And where does all that leave the rest of us? Well, perhaps not as bad off as one might think. For starters, Buffett's straightforward methods for evaluating companies are easy enough to ape—if not in one's head, then with the help of a computer. "You just press a button," mathematics professor John Price explains of software [called Conscious Investor] he designed to mimic Buffett's criteria for sizing up companies, such as a high return on equity, low levels of debt, and a strong probability of earning at least 10 percent pretax returns. Price readily admits that there are some things his program can't do, like sizing up company management or persuading a gun-shy investor to pull the trigger the day after the market crashes. "But it gives you an extra degree of confidence," he says, "to keep you on the path and stop yourself from getting drawn into the behavioral stuff."