Founder of Semper Augustus — a value investor best known for some of the most detailed analyses of Berkshire Hathaway.
Life story
Chris Bloomstran earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he also played football. He earned the CFA charter in 1994. Little is publicly known about his birth year, family or childhood.
How they got started
Before Semper Augustus, Bloomstran was a vice president and portfolio manager at UMB Investment Advisors, running its trust investment offices in St. Louis and Denver.
In 1998 — at the height of the tech bubble, when many investors were chasing internet stocks — he founded Semper Augustus Investments Group. The firm is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing concentrated equity portfolios for clients.
Bloomstran is best known among investors for his annual client letters, which include extremely detailed valuations of Berkshire Hathaway. He has owned Berkshire shares for more than 20 years.
Investment style
Semper Augustus describes its approach as concentrated portfolios of well-run, well-capitalized businesses whose shares trade below the firm's conservative appraisal of intrinsic value. A core tenet is that "price matters": high returns do not require high risk.
Bloomstran pays close attention to macro risks, especially rising global debt levels, which he believes weigh on valuations and economic growth.
Best decisions
Berkshire Hathaway — long-term conviction
Bloomstran has held Berkshire for more than 20 years and publishes a detailed annual analysis of its intrinsic value — letters widely read by value investors.
Biggest mistakes
Selling Ross Stores too early
His best-known admitted mistake was selling Ross Stores after roughly a 2.5x gain; over the following two decades the stock became a 20-bagger. He says it taught him that true compounders with durable advantages cannot be valued with conventional value metrics.
Today
As of 2026 Bloomstran continues to lead Semper Augustus as president and chief investment officer and publishes annual client letters.
What to learn from following the portfolio
- Semper Augustus runs a concentrated, low-turnover portfolio — positions are typically held for years, so changes are rare and meaningful.
- His annual letters explain the reasoning behind holdings better than 13F does: 13F shows what is owned, not why, and lags by 45 days.
- Halal lens: holding companies like Berkshire Hathaway include insurance and financial businesses, which usually raise problems in halal screens; low-debt industrial and consumer companies may fit better. Check each position's halal status on the Portfolio tab.
An introduction based on public sources — not investment advice. Spotted an error? Let us know.