在巴菲特全家搬至华盛顿特区后, 他开始为《华盛顿邮报》和该报的对手《时代先驱报》送报纸。巴菲特把自己送报的5条线路安排得就像生产线一样有条不紊, 后来他甚至还添加了杂志的递送, 这样他提供的订阅品种就更丰富了。在校读书期间, 他每月的收入就已经有175美元了, 相当于当时年轻人全职工作的月收入。
When he was 14, Buffett spent $1,200 on 40 acres of farmland in Nebraska and soon began collecting rent from a tenant farmer. He and a friend also made $50 a week by placing pinball machines in barber shops. They called their venture Wilson Coin Operated Machine Co.
14岁那年, 巴菲特花了1200美元在内布拉斯加州购置了一片40公顷的农田, 然后开始从佃户那里收取租金。他还和一个朋友为理发店安装弹球游戏机从而每周赚得50美元。他们把自己的"企业"称作"威尔森钱币运作机器公司"。
Already a successful albeit small-time businessman, Buffett wasn't keen on going to college but ended up at Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania--his father encouraged him to go. After two years at Wharton, Buffett transferred to his parents'alma mater, the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, for his final year of college. There Buffett took a job with the Lincoln Journal supervising 50 paper boys in six rural counties.
这时巴菲特尽管并不起眼, 但已是一个小获成功的商人。他对上大学并不感兴趣, 不过后来还是在父亲的敦促下去了宾西法尼亚大学的沃顿学院。在沃顿学习了两年后, 巴菲特转学到其父母的母校--林肯的内布拉斯加大学, 在那儿修完了大学最后一年的课程。这期间巴菲特还在《林肯日报》谋得了一份工作, 负责管理6个乡村地区的50个报童。
Buffett applied to Harvard Business School but was turned down in what had to be one of the worst admissions decisions in Harvard history. The outcome ended up profoundly affecting Buffett's life, for he ended up attending Columbia Business School, where he studied under revered mentor Benjamin Graham, the father of securities analysis who provided the foundation for Buffett's investment strategy.
巴菲特曾申请哈佛商学院被拒, 这后来成为哈佛历史上最糟糕的录取决定之一。这个结果对巴菲特的一生产生了深远的影响, 他因此进入哥伦比亚商学院, 并从师著名的证券分析之父本杰明·格雷厄姆, 巴菲特从导师身上学到的东西为日后形成自己的投资策略奠定了基础。
From the beginning, Buffett made his fortune from investing. He started with all the money he had made from selling pop, delivering papers, and operating pinball machines. Between 1950 and 1956, he grew his $9,800 kitty to $14,000. From there, he organized investment partnerships with his family and friends, and then gradually drew in other investors through word of mouth and very attractive terms.
一开始, 巴菲特凭借投资来赚钱。他最初的资本来自卖苏打汽水、送报纸、安装弹球游戏机而攒下的积蓄。在1950到1956年期间, 他的原始资本积累由9800美元升至14万美元。此后, 巴菲特开始与家人和朋友结成伙伴投资关系, 后来又凭借口头游说和一些优惠条件拉拢其他投资者。liuxuepaper.com