When it comes to buying, selling, and investing in ASX shares, I like to keep one of the legendary Warren Buffett's quotes in mind.
In his 1988 letter to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Buffett said the following:
We expect to hold these securities [Coca-Cola and Freddie Mac] for a long time. In fact, when we own portions of outstanding businesses with outstanding managements, our favorite holding period is forever.
When I buy an ASX share, I also keep in mind another Buffett quote, "Only buy something that you'd be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years."
If you never have to worry about what price you'd sell an ASX share for, it takes away half of the stress of investing in it.
With that in mind, here are three ASX shares that I would buy with the full intention of having them in my brokerage account when I die.
2 ASX 200 shares I would never sell
Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL)
Washington H. Soul Pattinson, or Soul Patts as it's more easily known, is an ASX 200 veteran investment house. Its primary business is owning a portfolio of other ASX shares and assets on behalf of its investors. Soul Patts just reported its latest earnings this morning, and boy, were they impressive.
The company reported a 38.4% rise in profits, as well as a 21.4% hike to its dividend. But this company has been delivering for its shareholders for decades.
In its report today, the company proudly announced that it has achieved an average shareholder return for its investors of 12.4% per annum over the past 20 years. That's an outperformance of 3% per year over the broader market. That's enough to convince me that this ASX share is a timeless winner.
Brickworks Ltd (ASX: BKW)
Another ASX 200 winner in my view is building and construction materials company Brickworks. As it happens, Brickworks also reported its latest earnings this morning. And they were just as impressive as Soul Patts'. Profits were up a pleasing 24%, which allowed Brickworks to boost its dividend by 5%.
While not quite as impressive as Soul Patts' historical performance, Brickworks still told investors that it has delivered an annual return of 10% over the past 20 years. This company also has the distinction of not cutting its dividend in more than 40 years.
Brickworks has astutely built up a portfolio of other assets, including shares and property, that help it survive the cyclical nature of its core business. Due to its long and proud history of delivering for shareholders, this is another company you couldn't convince me to part ways with.
