巴菲特致股东的信-2004年

To the Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.:
致Berkshire公司全体股东:
Our gain in net worth during 2004 was $8.3 billion, which increased the per-share book value of both our Class A and Class B stock by 10.5%. Over the last 40 years (that is, since present management took over) book value has grown from $19 to $55,824, a rate of 21.9% compounded annually.*
经结算本公司2004年的净值增加83亿美元，A股或B股每股的帐面净值增加10.5%，累计自现有经营阶层接手之后的40年以来，每股净值由当初的19元成长到目前的55,824美元，年复合成长率约为21.9%*。
It’s per-share intrinsic value that counts, however, not book value. Here, the news is good: Between 1964 and 2004, Berkshire morphed from a struggling northern textile business whose intrinsic value was less than book into a diversified enterprise worth far more than book. Our 40-year gain in intrinsic value has therefore somewhat exceeded our 21.9% gain in book. (For an explanation of intrinsic value and the economic principles that guide Charlie Munger, my partner and Berkshire’s vice-chairman, and me in running Berkshire, please read our Owner’s Manual, beginning on page 73.)
真正重要的是实质价值，而不是帐面净值，而好消息是，在1964年到2004年期间，Berkshire已经从一家原本摇摇欲坠的北方纺织公司，蜕变成一个跨足各个产业的大型集团，其实质价值大幅超越帐面净值，可以这样说，40年来实质价值的成长率甚至远超过帐面净值21.9%的成长率，(想要对实质价值以及本人与查理孟格经营Berkshire的原则有更多的了解的人，我建议大家阅读73页的股东手册)。