I recently read a piece about Charles Munger's last years, and honestly, I was struck by how this man spent his final days. Not somewhere on a beach in a luxurious house, but in an ordinary Los Angeles home without air conditioning, simply because there were people he valued and projects that inspired him.

What impressed me the most were his investment moves in 2023. Imagine: an investor who avoided the coal industry for 60 years suddenly betting on it. When everyone was shouting that coal was doomed, Munger looked at the situation from a different angle. He saw undervaluation, potential, and logic in the growing global demand for energy. He bought shares of Consol Energy and Alpha Metallurgical Resources. By the time of his passing, these two positions had earned him over $50 million in profit. Now that’s what I call contrarian thinking in action.

But you know what touched me even more? The story of Avi Mayer. In 2005, a 17-year-old neighbor knocked on Charles Munger’s door. The young man was confused, didn’t know where to go next. And instead of brushing him off, the legendary investor became his mentor. Later, when Mayer and a friend got into real estate, Munger didn’t just support the idea — he was personally involved in everything: from choosing locations to the color of the walls. He even spent hundreds of thousands on planting new trees to improve the landscape. By 2017, they had together acquired about 10,000 low-rise apartments in Southern California. Today, the Afton Properties portfolio is valued at around $3 billion. And this isn’t just a financial achievement — it’s a story of how an experienced investor passes on knowledge to the younger generation.

In recent years, Charles Munger battled health issues — vision problems, limited mobility. But he handled it all with humor and dignity. He joked that the secret to his longevity was Diet Coke, and told guests, “Oh, if only I could be 86 again!” He understood that the greatest danger at his age was loneliness, so every Tuesday he had breakfast at the Los Angeles Country Club with a group of businessmen, sharing his investment philosophy and life wisdom.

And then the final moment — a few days before his death, Munger asked his family to leave the hospital room so he could call Warren Buffett one last time. Two legendary partners, two giants of the investment world, said goodbye over the phone. Buffett and Munger spoke once a week or two, but communication became more difficult due to distance and hearing issues. According to his daughter-in-law, they just shouted at each other on the line, but no one minded — it was their story, their friendship, their legacy.

Charles Munger leaves behind an example of how to live actively, think contrarily, and not give up even in the toughest moments. That’s what an investor is.