' for me, the philosophy of BRK is as important as its component parts, which of course change over time. It is hard to find companies run with the same combination of skill, discipline, ethics, transparency, and long-term orientation as BRK. Consistent profitability and smart allocation of capital the way BRK does it is pretty rare. And BRK itself is already quite diversified.'

These are nearly my exact thoughts. I am 70% of investible assets in BRK and 2.5% in MKL. I invested some inheritance money in each 7 years ago and since then, MKL has appreciated 60% from my basis and BRK has appreciated 140%. I really do like Tom Gayner and the Markel philosophy and structure but honestly have more faith in BRK wrt returns, diversity and culture. Sticking to Rule #1, Culture and Trust are essential to me at this stage of life (mid 50s). I own no BAM.