Over a 15 year period - 1968 to 1983, Tweedy Browne returned a cumulative 1,661%. Buffet partnerships returned 29.5% compoinded from 1957 to 1969. Sequoia fund did 17.2% compounded from 70 to 84. While many things about Madoff mystify me, I can see how lay people would just think hr knew what he was doing.