---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An irresistable footnote: in 1971…"
description: "\"An irresistable footnote: in 1971, pension fund managers invested a record 122% of net funds available in equities - at full prices they couldn't buy e..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/warren-buffett-183_available_an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension_2939521.png"
---

#  An irresistable footnote: in 1971, pension fund managers…

![“An irresistable footnote: in 1971, pension fund managers invested a record 122% of net funds available in equities - at full prices they couldn't buy enough of them. In 1974, after the bottom had fallen out, they committed a then record low of 21% to stocks.” quote by Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/warren-buffett-183_available_an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension_2939521.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/warren-buffett-183_available_an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension_2939521.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/warren-buffett-183_available_an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension_2939521.png)

> “An irresistable footnote: in 1971, pension fund managers invested a record 122% of net funds available in equities - at full prices they couldn't buy enough of them. In 1974, after the bottom had fallen out, they committed a then record low of 21% to stocks.”

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Investors swung from over‑investing in stocks to extreme under‑investment, showing market timing errors.

**In simple terms:** Investors misjudge market timing.

Key Takeaway

Avoid timing the market.

Themes

investment behavioral finance market cycles

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

financial educational

When to use this quote

- personal finance
- risk management

Key Concepts

over‑investment under‑investment recorded percentages

Questions to Reflect On

- How to maintain balanced portfolios?
- What signals indicate market extremes?

A Different Perspective

Timing the market is nearly impossible.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Available](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/) [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Committed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Equity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equity/) [Fallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallen/) [Footnotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/footnotes/) [Fund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fund/) [Fund Managers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fund-managers-734354/) [Invested Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invested-record-4376203/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Managers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/managers/) [Managers Invested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/managers-invested-4376202/) [Net Funds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/net-funds-4376204/) [Pension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pension/) [Pension Fund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pension-fund-668952/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/)

## Related quotes

> [The whole concept of dividing it up into 'value' and 'growth' strikes me as twaddle. It's convenient for a bunch of pension fund consultants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/the-whole-concept-of-dividing-it-up-into-value-and-growth-strikes-me/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [... Any pension fund manager who doesn't have the vast majority-and I mean 70% or 80% of his or her portfolio-in passive investments is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merton-miller/any-pension-fund-manager-who-doesn-t-have-the-vast-majority-and-i/)

[Merton Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merton-miller/)

> [ \[The US\] budget is dominated by the retirement programs, Social Security and Medicare - loosely speaking, the post-cold-war federal government is a big pension… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/the-us-budget-is-dominated-by-the-retirement-programs-social-security/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [You're mugging old ladies every bit as much if you pinch their pension fund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/you-re-mugging-old-ladies-every-bit-as-much-if-you-pinch-their/)

[Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/)

> [I much more enjoy the company of freedom fighters and justice campaigners than I do the company of hedge fund managers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/i-much-more-enjoy-the-company-of-freedom-fighters-and-justice/)

[Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/)

> [The ability to select stocks, manage them over time and know when to sell them is incredibly difficult, even for professional fund managers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-ability-to-select-stocks-manage-them-over-time-and-know-when-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [When it comes to fund managers and market strategists, this year's hero usually turns into next year's zero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-bernstein/when-it-comes-to-fund-managers-and-market-strategists-this-year-s/)

[William J. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-bernstein/)

> [The objective of the customer is not being met if the fund managers are diversifying their assets into hundreds of businesses. If they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-chin/the-objective-of-the-customer-is-not-being-met-if-the-fund-managers/)

[Michael Lee-Chin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-chin/)

> [Investors tend to discover 'hot' mutual fund managers just after a successful run and just before the inescapable force of mean reversion is about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/investors-tend-to-discover-hot-mutual-fund-managers-just-after-a/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [If competition for Kaggle's top talent becomes fierce enough among banks, insurance companies, hedge funds - we hope the world's best data scientists will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-goldbloom/if-competition-for-kaggle-s-top-talent-becomes-fierce-enough-among/)

[Anthony Goldbloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-goldbloom/)

> [Mutual fund managers want your money in their funds. They get paid based on assets under management.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/mutual-fund-managers-want-your-money-in-their-funds-they-get-paid/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [The fund scandals shined the spotlight on the fact that mutual fund managers were putting their interests ahead of the fund shareholders who trusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-fund-scandals-shined-the-spotlight-on-the-fact-that-mutual-fund/)

[John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/)

> [Mutual fund managers are trapped in this rather deadly vicious circle: the more successful they are, the more money flows into their mutual fund.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/mutual-fund-managers-are-trapped-in-this-rather-deadly-vicious-circle/)

[Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/)

> [Requiring fund managers to disclose how they vote would increase accountability and mean that pensioners and ordinary investors would more easily be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/requiring-fund-managers-to-disclose-how-they-vote-would-increase/)

[Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/)

> [There were index adjustments. And since Royal Bank was increased, (index fund managers) had to buy more of that and sell something else,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-green/there-were-index-adjustments-and-since-royal-bank-was-increased-index/)

[Tom Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-green/)

## More by Warren Buffett

> [To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What's needed is a sound intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/to-invest-successfully-over-a-lifetime-does-not-require-a/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [“Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/be-fearful-when-others-are-greedy-and-be-greedy-when-others-are/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [Making money isn't the backbone of our guiding purpose; it is the by-product of our guiding purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/making-money-isn-t-the-backbone-of-our-guiding-purpose-it-is-the-by/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [We set no volume goals in our insurance business generally-and certainly not in reinsurance-as virtually any volume can be achieved if profitability standards are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/we-set-no-volume-goals-in-our-insurance-business-generally-and/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [Everybody's got a different circle of competence. The important thing is not how big the circle is. The important thing is staying inside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/everybody-s-got-a-different-circle-of-competence-the-important-thing/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [It is better to point out your own mistakes than have somebody else do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/it-is-better-to-point-out-your-own-mistakes-than-have-somebody-else/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [I've read about all the sales today. If you're an auto dealer, you're feeling it. If you're a furniture retailer like we are, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-ve-read-about-all-the-sales-today-if-you-re-an-auto-dealer-you-re/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [I was lucky enough to be born in a time and place where society values my talent, and gave me a good education to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-was-lucky-enough-to-be-born-in-a-time-and-place-where-society/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [The most common cause of low prices is pessimism - some times pervasive, some times specific to a company or industry. We want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-most-common-cause-of-low-prices-is-pessimism-some-times-pervasive/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [The reaction of weak management to weak operations is often weak accounting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-reaction-of-weak-management-to-weak-operations-is-often-weak/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [What you really want to do in investments is figure out what's important and knowable. If it's unimportant or unknowable you forget about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/what-you-really-want-to-do-in-investments-is-figure-out-what-s/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [I don't measure my life by the money I've made. Other people might, but certainly don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-don-t-measure-my-life-by-the-money-i-ve-made-other-people-might-but/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [I mean the truth is, I've never had it so good in terms of taxes. I am paying the lowest tax rate that I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-mean-the-truth-is-i-ve-never-had-it-so-good-in-terms-of-taxes-i-am/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. You need a temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-most-important-quality-for-an-investor-is-temperament-not/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [Investors, of course, can, by their own behavior make stock ownership highly risky. And many do. Active trading, attempts to "time" market movements, inadequate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/investors-of-course-can-by-their-own-behavior-make-stock-ownership/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

[Explore all 984 Warren Buffett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

## More Available quotes

> [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/)

[Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/)

[Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/)

> [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/)

[Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/)

> [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I used practically all the money I had available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-ebbers/i-used-practically-all-the-money-i-had-available/)

[Bernard Ebbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-ebbers/)

> [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/)

[Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/)

> [I m Single , Eligible But Not Available .. Limited Edition :D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faisal-khan-neal/i-m-single-eligible-but-not-available-limited-edition-d/)

[Faisal Khan Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faisal-khan-neal/)

> [I do worry because it takes all types to make our culture, to make our art. We need it to be available to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-mcintosh/i-do-worry-because-it-takes-all-types-to-make-our-culture-to-make-our/)

[Neve McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-mcintosh/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [The internal peace of every country depends upon the knowledge that force is available to uphold law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-internal-peace-of-every-country-depends-upon-the-knowledge-that/)

[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/)

> [It is truly amazing that, with much less neuroscientific knowledge available, Hayek's model comes closer, in some respects, to being neurophysiologically verifiable than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/it-is-truly-amazing-that-with-much-less-neuroscientific-knowledge/)

[Joaquin Fuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-fuster/)

> [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/)

[Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/)

> [I'm in production year round. I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/)

[Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/)

[Browse all 2,134 Available quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "An irresistable footnote: in 1971, pension fund managers invested a record 122% of net funds available in equities - at full prices they couldn't buy enough of them. In 1974, after the bottom had fallen out, they committed a then record low of 21% to stocks.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Warren Buffett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension-fund-managers-invested-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Available"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension-fund-managers-invested-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/warren-buffett-183_available_an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension_2939521.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/warren-buffett-183_available_an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension_2939521.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/warren-buffett-183_available_an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension_2939521.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An irresistable footnote: in 1971, pension fund managers invested a record 122% of net funds available in…” — Warren Buffett",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Warren Buffett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "An irresistable footnote: in 1971, pension...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension-fund-managers-invested-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-irresistable-footnote-in-1971-pension-fund-managers-invested-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
