Morningstar Stocks: What to Know and Why You Should Probably Ignore It

[Generated Title]: Warren Buffett's Retiring? Good Riddance. Here's What We *Really* Learned.

So, Warren Buffett's finally calling it quits, huh? At 95, no less. Cue the fawning tributes, the misty-eyed retrospectives, and the endless parade of articles about his "timeless wisdom." Give me a break. I’m so sick of the Warren Buffett hagiography, it’s not even funny.

This guy's been deified for decades, and for what? Making a boatload of money? Plenty of people do that, and they aren't treated like some kind of folksy sage. What, because he eats at Dairy Queen and drinks Cherry Coke, he's suddenly relatable? Please.

The Cult of Personality

The article I just read—praising Buffett’s folksy wisdom – lists "10 things we can all learn from Warren Buffett that don’t have anything to do with money." Oh, really? Let’s dissect this crap, shall we?

"Be kind." Okay, sure. Kindness is great. But let's be real: Buffett’s kindness is probably a carefully cultivated PR strategy. It's good for the brand. And don't tell me it's "costless." Time is money, and schmoozing people takes time.

Integrity? Please. Every billionaire has skeletons in their closet. You don't amass that kind of wealth without making some ethically questionable decisions along the way. The author quotes Tom Murphy saying, “Warren is the fairest person I’ve ever dealt with.” Ofcourse Murphy would say that; he profited handsomely from his association with Buffett.

Patience? Oh, yes, the virtue of waiting for the right opportunity. It's easy to be patient when you have billions sitting in the bank. Try telling that to someone struggling to make rent. "The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient," Buffett says. Translation: "If you're poor, you're screwed."

The Illusion of Control

Caution? He calls derivatives "financial weapons of mass destruction," but his company still dabbles in them. Hypocrisy, thy name is Warren. And this "margin of safety" garbage? It's just a fancy way of saying "don't be an idiot." Thanks for the insight, Warren.

Positivity? Easy to be positive when you're insulated from the real-world consequences of your decisions. "America will come back and so will Berkshire shares," he says. What about the people who lose everything in the meantime? Do they get a "thoughts and prayers" tweet from the Oracle of Omaha?

Independent thinking? This one really grinds my gears. The author claims he warned about high stock prices in 1999. So what? Plenty of people did. And he bought American in 2008? Big deal. It's called patriotism, not genius.

Humility? The "circle of competence" is just a way of saying "stick to what you know." Which is fine, I guess, but it's hardly revolutionary. And admitting mistakes? Everyone makes mistakes. It doesn't make you a saint.

Contentment? "Envy is the only one of the 7 deadly sins that it’s no fun to commit," Buffett says. Oh, how profound. Let's be real, the guy's lived a life of obscene luxury. Try telling someone working two minimum-wage jobs that they shouldn't be envious.

Continuity? So, he's picked his successor. Good for him. Doesn't mean Berkshire Hathaway will continue to be some kind of investment juggernaut. All empires eventually crumble. Greg Abel might be a "great manager," but can he replicate Buffett's luck and timing? I doubt it.

Gratitude? He won the "Ovarian lottery." Okay, fine, he acknowledges his privilege. But so what? It doesn't absolve him of anything. He's still a billionaire hoarding wealth while the world burns.

Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here. Maybe I'm just jealous of his success. But I doubt it. I just can't stand the uncritical worship of these titans of industry. They're not gods, they're just people who got lucky and played the game better than most.

And Morningstar? Don't even get me started on their ratings. Slapping a 4- or 5-star rating on a stock doesn't mean squat. It's just some algorithm spitting out numbers based on "fair value estimates" and "uncertainty ratings." As if anyone can predict the future with that kind of precision.

Europe's "Undervalued" Garbage

I saw another article claiming L’Oréal and Deutsche Telekom are "undervalued" based on the Morningstar Rating. 16 Newly Undervalued Stocks this Month Undervalued according to who? Some analyst sitting in an office somewhere?

Siemens Healthineers, Sodexo, and Zalando are also supposedly screaming buys. Yeah, right. I'll believe it when I see it. The Morningstar Europe Index is down, but that doesn't mean every dip is a buying opportunity. It means the whole damn system is rigged.

So, What's the Real Story?

Buffett's retiring. Big deal. The world will keep spinning. Berkshire Hathaway will probably keep making money. And the rest of us will keep struggling to survive in a system that favors the rich and powerful. The "wisdom" he supposedly imparted? Mostly common sense repackaged as folksy aphorisms. I'm not buying it.