| name | buffett-arguments |
| description | Index and search guide for Warren Buffett's verifiable argument records (VA) — organized by domain |
| version | 1 |
Warren Buffett: Verifiable Argument Records (VA) — Index
VA Count: 23 entries across 4 domains
File of record: arguments/<domain>/buffett-<domain>.md
Domain Index
Domain 1: Investing (VA001–VA010)
| VA ID | Claim Title | Citekeys |
|---|
| VA001 | See's Candy — The Pricing Power Moat Prototype (1972) | buffett1972letter, schroeder2008, cunningham essays |
| VA002 | GEICO — The Crisis Conviction Buy (1976) | buffett-insurance, schroeder2008, berkshire-annual-reports |
| VA003 | Coca-Cola — The Eternal Brand Business (1988) | buffett-moat-cases, cunningham essays, berkshire-annual-reports |
| VA004 | American Express — Trust as the Real Moat (1964–65) | buffett-moat-cases, schroeder2008 |
| VA005 | The Four Moat Pillars — Framework (2007+) | buffett2007letter, buffett-moat-cases, cunningham essays |
| VA006 | BNSF Railway — Buying America's Infrastructure (2009) | buffett-operating, buffett2009letter |
| VA007 | Goldman Sachs Preferred — Crisis Lifeline (2008) | buffett2008letter, buffett2009letter, ny-times-op-ed-2008 |
| VA008 | Apple — Circle of Competence Expansion (2016+) | buffett2016letter, buffett-moat-cases, berkshire-13f |
| VA009 | General Re — The Acquisition Mistake (1998–2003) | buffett2000letter, buffett2001letter, buffett-insurance |
| VA010 | Precision Castparts — COVID Impairment (2016–2020) | buffett2020letter, pcc-8k, buffett-operating |
Domain 2: Management (VA011–VA015)
| VA ID | Claim Title | Citekeys |
|---|
| VA011 | The Float Mechanism — Berkshire's Core Advantage | buffett-insurance, berkshire-annual-reports |
| VA012 | Ajit Jain — Talent Concentration as Capital Allocation | buffett-insurance, berkshire-annual-reports |
| VA013 | The 1981 Acquisition Criteria — Five Non-Negotiables | buffett1981letter, cunningham essays, buffett-operating |
| VA014 | The Autonomy Model — "We Will Only Do With You What You Could Do For Yourself" | buffett-operating, buffett1981letter |
| VA015 | Dexter Shoes — The "Worst Deal" (1993) | buffett1993letter, buffett-operating |
Domain 3: Leadership (VA016–VA020)
| VA ID | Claim Title | Citekeys |
|---|
| VA016 | Greg Abel Succession — Continuity as Competitive Advantage (2025) | buffett-annual-meetings, berkshire-annual-reports, 435c2bcb |
| VA017 | Clayton Homes — The Self-Incriminating Admission (2008) | buffett2008letter, buffett-operating |
| VA018 | Mr. Market — The Market as Manic-Depressive Investor | graham1949, cunningham essays, buffett2008letter |
| VA019 | Charlie Munger — The Architect (1959–2023) | buffett-munger-partnership, buffett-moat-cases, munger-speeches |
| VA020 | "Our Favorite Holding Period Is Forever" — Permanent Capital Constraint | buffett2024letter, cunningham essays, 435c2bcb |
Domain 4: Philanthropy (VA021–VA023)
| VA ID | Claim Title | Citekeys |
|---|
| VA021 | The 2006 Giving Plan — 85% to Five Foundations | buffett-philanthropy, buffett2006letter, 435c2bcb |
| VA022 | The Giving Pledge — Peer Pressure as Philanthropy Strategy (2010) | buffett-philanthropy, giving-pledge, buffett2010letter |
| VA023 | Results Over Intent — "Show Me Your Checklist" | buffett-philanthropy, buffett2012letter, buffett-gates-reports |
Cross-Domain Themes
| Theme | Supporting VAs |
|---|
| Pricing power / moat | VA001, VA003, VA004, VA005, VA008 |
| Crisis conviction | VA002, VA004, VA007 |
| Mistakes and accountability | VA009, VA010, VA015, VA017 |
| Circle of competence | VA008, VA013 |
| Permanent capital | VA003, VA001, VA006, VA020 |
| Talent concentration | VA012, VA014, VA016 |
| Philanthropy as results | VA021, VA022, VA023 |
| Munger influence | VA001, VA005, VA019 |
Citekeys Used (for .bib verification)
berkshire-13f, berkshire-annual-reports, buffett1972letter, buffett1981letter,
buffett1993letter, buffett2000letter, buffett2001letter, buffett2006letter,
buffett2007letter, buffett2008letter, buffett2009letter, buffett2010letter,
buffett2012letter, buffett2016letter, buffett2020letter, buffett2024letter,
buffett-annual-meetings, buffett-gates-reports, buffett-insurance,
buffett-moat-cases, buffett-munger-partnership, buffett-operating,
buffett-philanthropy, cunningham essays, giving-pledge, graham1949,
munger-speeches, ny-times-op-ed-2008, pcc-8k, schroeder2008, 435c2bcb
How to Use This Index
For investment analysis questions: Start with investing/buffett-investments.md (VA001–VA010).
For business management questions: Start with management/buffett-management.md (VA011–VA015).
For leadership and culture questions: Start with leadership/buffett-leadership.md (VA016–VA020).
For philanthropy questions: Start with philanthropy/buffett-philanthropy.md (VA021–VA023).
For "how does Buffett think?" questions: Load methods/buffett-cognitive-fingerprint.md (10 VM method cards).
No fabricated anecdotes. All claims traceable to verifiable published sources.