In the aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash, Ben saw seventy percent of his personal fortune and the assets of the Benjamin Graham Joint Account vanish over three painful years. But a deeper blow had struck before the financial collapse—the death of his beloved son, Newton. The Joint Account required Ben to repay all investor losses before taking any earnings, so he toiled without compensation, silently bearing the weight of unimaginable grief. The post Benjamin Graham: Can Money Mend a...| Beyond Ben Graham
In a twist of cruel timing, Benjamin Graham moved into the grandest residence of his life just before the stock market crash of October 1929. He had no idea that his opulent duplex—spanning two lavish upper floors of the newly completed Beresford Apartments—would become a gilded harbinger of his financial ruin. In the ensuing months, he watched with mounting mortification as 70 percent of the Benjamin Graham Joint Account’s value vanished before his eyes. The post Loss Amid Luxury: The ...| Beyond Ben Graham
Benjamin Graham famously challenged Northern Pipeline, a Standard Oil subsidiary, compelling it to distribute $110 per share in railroad bonds to shareholders—a true David vs. Goliath moment. Ben was the underdog: young, small, and alone. Northern Pipeline was formidable. Jason Zweig, Warren Buffett, and Graham himself all celebrate this triumph. But none ask the deeper question: Where did the usually mild, accommodating Ben find the boldness to confront a corporate giant—and win? The pos...| Beyond Ben Graham
Dr. Benjamin "Buz" Graham Jr., son of famed investor Benjamin Graham, left us on March 12, 2025 at age 79. A devoted physician, civil rights worker, and cancer survivor, my Uncle Buz was known for his compassion, resilience, and commitment to community. He is survived by his loving wife, three children, beloved grandchildren, and extended family who cherished his warmth and wisdom. The post Obituary of Benjamin “Buz” Graham Jr., 1945 – 2025 appeared first on Beyond Ben Graham.| Beyond Ben Graham
When my uncle, Benjamin "Buz" Graham Jr., passed away in March, I found myself reflecting on his life and the striking differences between him and his father, Benjamin Graham. A life-threatening cancer led Buz to a career in medicine, while Ben’s experience of financial hardship drove him to develop value investing. Yet the deeper I looked, the more I uncovered surprising parallels in their outer paths and inner transformations that move and inspire me. The post Father and Son: The Two Benj...| Beyond Ben Graham
Benjamin Graham never slept in an alley or huddled with his brothers over a heating grate. But he did lose his father and witness his mother’s slide to the brink of poverty, spending his formative years living in fear of financial ruin. Humiliating losses on Wall Street rekindled that fear and sparked his invention of Margin of Safety, the central concept of value investing and Ben Graham’s greatest contribution to finance. The post Benjamin Graham Lost a Bundle & Found Margin of Safety (...| Beyond Ben Graham
Benjamin Graham taught Warren Buffett to hunt for undervalued stock, but the late, great Charlie Munger said: “A lot of Ben Graham’s rise in life was during a period when there was plenty of low-hanging fruit among mediocre businesses that were way too cheap.” “Mediocre and cheap”? Spoiling for a fight, I uncover a profound reason why Ben Graham picked unappreciated stocks that, like him, would surprise everyone if given the chance to prove their worth. The post Ben Graham To Mr. B...| Beyond Ben Graham
Having charted my grandfather’s course to Wall Street, I feel driven to find out how Benjamin Graham devised value investing. What experiences sparked his ideas? Eagerly, I bury my nose in his books. When I find nothing, this granddaughter turns sleuth. Join me while I uncover his secret skill that no other Wall Street man possessed—a breakthrough that throws fresh light on how Benjamin Graham became “the father of value investing.” The post The Curious Truth of How Graham Created Val...| Beyond Ben Graham
Read the ELECTION SPECIAL EDITION! If the US election is on your mind, you might be interested in the unusual role Benjamin Graham played in the election of 1916. This post will take you from election gambling and The Intelligent Investor, 3rd Ed. to Ben Graham’s values that shaped Warren Buffett. Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, and Jason Zweig’s example can help us through the challenges this election and its aftermath may bring. The post Election Gambling Sparked the “Best Investing ...| Beyond Ben Graham
Flushed with the success of his arbitrage operation, my twenty-two-year-old grandfather set out to marry and make money, only to face setbacks that brought him to the brink of despair. Ben’s early years in finance illustrate that Wall Street isn’t Easy Street. Not even a trailblazing titan is immune from suffering losses. Yet in the face of financial calamity, Benjamin Graham forged a difficult marriage, started a family, and launched his “steady climb toward affluence.” The post Benj...| Beyond Ben Graham