The first is a famous name in the credit card sphere. The second produces a drink most of us have quaffed many times in our lives. 10 stocks we like better than Berkshire Hathaway › It's hard to believe Warren Buffett is no longer the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) . But with 2026 now underway, Buffett has reduced his role at the conglomerate to chairman of the board. As one of the most celebrated investors in modern market history, his legacy lives on -- not least because many of the holdings in Berkshire's equity portfolio are his ideas. Here's a brief look at two of the better buy-and-hold picks: finance sector titan American Express (NYSE: AXP) and beverage king Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) Amex has been in the news lately, and not for the right reasons (at least, as far as shareholders are concerned). In mid-January, President Trump announced he wants to impose a temporary 10% cap on credit card interest rates. Amex, which is both the issuer of the credit and the processor of transactions on its plastic, might have to comply with this rather significant new rule. This, however, is a big "if." At least on paper, the U.S. president does not have the unilateral authority to impose such a limitation on the credit card industry. Nevertheless, cautious investors sold out of Amex and its fellow card-processing giants after Trump's pronouncement. Given the uncertainty, it creates an instant and compelling buy-on-weakness opportunity for the stock. After all, Amex as a company is unique -- no plastic comes anywhere near the prestige of its legendary Black Card -- and it's both an effective issuer and processor. With that combination, it earns interest on cardholder balances and a small piece of every one of the cardholders' transactions. The numbers tell the tale. In Amex's most recently reported quarter, the company grew revenue by an impressive 11% year over year to $18.4 billion. Headline net income advanced even more aggressively, popping by 16% to $2.9 billion. And that qualified as a typical quarter for this ever-profitable operator. Coca-Cola is, of course, the creator and purveyor of its namesake drink, although this is only one item within a huge portfolio. The company also owns Minute Maid orange juice, the Costa coffee brand, and Dasani water, among many other products. It's hard to find any grocery store, supermarket, or restaurant anywhere in the world that doesn't stock Coca-Cola products. This gives the beverage's maker a near-unparalleled scope and reach among consumers. This, plus the fact that its drinks require little innovation, makes it a cash-generating machine, if not a hotly growing enterprise given its size and reach.

Right independent restaurants and cafés across Greater Manchester have been awarded grants of £11,000 each through the Backing International Small

American Express has awarded $300k to 20 small venues in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland through its Backing International Small Restaurants program. Each venue, including The Moat and Beach Bar @ Carrum, receives $15k for operational improvements. The initiative, in its fourth year, has provided $867.5k to Australian and $125k to New Zealand restaurants. Globally, $1.4m will be distributed to 97 restaurants across 14 cities. The program supports community impact and business growth.