Top Lessons from Rich 95-Year-Old Stock Investors

• (0:15) - What Can We Learn From Super Star Investors?
• (7:15) - What Are The Top Lessons To Learn From Long-Term Investing
• (29:00) - Episode Roundup: SHW, BAC, BRK.B, AAPL, IBM, XOM
•                 [email protected]

Welcome to Episode #427 of the Value Investor Podcast.

Every week, Tracey Ryniec, the editor of Zacks Value Investor portfolio, shares some of her top value investing tips and stock picks.

This is a special podcast. During the pandemic, Tracey did a podcast on a family friend, named Ed, who was a 92-year-old stock investor. He retired in 1990, at age 60, with $50,000.

He invested the money in stocks, including in Sherwin Williams stock, as he had worked there. Over the decades, he followed famed value investor Warren Buffett into several of his stock purchases, including Bank of America. He did not, however, buy Apple in 2016 when Berkshire Hathaway bought it.

Unfortunately, Ed recently passed away at the age of 95. However, he leaves behind his investing legacy.

Top Lessons from a 95-Year-Old Investor

1. It’s never too late. Ed started investing at age 60. Buffett bought Apple shares at age 85.
2. Remember the miracle of compounding. Time is your friend.
3. Be lucky. Ed worked at Sherwin Williams, which not only survived for decades, but thrived.
4. Have patience and discipline.
5. It doesn’t take an NVIDIA to be a successful investor.
6. Use your Roth accounts, if you can.

Stocks That Made Two 95-Year-Olds Rich

Warren Buffett became a billionaire in his early 60s. He retired as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway 30 years later worth around $150 billion.

Ed started with $50,000 and when he passed, his portfolio was worth $7 million. Here’s some of the stocks they both owned.

1. The Sherwin-Williams Co. (SHW)

Sherwin-Williams is a paint and coatings company that has been publicly traded for decades. Zacks data goes back to 1968. Ed owned Sherwin-Williams stock since 1990.

Since 1968, Sherwin-Williams is up 68,051%, per Zacks data. For comparison, Coca-Cola is up 11,107% during that same period.

Sherwin-Williams is shareholder friendly. It pays a dividend, which is currently yielding 0.9%. Dividends compound over many years too. Sherwin-Williams is not a cheap stock in 2026. It trades with a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 28.

Should Sherwin-Williams be on your short list in 2026?

2. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)

Warren Buffett’s wealth is tied to Berkshire Hathway. He owns many A shares. The rest of us can buy the B shares. Surprisingly, even though Ed was a fan of Buffett, Ed did not own Berkshire shares.

Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate which owns BNSF Railway, Geico Insurance, Dairy Queen and See’s Candy, among many other companies. It also owns equities, such as Apple, in its investment portfolio.

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway are up 108.3% over the last 5 years, beating the returns of the S&P 500 during that time. It’s not cheap, with a forward P/E of 19.7. Berkshire Hathaway does not pay a dividend, but it has bought back shares when Buffett believed there was value. Currently, the company is not buying back shares.

Buffett has retired as CEO. Should investors still buy Berkshire Hathaway?

3. Bank of America Corp. (BAC

)

Bank of America is one of the largest banks in America. Both Ed and Berkshire Hathaway owned shares.

Over the last 5 years, Bank of America was up 76%. It’s trading near 5-year highs. The stock is still cheap. It has a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of just 1.37. Bank analysts say investors should buy with a P/B ratio at 1.0 and sell at 2.0.

Bank of America pays a dividend, yielding 2.2%.

Should a big bank, like Bank of America, be on your short list for 2026?

What Else Should You Know About Long-Term Investing?

Tune into this week’s podcast to find out.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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