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Coffee Can Investing by Saurabh Mukherjea



Coffee Can Investing is a book by Saurabh Mukherjea that outlines a simple and effective approach to long-term investing. The book suggests that investors should adopt a 'buy and forget' strategy to build wealth over time. This strategy involves investing in high-quality, well-managed companies with strong growth potential and then holding onto those stocks for a long period of time, ideally for a decade or more.


The book emphasizes the importance of focusing on the fundamentals of a company, rather than short-term market trends or news. The author argues that the stock market can be unpredictable in the short term, but over the long term, the market tends to reward companies that deliver consistent earnings growth and have strong competitive advantages.


Mukherjea explains that the term 'coffee can investing' comes from a practice in India, where people would store their valuables, including cash and jewelry, in a coffee can and bury it in the ground. The idea was to forget about the can and let it grow in value over time. In the same way, investors should choose high-quality stocks and let them grow in value over time, without constantly buying and selling or trying to time the market.


The book is divided into ten chapters, each of which provides insights into different aspects of coffee can investing. Here's a summary of each chapter:


Chapter 1: Coffee Can Investing

The author explains what coffee can investing is and why it's an effective strategy for building long-term wealth. He outlines the key characteristics of a coffee can stock, such as strong earnings growth, high return on equity, and competitive advantages. He also provides examples of companies that have exhibited these characteristics and have delivered significant returns over time.


Chapter 2: Understanding the Nature of Businesses

He suggests that investors should focus on businesses that have a sustainable competitive advantage, a strong management team, and a large addressable market. He also provides examples of companies that have these characteristics, such as Asian Paints and HDFC Bank.


Chapter 3: Identifying Coffee Can Stocks

The author suggests that investors should focus on companies with a track record of consistent earnings growth, a high return on equity, and a strong brand. He also provides a checklist for evaluating potential coffee can stocks.


Chapter 4: Business Model Analysis

He suggests that investors should look for businesses that have a scalable model, low capital intensity, and a strong competitive advantage. He provides examples of companies that have these characteristics, such as Maruti Suzuki and Kotak Mahindra Bank.


Chapter 5: Evaluating Management Quality

He suggests that investors should look for managers who have a long-term focus, a track record of delivering results, and a strong alignment with shareholders. He provides examples of companies that have strong management teams, such as Titan and Bajaj Finance.


Chapter 6: Understanding Valuation

The author explains the importance of understanding valuation before investing. He suggests that investors should focus on businesses that are trading at a reasonable price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) and have a high earnings growth rate. He provides examples of companies that have been good investments due to their reasonable valuations, such as Eicher Motors and Bajaj Finserv.


Chapter 7: Coffee Can Portfolio Management

The author suggests that investors should focus on diversification and limit their exposure to any one company or sector. He also suggests that investors should hold onto their stocks for at least 5-10 years, ideally longer, to allow them to compound over time. The chapter also discusses the importance of periodic review and rebalancing of the portfolio.


Chapter 8: Behavioral Biases and Coffee Can Investing

The author discusses common behavioral biases that can affect investors, such as overconfidence and the tendency to follow the herd. He suggests that adopting a coffee can approach can help investors overcome these biases by focusing on the long-term fundamentals of a company rather than short-term market trends.


Chapter 9: Case Studies

This chapter provides case studies of companies that have exhibited coffee can characteristics and have delivered significant returns over time. The companies discussed include HDFC Bank, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Maruti Suzuki, and Titan.


Here are a few reasons why HDFC has been successful as a coffee can investment:

Strong brand reputation:


  • HDFC is a well-known brand in India, and is often associated with trust and reliability. This has helped the company build a loyal customer base over the years, which has helped it grow its business and expand its reach.


  • Focus on customer needs: HDFC has always been focused on meeting the needs of its customers, and has consistently introduced new products and services to cater to their changing needs. For example, the company was one of the first to introduce home loans in India, which helped it capture a significant share of the mortgage market.


  • Robust business model: HDFC has a robust business model, which has helped it weather economic downturns and market fluctuations over the years. The company has a diversified portfolio of products and services, which has helped it mitigate risks and maintain steady growth.


  • Strong financial performance: HDFC has consistently delivered strong financial performance over the years, which has helped it build a strong balance sheet and maintain a healthy return on equity (ROE). The company has also consistently paid dividends to its shareholders, which has helped it maintain investor confidence.


Chapter 10: Conclusion

The author emphasizes that investing is a long-term journey and that patience and discipline are key to achieving success.


As Warren Buffet says, Stock Market is a device to transfer money from impatient to patient

Read full book 🔻🔻

2 Comments


arunapai0603
Jun 24, 2023

Thanks for the summary!! Had heard a lot about this book.

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BabuRao
Mar 30, 2023

Thank You !

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