原文信息：

• 标题：1961 Semi-annual Letter to Partners
• 作者：Warren Buffett
• 发表时间：1961-07-22
• 链接：Buffett Partnership Letters 1957-1970
• 中文翻译参考：RanRan
• 整理：Ponge

1961 Letter

BUFFETT PARTNERSHIP, LTD.

810 KIEWIT PLAZA

OMAHA 31, NEBRASKA

TO MY PARTNERS:

致我的合伙人：

In the past, partners have commented that a once-a-year letter was “a long time between drinks,” and that a semi-annual letter would be a good idea. It really shouldn’t be too difficult to find something to say twice a year; at least it isn’t this year. Hence, this letter which will be continued in future years.

有的合伙人对我说，一年才写一封信，“总要盼很长时间”，能不能半年写一次。一年写两封信应该也不至于没话说，至少今年是有话说的。所以，我又写了一封信，以后就每年写两封。

During the first half of 1961, the overall gain of the Dow-Jones Industrial Average was about 13%, including dividends. Although this is the type of period when we should have the most difficulty in exceeding this standard, all partnerships that operated throughout the six months did moderately better than the Average. Partnerships formed during 1961 either equaled or exceeded results of the Average from the time of formation, depending primarily on how long they were in operation.

1961 年上半年，包括股息在内，道指的整体收益率是 13%。在这样的行情中，我们应该是最难超过指数的，但在过去六个月里，我管理的所有六个账户的业绩都略高于道指。1961 年新成立了几个合伙人账户，它们成立的时间有先有后，从成立之初算起，有和指数持平的，也有跑赢的。

Let me, however, emphasize two points. First, one year is far too short a period to form any kind of an opinion as to investment performance, and measurements based upon six months become even more unreliable. One factor that has caused some reluctance on my part to write semi-annual letters is the fear that partners may begin to think in terms of short-term performance which can be most misleading. My own thinking is much more geared to five year performance, preferably with tests of relative results in both strong and weak markets.

这里，我要强调两点。第一，一年的时间太短，绝对不足以用于评价投资表现，六个月时间更短，更不能用于评价投资表现了。我之所以不愿意半年写一次信，一个原因就是担心合伙人太看重短期业绩，短期业绩说明不了什么。我自己更愿意把五年的表现作为评判标准，最好是在五年里经过牛市和熊市相对收益的考验。

The second point I want everyone to understand is that if we continue in a market which advances at the pace of the first half of 1961, not only do I doubt that we will continue to exceed the results of the DJIA, but it is very likely that our performance will fall behind the Average.

第二点，我希望大家都理解，如果股市继续保持 1961 年上半年这样的上涨节奏，我怀疑我们不但跑不赢，甚至还会落后指数。

Our holdings, which I always believe to be on the conservative side compared to general portfolios, tend to grow more conservative as the general market level rises. At all times, I attempt to have a portion of our portfolio in securities as least partially insulated from the behavior of the market, and this portion should increase as the market rises. However appetizing results for even the amateur cook (and perhaps particularly the amateur), we find that more of our portfolio is not on the stove.

我始终相信，与一般的投资组合相比，我们的持仓更保守，而且大盘越涨，我们越保守。无论什么时候，我都尽量在投资组合中专门安排一部分资金，投资至少在一定程度上独立于大市的证券。股市越涨，这部分投资占比越高。独立于市场有利有弊，市场这口大锅越是热气腾腾，业余的厨子做的饭菜越好吃，这时候业余的厨子尤其厉害，可我们的投资组合呢，更大的仓位都不在锅里。

We have also begun open market acquisition of a potentially major commitment which I, of course, hope does nothing marketwise for at least a year. Such a commitment may be a deterrent to short range performance, but it gives strong promise of superior results over a several year period combined with substantial defensive characteristics.

我们已经开始进行一笔可能规模很大的投资，现在正在公开市场收集筹码，我当然希望这只股票至少在一年里不要上涨。这样的投资可能拖累短期业绩，但是把时间拉长到几年，不但非常有可能实现超额收益，而且还可以获得极高的防守属性。

Progress has been made toward combining all partners at yearend. I have talked with all partners joining during this past year or so about this goal, and have also gone over the plans with representative partners of all earlier partnerships.

我们有望在年底将所有合伙人合并到一个账户。我已经和新加入的所有合伙人谈过了，也与先前成立的合伙人账户中的代表合伙人讨论了方案。

Some of the provisions will be:

下面是部分条款：

(A) A merger of all partnerships, based on market value at yearend, with provisions for proper allocation among partners of future tax liability due to unrealized gains at yearend. The merger itself will be tax-free, and will result in no acceleration of realization of profits;

(A) 根据年末市场价值合并所有合伙人账户，明确条款，规定各个合伙人将来如何承担因年底未实现收益需缴纳的税款。账户合并本身无需缴税，我们也不会因此加快兑现利润。

(B) A division of profits between the limited partners and general partner, with the first 6% per year to partners based upon beginning capital at market, and any excess divided one-fourth to the general partner and three-fourths to all partners proportional to their capital. Any deficiencies in earnings below the 6% would be carried forward against future earnings, but would not be carried back. Presently, there are three profit arrangements which have been optional to incoming partners:

(B) 在新方案下，有限合伙人与普通合伙人分享利润，根据年初资金市值，先从利润中分给合伙人 6%，其余利润按照各自出资占比，普通合伙人获得四分之一，所有有限合伙人获得四分之三。若利润未达到 6%，需用将来的利润弥补，而不以既往的利润重述。目前，新加入的合伙人有三种利润分成方案可供选择：

In the event of profits, the new division will obviously have to be better for limited partners than the first two arrangements. Regarding the third, the new arrangement will be superior up to 18% per year; but above this rate the limited partners would do better under the present agreement. About 80% of total partnership assets have selected the first two arrangements, and I am hopeful, should we average better than 18% yearly, partners presently under the third arrangement will not feel short-changed under the new agreement;

如果实现利润，与前两个分成方案相比，从新分成方案中，有限合伙人显然可以分得更多利润。第三个分成方案，对有限合伙人来说，收益率在 18% 以下，新方案更合适；若收益率高于 18%，现有协议更合适。80% 的合伙人资产选择了前两个方案。我希望如果我们的年度收益率高于 18%，目前选择第三个方案的合伙人不要觉得因为新协议而吃亏了；

(C) In the event of losses, there will be no carry back against amounts previously credited to me as general partner. Although there will be a carry-forward against future excess earnings. However, my wife and I will have the largest single investment in the new partnership, probably about one-sixth of total partnership assets, and thereby a greater dollar stake in losses than any other partner of family group, I am inserting a provision in the partnership agreement which will prohibit the purchase by me or my family of any marketable securities. In other words, the new partnership will represent my entire investment operation in marketable securities, so that my results will have to be directly proportional to yours, subject to the advantage I obtain if we do better than 6%;

(C) 如果发生亏损，不会将我作为普通合伙人先前分得的利润重述，但需要用将来的超额利润弥补。我妻子和我是合并后合伙账户中投资最多的，大概占合伙人总资产的六分之一，所以如果亏损，我们会比其他家族合伙人亏得更多。我会在合伙人协议中增加一个条款，禁止我或我的家人购买任何有价证券。换言之，我自己所有的有价证券投资都放在了新的合伙人账户里，如果收益率超过 6%，我可以获得分成，但我肯定是和大家共进退。

(D) A provision for monthly payments at the rate of 6% yearly, based on beginning of the year capital valued at market. Partners not wishing to withdraw money currently can have this credited back to them automatically as an advance payment, drawing 6%, to purchase an additional equity interest in the partnership at yearend. This will solve one stumbling block that has heretofore existed in the path of consolidation, since many partners desire regular withdrawals and others wish to plow everything back;

(D) 以年初市值计算资金，按照每年 6% 的利率每月提供利息。不愿提取资金的合伙人目前可以选择将其自动记为预先存入资金，获得 6% 的利息，在年末将其用于购买合伙基金份额。很多合伙人希望定期提现，但有的合伙人想把所有收益都用于再投资，这是账户整合过程中的一大难题，现在就解决了。

(E) The right to borrow during the year, up to 20% of the value of your partnership interest, at 6%, such loans to be liquidated at yearend or earlier. This will add a degree of liquidity to an investment which can now only be disposed of at yearend. It is not intended that anything but relatively permanent funds be invested in the partnership, and we have no desire to turn it into a bank. Rather, I expect this to be a relatively unused provision, which is available when something unexpected turns up and a wait until yearend to liquidate part of all of a partner’s interest would cause hardship;

(E) 有限合伙人有权向合伙基金借款，最大借款金额不超过所占合伙权益的 20%，利率为 6%，需要在年末或提前偿还。此项条款可增加有限合伙人投资的流动性，如果需要资金，不必等到年末。此项条款是为了保证合伙账户中的资金相对稳定，不是想把合伙帐户变成银行。我希望合伙人最好不用这个条款，只是如果出现需要救急、等不到年末兑现的情况，这项条款可以提供方便。

(F) An arrangement whereby any relatively small tax adjustment, made in later years on the partnership’s return will be assessed directly to me. This way, we will not be faced with the problem of asking eighty people, or more, to amend their earlier return over some small matter. As it stands now, a small change, such as a decision that a dividend received by the partnership has 63% a return of capital instead of 68%, could cause a multitude of paper work. To prevent this, any change amounting to less than $1,000 of tax will be charged directly to me.

(F) 今后，就合伙人收益出现任何小额税款调整，将由我直接支付。这样不必麻烦八十多个人都要对之前的收益做小额调整。目前，即使很小的一个变动，例如，规定合伙基金收到的股息资本回报率从 68% 改为 63%，也需要大量文书工作。为了避免这种情况，如果调整涉及税款金额低于 1,000 美元，则将由我直接支付。

We have submitted the proposed agreement to Washington for a ruling that the merger would be tax-free, and that the partnership would be treated as a partnership under the tax laws. While all of this is a lot of work, it will make things enormously easier in the future. You might save this letter as a reference to read in conjunction with the agreement which you will receive later in the year.

我们已经提交了上述合伙协议，正在等待账户合并不必缴税的裁定，以及新税法下同时管理的各个合伙帐户等同于一个合伙帐户的裁定。整合账户的工作量很大，但是将来我们就轻松多了。请保存此信，以备在今年晚些时候收到协议后参考。

The minimum investment for new partners is currently $25,000, but, of course, this does not apply to present partners. Our method of operation will enable the partners to add or withdraw amounts of any size (in round $100) at yearend. Estimated total assets of the partnership will be in the neighborhood of $4 million, which enables us to consider investments such as the one mentioned earlier in this letter, which we would have had to pass several years ago.

新合伙人的最低投资金额是 25,000 美元，现存合伙人不受限制。按照我们的经营方式，合伙人可以在年末追加或提取任意额度的资金（100 美元的整数倍)。合并后，合伙基金总资产是 400 万美元左右，有了这个规模，我们才能考虑进行上文中提到的那笔投资，这是我们几年之前做不到的。

This has turned out to be more of a production than my annual letter. If you have any questions, particularly regarding anything that isn’t clear in my discussion of the new partnership agreement, be sure to let me know. If there are a large number of questions, I will write a supplemental letter to all partners giving the questions that arise and the answers to them.

之前每年的信都是作总结，这封信主要讲我们正在做的工作。如果你对新合伙协议有任何疑问或有其他问题，请随时找我解答。如果问的人很多，我会就问题和解答给所有合伙人再写一封信。

Warren E. Buffett

Vlb

July 22, 1961