Warren Buffett’s First Ever TV Interview From 1985 Is Full Of Advice For New Investors

Written by C. James on March 23, 2023

“The first rule of investment is don’t lose, and the second rule of investment is don’t forget the first rule, and that’s all the rules there are.” – Warren Buffett, AKA the Oracle of Omaha.

Over his storied career, Warren Buffett has amassed a net worth that most can’t even begin to dream of. What’s most impressive, is that he has built his $100 billion fortune through investing. Some might call Buffett the greatest investor of all time. And they might be right. Because unlike so many professional traders and investors, Buffett doesn’t rely on flashy models or trends, he makes big trades in a handful of companies (Coca-Cola and Apple to name a few) and they basically print money for him.

In 1985, when his net worth was a paltry $500 million, Warren Buffett gave his first TV interview. During the interview, Buffett gave nugget after nugget of investment wisdom. From his rules of investing to how patience pays off, the whole interview (which is below), offers a lot of free advice and insight.

Warren Buffett’s First TV Interview

The interview breaks down into a few, very simple to understand themes. And Twitter user BusinessFamous dissected those themes into easily digestible tweets that can be found below. So many classic Buffettisms all packed into one interview.

Rules of Investing:
1. Don't lose
2. Don't forget the first rule
That's all the rules there are!
— 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 (@BusinessFamous) August 20, 2021

"Does staying in Omaha allows him to focus?"
– A short focus is not conducive to long profits
– Less static in the thought process
– Even in 1985, a company's value could be analyzed remotely
— 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 (@BusinessFamous) August 20, 2021

"What is the intellectual process?"
– Define your area of competence, then
– Stay within your circle of competence
– Only buy when the shares are below intrinsic value
— 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 (@BusinessFamous) August 20, 2021

Simplicity:
-Why doesn’t everyone use Buffett's method? It’s too simple
-Professionals focus on too many metrics and variables, just o justify their jobs
— 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 (@BusinessFamous) August 20, 2021

Has more investment advice ever been stuffed into a six and a half minute video? Likely not.

Has Warren Buffett’s investment methodology and advice from 36 years ago stood the test of time? Definitely yes.