{"id":444184,"date":"2010-03-18T14:05:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-18T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087194156628161158.post-3452979651948745263"},"modified":"2010-03-18T14:08:52","modified_gmt":"2010-03-18T18:08:52","slug":"the-new-zealand-herald-generous-billionaire-inspires-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/444184","title":{"rendered":"THE NEW ZEALAND HERALD: Generous billionaire inspires writer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><span class=\"credits\">By Christopher Adams<\/span>    <\/p>\n<div class=\"clearBoth\"><!-- --><\/div>\n<div class=\"tools\">       <span>4:00 AM Monday Mar 15, 2010<\/span>           <\/div>\n<p>   <script>   \/\/ This value indicates where our email panel is. True at the top, false at the bottom.   var emailPanelTop = true;       var emailJSLoaded = false;   var thisDynamicDomain  = 'http:\/\/dynamic.nzherald.co.nz';       var thisPageEmailURL  = thisDynamicDomain + '\/email\/email-ajax.cfm?objectID=10632071&c_id=12&callback=?';      function initEmail() {    initEmailForm();         }      function toggleEmailContainer(atTop) {    \/\/ check if we need to load the email html...     if (!emailJSLoaded) {     emailPanelTop = atTop;                  $.jsonp({url:thisPageEmailURL, cache:true, success: function(data) {      if (emailPanelTop == false) {       var clonedDom = $(\"#emailContainer\").clone(false); \/\/ Clone the email container       $(\"#emailContainer\").remove(); \/\/ Now remove it from the DOM.          $(\"#emailWrapper2\").after(clonedDom); \/\/ Place it.      }            $(\"#emailContainer\").html(data.HTML);      $.getScript(thisDynamicDomain + '\/email\/email-ajax.js',initEmail,true);                 }});                  } else toggleEmailContainer_full(atTop);    }   <\/script>   <\/p>\n<div id=\"emailWrapper1\"><!-- --><\/div>\n<div id=\"emailContainer\" name=\"emailContainer\" class=\"boxStyle2\"><!-- --><\/div>\n<div class=\"clearBoth\"><!-- --><\/div>\n<p>    <!-- ARTICLE BODY - START -->             <\/p>\n<div class=\"articleImage three\" id=\"articleImageSmall\">     <a onclick=\"s_objectID='articleimage';\" href=\"javascript:ExpandArticleImage();\" class=\"eventBind\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/media.nzherald.co.nz\/webcontent\/image\/jpg\/book_220x14731542.jpg\" alt=\"Children's book writer Lucas Remmerswaal has four-and-a-half  months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey on board. Photo \/ Natalie  Slade\" title=\"Children's book writer Lucas Remmerswaal has  four-and-a-half months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey on board.  Photo \/ Natalie Slade\" height=\"147\" width=\"220\" \/><\/a>     <a style=\"opacity: 0.9;\" onclick=\"s_objectID='articleimage';\" href=\"javascript:ExpandArticleImage();\" class=\"enlargeOverlay eventBind\"><span><!-- --><\/span> <\/a>               <\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-size:100%;\">Children&#8217;s book writer Lucas Remmerswaal has four-and-a-half  months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey on board. Photo \/ Natalie  Slade<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"articleImage six\" id=\"articleImageBig\" style=\"display: none;\">     <a onclick=\"s_objectID='articleimage';\" href=\"javascript:ContractArticleImage();\" class=\"eventBind\"><img class=\"articleImageBig\" alt=\"Children's book writer Lucas Remmerswaal  has four-and-a-half months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey on  board. Photo \/ Natalie Slade\" title=\"Children's book writer Lucas  Remmerswaal has four-and-a-half months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah  Winfrey on board. Photo \/ Natalie Slade\" \/><\/a>     <a style=\"opacity: 0.9;\" onclick=\"s_objectID='articleimage';\" href=\"javascript:ContractArticleImage();\" class=\"enlargeOverlay  enlargeOverlayBig eventBind\"><span><!-- --><\/span> Shrink<\/a>               <\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<h2>Children&#8217;s book writer Lucas Remmerswaal has four-and-a-half  months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey on board. Photo \/ Natalie  Slade<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                  <script type=\"text\/javascript\">          var bigImgSrc = 'http:\/\/media.nzherald.co.nz\/webcontent\/image\/jpg\/book_460x230.jpg';          $(\".enlargeOverlay\").css({opacity: 0.9});             function ExpandArticleImage() {            \/\/ if the big image hasn't been loaded yet load it and give this function as the callback      if ( !$(\"img.articleImageBig\").attr('src')) {                        $(\"img.articleImageBig\").load(function(){ExpandArticleImage();});            $(\"img.articleImageBig\").attr('src',bigImgSrc);                  } else {              $(\"#articleImageSmall\").hide();       $(\"#articleImageBig .eventBind\").attr(\"href\", \"javascript: return false;\");       $(\"#articleImageBig\").animate( { width:\"460px\" }, { queue:false, duration:500 } );       $(\"#articleImageBig .articleImageBig\").animate( { width:\"460px\", height:\"230px\" }, 500, null, function() {        $(\"#articleImageBig .enlargeOverlayBig\").show();        $(\"#articleImageBig .eventBind\").attr(\"href\", \"javascript: ContractArticleImage();\");       });            }     }          function ContractArticleImage() {              $(\"#articleImageBig .eventBind\").attr(\"href\", \"javascript: return false;\");      $(\"#articleImageBig .enlargeOverlayBig\").hide();      $(\"#articleImageBig .articleImageBig\").animate( { width:\"220px\", height:\"147px\" }, { queue:false, duration:500 } );      $(\"#articleImageBig\").animate( { width:\"220px\" }, 500, null, function(){       $(\"#articleImageBig .eventBind\").attr(\"href\", \"javascript: ContractArticleImage();\");       $(\"#articleImageSmall\").show();       $(\"#articleImageBig\").hide();      });      }    <\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Lucas Remmerswaal is a man on a mission &#8211; a mission to change the  way a whole generation approaches its finances.<\/p>\n<p>  But how does a Whangarei investment adviser and father-of-six plan on  doing that? By writing children&#8217;s books inspired by the ideas and  principles of American billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren  Buffett &#8211; the world&#8217;s third wealthiest man.<\/p>\n<p>  Remmerswaal is in the process of producing an illustrated book for  five-year-olds, another for 12 year-olds and a teaching aid for parents  and teachers.<\/p>\n<p>  The books, both titled The 13 habits that made me $48 billion, inspired  by Warren Buffett, have been illustrated by Australian artist Annette  Lodge, who has published a number of her own children&#8217;s books.<\/p>\n<p>  Remmerswaal says he has invested $64,000 in the project so far.<\/p>\n<p>  &#8220;All our money outside the family home is invested in this project.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But before approaching publishers, he wants to get Buffett involved,  as he says that will be the key to his plan of launching the books on  the Oprah Winfrey Show.<\/p>\n<p>  It&#8217;s a big dream &#8211; Buffett is bombarded by hundreds of unsolicited  emails and calls every day, and has a loyal personal assistant whose job  mostly involves fending off unwanted inquiries. But Remmerswaal hopes  the books will help avoid another global financial crisis.<\/p>\n<p>  &#8220;Everyone did it wrong,&#8221; he says, referring to the greedy business  practices that led to the recession. &#8220;Two billion dollars worth of  retirees&#8217; savings wiped off the face of the earth, just in New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p>  &#8220;I&#8217;m just a poor house husband that&#8217;s put his life savings on the line  because I want to create a change from that Petricevic and Bryers  thinking to Buffett thinking.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>  He says financial gain is only a small part of his reason for starting  the project, and if it is successful, he plans on donating much of the  money to the Success For Students charitable trust that he set up with  his neighbour.<\/p>\n<p>  The Buffett project has received high praise from education royalty &#8211;  national standards specialist Professor John Hattie from the University  of Auckland, who met Remmerswaal last week, and viewed the drafts of the  books.<\/p>\n<p>  &#8220;I think he&#8217;s onto a winner and I think it&#8217;s a stunning project,&#8221; says  Hattie. &#8220;The artwork alone is incredibly impressive, and that alone will  engage young kids.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>  Remmerswaal could be described as a Buffett obsessive. He has researched  the Omaha, Nebraska-based businessman intensely since the late 1990s.  He recently spent a week in Omaha trying to get a meeting with Buffett,  to introduce him to the project, but to no avail.<\/p>\n<p>  Apparently, Buffett doesn&#8217;t answer his door to strangers.<\/p>\n<p>  There&#8217;s nothing particularly strange about Buffett fanaticism. There are  thousands of &#8220;disciples&#8221; of the so-called &#8220;Oracle of Omaha&#8221; around the  world. The annual shareholder&#8217;s meeting for his company, Berkshire  Hathaway, fills an arena.<\/p>\n<p>  Despite being one of the richest companies on earth, the offices of  Berkshire Hathaway occupy just a single floor of a modest office block  in Omaha. Buffett, renowned for his frugality, employs only a handful of  staff.<\/p>\n<p>  He reportedly gives 85 per cent of his net wealth to the Bill and  Melinda Gates Foundation and family charities, and lives in a humble  home &#8211; not even the biggest in the street &#8211; in a suburb of Omaha.<\/p>\n<p>  Remmerswaal says he has read every chairman&#8217;s letter Buffett has  released since 1977, as well as countless biographies on the  billionaire.<\/p>\n<p>  There is much to be gained from the information contained in those  letters and books, he says, but people are put off reading them because  they think they are complicated. &#8220;All I&#8217;ve done is translated [the  letters and books] for 5-year-olds, for 12-year-olds and for parents and  teachers,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I&#8217;m just a foreign language translator, that&#8217;s  what I&#8217;m doing here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Next month Remmerswaal heads back to  Nebraska to join the hordes at the Berkshire-Hathaway annual  shareholders meeting. He will again attempt to make contact with  Buffett.<\/p>\n<p>  The clock ticks mercilessly for Remmerswaal &#8211; he wants the book to be  launched on August 30 to coincide with Buffett&#8217;s 80th birthday. He has  four-and-a-half months to get Buffett, and then Oprah, on board.<\/p>\n<p>  Hattie says there is much Kiwi kids can learn from the ideas in the  Buffett books. &#8220;The message isn&#8217;t so much about Warren Buffett, it&#8217;s  about key behaviours and key attitudes and Lucas is using [the books] as  a medium,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p>      <span class=\"credits\">By Christopher Adams<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"textBodyBlack\"><a name=\"comments\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Share Investor Links<\/span><\/a><a name=\"comments\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.shareinvestorblog.com\/\">Share Investor Blog<\/a> &#8211;   Stockmarket &amp; Business commentary<br \/>Discuss this topic @<a href=\"http:\/\/www.shareinvestorforum.com\/\">  Share Investor Forum<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/shareinvestorforum.com\/ucp.php?mode=register&amp;sid=450a61250472e03fa25c205c9c1723f1\"><strong>Register<strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/a>   free<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/shareinvestorforum.com\/viewtopic.php?f=36&amp;t=140&amp;p=1013#p1013\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Download the 2009 Warren Buffett Letter   &amp; 2009 Annual Report to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/shareinvestorforum.com\/viewtopic.php?f=36&amp;t=140&amp;start=15#p960\"><span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Download the 1977 &#8211; 2009 Warren Buffett   Letter&#8217;s to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Recommended Amazon Reading<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var addthis_pub=\"shareinvestor\";<\/script><\/p>\n<table id=\"searchResults\" cellspacing=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"clsOdd\">\n<td class=\"tdimage\"><a href=\"http:\/\/astore.amazon.com\/shareinvestorbookstore-20\/detail\/0966446127\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/315%2BfrL4YuL._SL75_.jpg\" alt=\"The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, Second   Edition\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"tddescription\"><a href=\"http:\/\/astore.amazon.com\/shareinvestorbookstore-20\/detail\/0966446127\">The   Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, Second  Edition<\/a>  by <span class=\"by\">Warren E. Buffett<\/span><br \/> Buy new:         $25.91       \/ Used from:        $29.99<br \/><span class=\"availability\">Usually  ships in 24 hours<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"clsEven\">\n<td class=\"tdimage\"><a href=\"http:\/\/astore.amazon.com\/shareinvestorbookstore-20\/detail\/0553384619\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51hlhRX908L._SL75_.jpg\" alt=\"The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"tddescription\"><a href=\"http:\/\/astore.amazon.com\/shareinvestorbookstore-20\/detail\/0553384619\">The   Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life<\/a> by <span class=\"by\">Alice Schroeder<\/span><br \/> Buy new:        $13.60       \/  Used from:        $8.95<br \/><span class=\"availability\">Usually ships in  24 hours<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" border=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/rcm.amazon.com\/e\/cm?t=sharinve-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=7&amp;l=ez&amp;f=ifr&amp;f=ifr\" style=\"border: medium none;\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"40\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"260\"><\/iframe><br \/><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var addthis_pub=\"shareinvestor\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var addthis_pub=\"shareinvestor\"<\/script><\/p>\n<div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var addthis_pub=\"shareinvestor\";<\/script><br \/><a name=\"data:post.title\" id=\"data:post.url\" onmouseover=\"'return\" onmouseout=\"addthis_close()\" onclick=\"return addthis_sendto()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/lg-share-en.gif\" alt=\"Bookmark and Share\" style=\"border: 0pt none;\" height=\"16\" width=\"125\" \/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/s7.addthis.com\/js\/200\/addthis_widget.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p><!-- AddThis Button END --><\/p>\n<div class=\"blogger-post-footer\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\ngoogle_ad_client = \"pub-1811166043296468\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\ngoogle_ad_height = 60;\ngoogle_ad_format = \"468x60_as\";\ngoogle_ad_type = \"image\";\ngoogle_ad_channel =\"\";\n\/\/--><\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\n  src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\n<\/script><img width='1' height='1' src='https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/3087194156628161158-3452979651948745263?l=everythingwarrenbuffett.blogspot.com' alt='' \/><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/lz2DhmWa0fMdl4ZiLUTyFcvZ3I4\/0\/da\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/lz2DhmWa0fMdl4ZiLUTyFcvZ3I4\/0\/di\" border=\"0\" ismap=\"true\"><\/img><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/lz2DhmWa0fMdl4ZiLUTyFcvZ3I4\/1\/da\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/lz2DhmWa0fMdl4ZiLUTyFcvZ3I4\/1\/di\" border=\"0\" ismap=\"true\"><\/img><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/EverythingWarrenBuffett?a=M_zybFg-UjI:BK8R1vbxYoU:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/EverythingWarrenBuffett?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/EverythingWarrenBuffett\/~4\/M_zybFg-UjI\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Christopher Adams 4:00 AM Monday Mar 15, 2010 Children&#8217;s book writer Lucas Remmerswaal has four-and-a-half months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey on board. Photo \/ Natalie Slade Shrink Children&#8217;s book writer Lucas Remmerswaal has four-and-a-half months to get Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey on board. Photo \/ Natalie Slade Lucas Remmerswaal is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":833,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-444184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/833"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444184\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}