Imitation is the best form of flattery

Millions have tried to learn from Warren Buffett - the undisputed guru of investing. Of this bunch of hopefuls, a handful of them have benefited from his wisdom, read books and have created their millions by putting his principles to practice (and executed them well).

Which should kinda make you wonder - "So, if this man is as good as people say he is - then why not just copy his strategies and make my first million"

In a recent study, professor Gerald Martin studied the results of just that.

His premise was very simple - "If I didn't have to do any research himself and just copied Buffett’s trades a month after the trades are disclosed to the public - will I end up making any money?"

The results were quite flattering (imitation being just that ... hmm). The professor's plagiarized portfolio would still have managed to beat the S&P 500 by more than 14% a year over the same period of Buffett's investment. (article here)

The period under consideration is not given but I wont be surprised if the professor is talking about 20-30 year periods. Hence, for this stock-picking technique to be successful .. you should not only invest in what Buffett picks (one month prior to you) but also have the discipline of holding out to that portfolio as long as he does it.