First Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting without Charlie Munger: What to expect from Warren Buffett

cnbc.com:

When Warren Buffett kicks off Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting on Saturday, the absence of Charlie Munger will be on everyone's mind.

Some 30,000 rapt shareholders are descending on Omaha for what's been called «Woodstock for Capitalists.» Pandemic lockdown apart, it will be the first without Munger, Buffett's longtime partner who passed away in November about a month shy of his 100th birthday.

«The meeting will only have one comedian up there» this year, said David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland and a Berkshire shareholder, who has attended more than 20 annual meetings. «There'll be, let's say, a more serious, less humorous background.»

The annual meeting will be exclusively broadcast on CNBC and livestreamed on CNBC.com. Our special coverage will begin Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET. For the first time, Berkshire will broadcast its annual meeting movie that had previously always been reserved only for those in attendance in Omaha. Many speculate this year's will be a tear-jerker tribute to Munger.

Vice Chairman of Non-Insurance Operations Greg Abel, Buffett's designated successor, will fill Munger's seat in the afternoon session, helping answer shareholder questions. Vice Chairman of Insurance Operations Ajit Jain will join Buffett, the CEO, and Abel in the morning session. Buffett has said they expect to field about 40 to 60 questions Saturday.

«The tone of the meeting is certainly going to be a lot different without Charlie,» said Steve Check, CEO of Check Capital Management and a longtime Berkshire shareholder. «He was the one that really made it funny. It's getting closer and closer to the transition, so it's good to see Ajit and Greg on the stage.»

Munger's investment philosophy