Mohnish Pabrai: Don’t use excel

Back in mid-September 2023, Mohnish Pabrai was interviewed by Havard Business School, where they discuss a wide range of investment topics.

One of his somewhat surprising points is that he never uses Excel. A traditional calculator is enough to make a simple Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) calculation and from there it is a matter of being independent and rationally thinking and studying the company and the sector.

Rather than going to business school, he recommends studying Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger’s many letters and general meetings:

You actually don’t need to go to any school, you can just you know buffett.cnbc.com has all the annual meetings for the last more than 25 years. Six hours each, so it’s about 150 hours of Warren and Charlie. So I went through every single one of those in the shower twice, took about like six, seven months while I’m showering and shaving and brushing every morning.

And I’m going through it right now for the third time. Each time I learn more and every morning I get educated you know. Right now I’m in the year 2001, the afternoon session, it’s an orgasmic experience and the thing is it’s all there, it’s free.

Share the news

Disclaimer of liability

The above has been prepared by Børsgade ApS for information purposes and cannot be regarded as a solicitation or recommendation to buy or sell any security. Nor can the information etc. be regarded as recommendations or advice of a legal, accounting or tax nature. Børsgade cannot be held liable for losses caused by customers’/users’ actions – or lack thereof – based on the information in the above. We have made every effort to ensure that the information in the above is complete and accurate, but cannot guarantee this and accept no liability for errors or omissions.

Readers are advised that investing may involve a risk of loss that cannot be determined in advance, and that past performance and price development cannot be used as a reliable indicator of future performance and price development. For further information please contact info@borsgade.dk

You might also find this interesting:

Bill Ackman: 2025 Annual Investor Presentation

In his 2025 Annual Investor Presentation, Bill Ackman provides his view on Pershing Square Holdings (PSH) strategic roadmap. Bill also shares his in depth thoughts on the portfolio and key business developments in the companies he owns such as Nike, Brookfield and Uber.

Terry Smith: The Core Attributes of A Great Investment

In this interview, British investing icon Terry Smith, the manager of the UK’s largest stock fund Fundsmith, shares his lessons after a lifetime of investing. Terry delves into the skills, personality traits, and principles that propelled him from humble beginnings to the top of the investing world.

Aswath Damodaran: DeepSeek crashes the AI Party

In his recent article, NYU professor Aswath Damodaran discusses the disruptive entry of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, into the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape and its implications for the broader AI narrative.

Cliff Asness: Get Your Expectations in Line With Reality

In this article, AQR assess the assumption built into today’s market and what that likely will mean for forward returns. These insights aim to guide investors in setting realistic medium-term (5-10 years) expectations while emphasizing the importance of valuation discipline and diversification in navigating compressed risk premia across asset classes.