He Lost 70% — Then Taught Warren Buffett Everything

Benjamin Graham was wiped out by the crash of 1929. He didn't quit — he worked for free until his investors got their money back, then wrote the rules nearly every value investor still uses: buy a business, not a ticker, and always leave a margin of safety. Then in 1948 he broke his own rule. He put a quarter of his fund into one insurance company — GEICO. $712,000 turned into over $400 million by 1972: more than every other investment of his career combined. A 19-year-old read his book and called it the luckiest day of his life. That was Warren Buffett — the only A+ Graham gave in 22 years teaching at Columbia. Buffett offered to work for him for free. Graham said he was overpriced. Three years later he got the job, and later named his first son Howard Graham Buffett. Graham's rules don't dodge every crash — his own leverage nearly ended him. But the idea outlived him: price is what you pay, value is what you get. Not investment advice. #BenjaminGraham #WarrenBuffett #ValueInvesting #StockMarket #InvestingBasics #Shorts

Added 6 Aug 2026