How often are 13F filings released?

Quarterly. They're due within 45 days of the end of each calendar quarter, so the data you read can be up to ~6 weeks old.

Can I just copy what Buffett buys?

It's risky. The 45-day lag, the longs-only view, and missing conviction context mean a 13F is a research starting point — not an instruction. Oswol surfaces these caveats with every disclosure.

Do 13Fs show short positions?

No. 13Fs disclose long U.S. equity and certain options positions only — shorts, cash and foreign holdings are invisible, which can badly distort the picture.

What is a 13F filing — and how to track Buffett, Burry and ARK

13F filings reveal what large institutions held each quarter. Here's how to read them, the blind spots they hide, and how to follow smart money without getting faked out.

Every quarter, institutions managing over $100M in U.S. equities must disclose their long positions to the SEC on a form called a 13F. It's the closest thing the public gets to looking over Warren Buffett's, Michael Burry's or ARK's shoulder — but only if you read it correctly.

What a 13F actually shows

A 13F lists U.S.-listed long equity and options positions as of the last day of the quarter: the security, share count, and market value. It's filed through SEC EDGAR, the same public system Oswol's Smart Money Radar draws from.

The blind spots that trip people up

The 45-day lag. Filings are due up to 45 days after quarter-end — a manager may have already sold what you're now copying.
Longs only. 13Fs don't show short positions, cash, or non-U.S. holdings — so a "bearish" investor can look fully long on paper.
No conviction signal. A 0.2% starter position and a 12% core bet look the same unless you weight by portfolio percentage.

Burry's famous "water" and crisis bets were often options or positions that the headline 13F number flattened. Always check position size relative to the whole book.

How to use it without getting faked out

Track changes, not snapshots — new buys, exits, and meaningful adds/trims.
Weight by portfolio % to see real conviction.
Cross-reference with congressional trades and corporate insider filings for confirmation.
Treat it as a research lead, never a buy signal.

Oswol scores and explains each smart-money disclosure in context — who moved, how large, how fresh, and what the score is not telling you.