Musings by Mohnish Pabrai...

Mohnish Pabrai is the founder and Managing Partner of the Pabrai Investments Funds, the Portfolio Manager of the Pabrai Wagons Fund, the founder of the Dakshana Foundation, and the author of The Dhandho Investor and Mosaic: Perspectives on Investing​.

The contents of this website are for educational and entertainment purposes only, and do not purport to be, and are not intended to be, financial, legal, accounting, tax or investment advice. Investments or strategies that are discussed may not be suitable for you, do not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and are not intended to provide investment advice or recommendations appropriate for you. Before making any investment or trade, consider whether it is suitable for you and consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment adviser. Views expressed on Chai with Pabrai are exclusively those of Mohnish Pabrai and not of any affiliated firm or organization.

Beware of Scams Using My Name - Mohnish Pabrai

7/9/2025

I have been made aware that scammers and fraudsters are using my name, picture and doctored videos to target people online with fraudulent attempts to send money to be invested in non-existent investment schemes or for compensation for investment tips. The examples I’ve seen so far have been in perpetrated in India, but they may be elsewhere too. These are totally fake. Please read below to protect yourself:

  • I presently manage only three investment vehicles: (1) Pabrai Investment Funds, which are private funds for high net worth accredited and qualified investors, (2) the Pabrai Wagons Fund, a mutual fund for retail investors, and (3) Dhandho Holdings, which is private and open only to high net worth accredited and qualified investors. If you are being solicited to send money to any other fund that claims to be managed by ​me or for any investment tips, do not do it. Please report it to mpabrai@pabraifunds.com.
  • I will never, ever ask you to send money through WhatsApp, X (Twitter), Facebook, Telegram, Skype or any other text-based messaging app. If you are being asked to send money through any of these platforms to any individual or entity that claims to have any connection to me, do not do it. Please report it to mpabrai@pabraifunds.com.
  • Business e-mail communication from me or my team will always come from one of our registered domains, which are: @pabraifunds.com, @dhandhofunds.com or @wagonsfund.com. Please double check the email domain names of emails that you receive. Do not respond to any emails coming from any other domain extension except for those coming from our email address.

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Talk With Class of 2019 Dakshana Scholars – Dec. 24, 2017

4/30/2018

I very much enjoyed my Q&A session with the class of 2019 Dakshana scholars at JNV Kottayam, Kerala, India on Dec. 24, 2017. These scholars will take the IIT entrance exams in 2019. The majority are likely to be accepted by the IITs. Their questions covered a broad range of topics related to compounding, as well as the reasons behind our establishing the Dakshana Foundation.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqX9AgwgwTY&feature=youtu.be

I suggest the following books to start one's journey into finance and investing:

1) 1958-1970 Buffett Partnership Letters (these are available at various places on the web, including http://pragcap.com/warren-buffett-partnership-letters).  Cost: Zero

2) The Warren Buffett letters to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder.  These are posted at www.berkshirehathaway.com.  Cost: Zero

3) 1995 published biography called “Buffett:  The Making of an American Capitalist” by Roger Lowenstein.

4) 2009 published book “Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life” by Alice Schroeder.

5) “Poor Charlie’s Almanack” by Peter Kaufman.

6) “The Dhandho Investor” by Mohnish Pabrai.

7) Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders  - 1965-2014

8) Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders - 1965-2017. Only available on Kindle but cost is just $2.99.

Patel's Business Secrets - Video On the Dhandho Investor

3/30/2018

I enjoyed this video that summarized the Patels’ business practices from "The Dhandho Investor." The video explores how the Patels got into the motel business in the U.S, their low cost operating model and high return on equity. Heads I win, tails I don't lose much!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INSuLnQJvuY&feature=youtu.be&a

Enjoy!

The New 2018–2019 Uber Cannibals

3/29/2018

In late December 2016, I co-wrote an article on Forbes.com that introduced the "Uber Cannibals," a five-stock investing strategy that invests in businesses aggressively buying back their own stock. This is a "set it and forget it for one year" strategy that rebalances every April when 5 companies are selected for the portfolio for the upcoming year.

The Uber Cannibals draft season is now upon us, and it's time to pick our 2018 - 2019 team.

As a recap, in my 3/31/17 blog post, we met Ms. Sonia Patel, who had embarked on her Uber Cannibals investing journey with $100,000 from her IRA account at Interactive Brokers. Sonia invested in the first 5 Uber Cannibals on 1/3/17, and then rebalanced her portfolio in April 2017 with the 2017 - 2018 Uber Cannibals, which were:

  1. Lowe's (LOW)
  2. NVR (NVR)
  3. The Hackett Group (HCKT)
  4. Select Comfort (SCSS)
  5. Willis Lease Finance (WLFC)

As of 3/29/18, Sonia's $100k was worth $130,646 (after trading costs), up 30.6%. If Sonia had instead invested in the S&P 500 over that period, she would be up 20.9% and her portfolio would be worth approx. $10k less, or $120,907.

Lowe's and Hackett Group paid dividends totaling $744. Per our rules, Sonia reinvested those dividends back into the same businesses.

The Ubers are doing quite well! This strategy makes sense if you intend to follow it for at least a decade or two (or longer). So we shouldn't fixate too much on short term performance. But I am happy to see that Sonia is off to a great start. Keep at it Sonia!

The New Uber Cannibals:

For 2018 - 2019, our algorithms selected the following five Uber Cannibals:

  1. Sleep Number Corp. (SNBR)
  2. Corning Inc. (GLW)
  3. PulteGroup (PHM)
  4. Discover Financial Services (DFS)
  5. Lear Corp. (LEA)

Sleep Number Corp. (which recently changed its name from Select Comfort) will continue to be in the portfolio for another year. But we have four new kids on the block.

If you invested in the Uber Cannibals in April 2017, then leave Sleep Number Corp untouched, and sell Lowe's, NVR, Hackett, and Willis Lease. Then invest the proceeds equally among the four new kids: Corning, PulteGroup, Discover Financial Services, and Lear.

Below is the 1 year return of the 2017-2018 Uber Cannibals through 3/29/18:

If you invested in the Uber Cannibals in April 2017 in a taxable account, try to sell the winners (currently Lowe's, NVR and Willis Lease) after holding them for at least 366 days and the losers (Hackett) after no more than 364 days.

If you are a new investor to the Uber Cannibals, you can just equal weight the five stocks (i.e., invest the same amount of money in each of these five) and keep that portfolio until April 2019, when I'll provide the 2019 - 2020 portfolio on www.ChaiWithPabrai.com. Happy Cannibal Investing!

Note, anyone who invests in any strategy needs to do their own research/due diligence and are themselves fully responsible for the outcome.

“Compounding is the 8th Wonder of the World” – Lecture & Q&A at Peking University – Dec. 22, 2017

3/27/2018

I very much enjoyed visiting the campus of Peking University's Guanghua School of Management with Guy Spier and Monsoon Pabrai to give my second lecture entitled “Compounding is the 8th Wonder of the World.”The presentation was followed by a rich Q&A session on a diverse range of topics. The lecture covered my favorite subjects – compounding, Rule of 72 and Warren Buffett.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z74NaYRyMJo&t=6564s

Here is the link to the podcast:

If you prefer reading over listening, here is the transcript.

"Compounding is the 8th Wonder of the World” Lecture & Q&A at Dakshana - Dec. 26, 2017

2/16/2018

I very much enjoyed my lecture and Q&A entitled “Compounding is the 8th Wonder of the World” with Dakshana Scholars at the Dakshana Valley Campus on Dec. 26, 2017. The questions covered a broad range of topics related to compounding, including philanthropy, patient investing and choosing equities over other asset classes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvpfjxLiO9g&feature=youtu.be

​Enjoy!

Shout-out by Charlie Munger at Daily Journal Annual Meeting – Feb 14, 2018

2/15/2018

It was truly an honor to receive a shout-out by Charlie Munger during the Daily Journal Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on February 14, 2018. Charlie was discussing the fair investment management fee structure of the Buffett Partnerships of the 1950s, which I have enthusiastically cloned for 19 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfRWWxo3Y4Y​​​

Enjoy!

Q&A session with Dakshana Scholars at JNV Bengaluru Urban, Oct. 26, 2017

1/18/2018

I very much enjoyed this joint Q&A session that Motilal Oswal founder Raamdeo Agrawal and I had with Dakshana Scholars at JNV Bengaluru Urban on Oct. 26, 2017. We discussed compounding, being a learning machine and the importance of learning from your failures in investing.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4WRC5W92k8

Interview with Bloomberg Quint on investing in India

1/4/2018

I very much enjoyed my chat with Niraj Shah of Bloomberg Quint for Alpha Moguls. We discussed the importance of sticking to one’s circle of competence, the advantage of auction-driven stock market investing and the prospects of investing in the real estate sector in Mumbai.​

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBY6aLezago&app=desktop

Interview with MOI Global on Philanthropy

12/19/2017

I very much enjoyed speaking with Shai Dardashti of MOI Global for their Best Ideas 2018 session. We discussed philanthropy, the Dakshana Foundation and the influence that Buffett had on my founding Dakshana.

Here is the link to the recording:​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6fUDLa1Dq0

If you prefer to read, here is the transcript of the interview:​

https://moiglobal.com/mohnish-pabrai-philanthropy/

Enjoy!

Mohnish Pabrai's Lecture at Boston College (Carroll School of Mgmt) on Nov 30, 2017

12/15/2017

I very much enjoyed my discussion with Prof. Arvind Navaratnam’s class on Value Investing at the Carroll School of Management (Boston College). It was my seventh year in a row!

The talk covers the magic of compounding, cloning Buffett, the zero fee structure and moats in the investment business.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1aGen3q2_g&feature=youtu.be

Here is the link to the podcast:

If you prefer reading over listening, here is the transcript.

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