed worthy, and hoping they haven’t been entirely pecked over. Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio is vast, naturally, but a couple of things stood out when I was, let’s say, ‘reallocating’ some funds. I’m not saying I’m aiming for Oracle status, just a slightly less stressful retirement.

Amazon

Amazon. It’s everywhere, isn’t it? It’s delivered everything from dog food to replacement parts for a blender I broke trying to make almond milk. It’s a little unsettling, frankly, how much they know about my life. The stock has been…temperamental lately. Down 10%, they say. Which, in the grand scheme of things, is probably nothing. I remember a coworker bragging about tripling his money on some meme stock, then spending it all on a timeshare. A little consistency feels good, even if it doesn’t involve fireworks.

The chatter is all about AI spending. Apparently, they’re throwing money at it like it’s confetti. Which, okay, sounds reckless, but Amazon has a habit of turning recklessness into revenue. They operated at a loss for years, reinvesting everything. It’s a bit like my Aunt Mildred, who hoards coupons and then spends the savings on porcelain dolls. It doesn’t make sense, but there’s a strange logic to it.

The numbers are still good, though. Amazon Web Services is booming, and they’re apparently cornering the market on everything from e-commerce to AI chips. It’s a bit intimidating, to be honest. Like trying to understand the rules of cricket. But a steady growth rate, even if it’s not exponential, is what I’m after. A thousand dollars in Amazon isn’t going to make me rich, but it might buy me a few more years of not having to worry about the price of prune juice.

American Express

American Express. My grandfather used to have a gold card. He mostly used it to buy Werther’s Originals and complain about the cost of postage. It felt very…establishment. But underneath the old-money veneer, it’s a surprisingly simple business. People spend money, American Express takes a cut. It’s almost…elegant.

It’s a bet on the American consumer, which is always a risky proposition. But their recent results suggest we’re still spending, despite everything. Revenue is up, profits are inching higher. It’s a bit like watching a particularly determined hamster on a wheel. You can’t help but admire the effort.

What I like about American Express, though, is the valuation. It’s lower than Visa and Mastercard, which means there’s a little more cushion if things go south. And they recently hiked their dividend by 16%. Which is…significant. It’s not going to fund a lavish retirement, but it might cover the cost of a decent pair of orthopedic shoes. And honestly, at this point, that feels like a win.

American Express has survived recessions, depressions, and the invention of online shopping. It’s a durable company, built on a simple premise. A thousand dollars in AXP isn’t going to change my life, but it might provide a little peace of mind. And in a world that seems determined to induce anxiety, that’s worth more than all the meme stocks in the world.

2026-02-17 00:12

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