By Mark GongloffBuffett’s BurdenWarren Buffett has coasted for a long time on a folksy demeanor, relative general decency and decades of ludicrous business success.

But everybody’s got to face the music eventually, and this may be Buffett’s time. His mammoth investment vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is due to release his latest annual letter to shareholders tomorrow.

Tara Lachapelle notes the letter has become a non-event lately, in content and length: Writer's BlockBut questions are piling up around Berkshire, and Buffett is overdue to address them, Tara writes.

For instance, he should explain why Berkshire is uncharacteristically investing so much in tech and what it plans to do with a large and growing cash mountain.

Like, why didn’t Berkshire leap on any deals last year during the market sell-off Oh, and he might also want to discuss Berkshire’s $11 billion stake in Kraft Heinz Co.

A big slab of that investment was roasted this morning after the food giant took a $15 billion writedown, announced an SEC investigation of its accounting and gouged its dividend.

Other than that, great quarter, guys! The stock dropped 28 per cent.

It’s the latest sign Kraft’s approach of taking on a bunch of debt to buy stuff to juice earnings has lost effectiveness, Tara Lachapelle writes in a second column.

Unfortunately, the company doesn’t seem to have learned much; it’s still talking about “consolidation,” Tara notes.

Seems like something a certain Oracle might have some thoughts about. Bernie’s BenefitsGiven his name recognition and the shocking amount of money he has raised so far, you have to say Bernie Sanders is currently the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.

And that is a great thing to the conservative Karl W.

Smith – not because he thinks Sanders will make President Donald Trump’s re-election easier, but because Sanders is the candidate least likely to sink into cultural warfare with Trump, Karl thinks.

Instead, Sanders will likely keep the campaign focused on economic issues.

We may get a left-leaning government as a result, but our discourse will be better off, and that’s a decent trade, Karl writes.

Venezuela is also a convenient talking point for Trump and other conservatives, who warn any Democratic policy smacking of socialism will turn America into an economic basket case just like Venezuela.

But Mac points out Venezuela is more of a kleptocracy than an actual socialist state.

For a better example of one of those in the hemisphere, look to Bolivia, writes Noah Smith.

Its socialist economy has been stellar: The Shape of a Socialist BoomFederal Reserve Bank of St.

Louis But there are macro risks growing that neither capitalists nor socialists could solve, Noah warns. Beijing’s BlueprintStocks got a bit of a boost today on signs of progress in US-China trade talks.

As we’ve written here before, it’s in everybody’s interest to reach a deal, but unlikely the harder issues will be solved soon.

And trade progress may be too late to keep the global economy from a downturn, writes Robert Burgess.

Financial markets may finally be waking up to that. Meanwhile, Beijing is still trying to expand its influence beyond its borders.

This would come at the expense of the US, which is increasingly seen as an unreliable partner by its allies in Asia, writes James Stavridis.

China’s strategy includes building the military capacity to control ever-broadening areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, James warns.

But at least it will buy more of our soybeans Calm Before the StormWayfair Inc.’s sales growth keeps wowing investors, but the household goods retailer may be keeping it afloat with massive spending, warns Sarah Halzack.