In last week’s blog post, I talked about why you want to invest in CEOs as much as a company. Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, and Elon Musk have consistently made money for shareholders of their companies. Today, we’ll talk about three more CEOs to follow if you want to build wealth.
Top CEOs have one thing in common: They want to be the best. Their tenacity, energy, and willingness to do whatever it takes to beat the competition is a winning formula.
Three more CEOs to follow if you want to build wealth
Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffett is hands down the greatest investor who ever lived. Of course, he would never admit to that fact, but it is indisputable.
The Oracle of Omaha, at the ripe age of 93, is one of the top 10 richest people in the world. He started buying companies in 1965. Since then, he has bought stakes in companies that he considers undervalued and that he wouldn’t mind owning forever. If you were an early investor in Berkshire Hathaway, you netted a fortune over the years.
His ability to pick companies is uncanny, and his style is imitated on Wall Street more than anyone … ever. Talk about flattery!
Tim Cook of Apple
Tim Cook became the CEO of Apple following the untimely passing of founder Steve Jobs. When the torch was passed to Cook, many felt he was inadequate for the job and could not ever come close to filling the large shoes that Jobs left behind.
As it turned out, Cook was much better than Jobs at building shareholder value. His tenure at Apple has created enormous wealth for himself and a sea of shareholders. Over the past 10 years, the stock has delivered an average annual return of 25.5%, more than 150% better than the SPX 500 over that span.
Cook transitioned the company from products into services, and now he sees a future that includes AI. Perhaps the company is ready to embark on another journey higher. If you’re a shareholder, hold on tight!
Mark Zuckerberg of Meta
Like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg is a polarizing figure. He founded Facebook in 2004 with the goal of connecting everyone in the world. He’s come close! Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) collectively have more than 2 billion users, and they continue to grow.
Zuckerberg is always looking to grow the business and get a leg up on the competition. He bought Instagram some 10 years ago for $1 billion, and analysts say it is worth at least 20x that much today.
Over the years, Facebook has faced scrutiny, and Zuckerberg has had to defend the company numerous times. Along the way, the stock has had bumps in the road but since going public, investors have been rewarded.
This is not an exhaustive list of CEOs to follow, of course. Who would you add to my list of six CEOs who continually build wealth for their shareholders?
