Warren Buffett is a highly successful American investor and philanthropist, serving as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Renowned for his investment acumen, he's considered one of America's most prominent investors. As of May 2025, his estimated net worth of $160.2 billion ranks him as the fifth-richest person globally.
On August 30, 1930, Warren Edward Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He is now an American investor and philanthropist and serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
In 1942, Warren Buffett's father was elected to the first of four terms in the United States Congress, leading the family to move to Washington, D.C.
In 1944, Warren Buffett, on his first income tax return, took a $35 deduction for the use of his bicycle and watch on his paper route.
In 1945, Warren Buffett and a friend bought a used pinball machine for $25 and placed it in a barber shop, eventually owning several machines before selling the business for $1,200.
In 1947, Warren Buffett began studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, but enrolled due to pressure from his father.
In 1947, Warren Buffett graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C.
In 1949, Warren Buffett purchased a ukulele to impress a girl. Though unsuccessful in winning her over, this sparked a lifelong interest in the instrument that led to his marriage with Susan Thompson.
In the spring of 1950, Warren Buffet was rejected by Harvard Business School.
From 1951, Warren Buffett worked at his father's firm, Buffett-Falk & Co., as an investment salesman.
In 1951, Warren Buffett earned a Master of Science in economics from Columbia Business School of Columbia University.
In 1951, Warren Buffett visited GEICO's headquarters and met Lorimer Davidson, GEICO's vice president, which led to Buffett's first purchase of GEICO stock.
In 1952, Warren Buffett married Susan Thompson at Dundee Presbyterian Church, marking a significant milestone in his personal life.
From 1954, Warren Buffett worked at Graham-Newman Corp. as a securities analyst.
In 1954, Warren Buffett accepted a job at Benjamin Graham's partnership with a starting salary of $12,000 a year.
In 1954, Warren Buffett and his wife Susan welcomed their second child, a son named Howard, expanding their family.
From 1956, Warren Buffett worked as the general partner at several investment partnerships.
In 1956, Benjamin Graham retired and closed his partnership, leading Warren Buffett to return to Omaha and start his investment partnerships.
In 1956, Warren Buffett created Buffett Partnership Ltd. after working at Graham-Newman Corp. as a securities analyst.
In 1957, Warren Buffett operated three investment partnerships.
In 1958, Sanborn stock sold for $45 per share, but the company's investment portfolio was worth $65 per share.
In 1958, Warren Buffett and his wife Susan had their third child, a son named Peter, further completing their family.
In 1958, Warren Buffett purchased a five-bedroom stucco house in Omaha for $31,500, where he still resides.
In 1959, Warren Buffett was introduced to his future partner Charlie Munger during a business luncheon at The Omaha Club.
In 1961, Warren Buffett revealed that 35% of his partnership's assets were invested in the Sanborn Map Company and purchased 23% of the company's outstanding shares, eventually obtaining a seat on the board of directors.
In 1962, Warren Buffett became a millionaire with the success of his partnerships, which by then had grown to 11 entities. He also started investing in Berkshire Hathaway.
In 1965, Warren Buffett's partnerships began purchasing Berkshire Hathaway shares aggressively, paying $14.86 per share, and Buffett took control of Berkshire Hathaway at a board meeting.
In 1966, Warren Buffett closed his investment partnership to new money.
In 1967, Berkshire Hathaway paid out its first and only dividend of 10 cents.
In 1969, Warren Buffett ended working as the general partner at several investment partnerships.
In 1969, Warren Buffett liquidated his investment partnership and transferred the assets to his partners.
From 1970, Warren Buffett worked as chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
In 1970, Warren Buffett emerged as the chairman and majority shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, a textile manufacturing firm his investment firm acquired.
Since 1970, Warren Buffett has presided as the chairman and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway.
In 1971, Warren Buffett purchased a vacation home in Laguna Beach, California, for $150,000.
In 1973, Berkshire Hathaway began to acquire stock in the Washington Post Company.
In 1974, the SEC opened a formal investigation into Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway's acquisition of Wesco Financial, though no charges were brought.
In 1977, Berkshire Hathaway indirectly purchased the Buffalo Evening News for $32.5 million, leading to antitrust charges.
In 1977, Warren Buffett and his wife Susan began living separately, though they remained married until her death.
In 1977, Warren Buffett made a statement regarding stocks, gold, farmland and inflation.
In 1977, Warren Buffett was quoted in Fortune magazine.
In 1977, after Susan Buffett moved to San Francisco to pursue her singing career, Astrid Menks moved in with Warren Buffett.
In 1978, Charlie Munger joined Warren Buffett as vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.
In 1982, The Buffalo Courier-Express folded after antitrust charges related to Berkshire's purchase of the Buffalo Evening News.
On March 18, 1985, Capital Cities announced a $3.5 billion purchase of ABC, with Buffett helping to finance the deal in return for a 25% stake in the combined company.
In 1985, Warren Buffet made his first television appearance on Adam Smith's Money World.
In 1985, Warren Buffett sold the last of the textile mills that had been the core business of Berkshire Hathaway.
During the RJR Nabisco, Inc., hostile takeover fight in 1987, Buffett was quoted as telling John Gutfreund.
In 1987, Berkshire Hathaway purchased a 12% stake in Salomon Inc., making Warren Buffett a director.
In 1988, Warren Buffett began buying The Coca-Cola Company stock, eventually purchasing up to 7% of the company for $1.02 billion. It would turn out to be one of Berkshire's most lucrative investments and one which it still holds.
In 1989, Warren Buffett purchased a private jet for nearly $6.7 million and named it "The Indefensible," later renamed "The Indispensable".
In 1990, a scandal involving John Gutfreund surfaced at Salomon Brothers, where a rogue trader was submitting bids in excess of Treasury rules.
In August 1991, John Gutfreund left the Salomon Brothers company due to the rogue trader scandal.
Speaking at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s 1994 annual meeting, Warren Buffett shared his perspective on investments in tobacco.
In a 1996 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Warren Buffett stated "If you aren't willing to own a stock for ten years, don't even think about owning it for ten minutes"
In 1998, The Coca-Cola Company, one of Berkshire's major holdings, peaked at $86, raising questions about when to sell such holdings.
In 1998, Warren Buffett acquired General Re (Gen Re) as a subsidiary, which presented difficulties due to inadequate underwriting standards.
In a 1998 address at Harvard, Warren Buffett expressed criticism of gold as an investment, stating that it is based primarily on its non-productive nature.
In his November 1999 Fortune article, Warren Buffett warned of investors' unrealistic expectations.
In 1999, Warren Buffett was named the Top Money Manager of the Twentieth Century in a survey by the Carson Group, surpassing Peter Lynch and John Templeton.
In 1999, Warren Buffett was quoted in Fortune magazine.
Prior to mid-1999, Warren Buffett sold the private jet named "The Indefensible" and began utilizing Berkshire's flight services.
In 2020, Buffett stated that repealing inheritance tax would be like "choosing the 2020 Olympic team by picking the eldest sons of the gold-medal winners in the 2000 Olympics".
In 2001, Warren Buffett owned a Lincoln Town Car, which he later auctioned off in 2006.
In 2002, Buffett entered into $11 billion worth of forward contracts to deliver U.S. dollars against other currencies.
In 2002, Buffett entered the foreign currency market for the first time due to the trade deficit.
In 2002, Warren Buffett became involved with Maurice R. Greenberg at AIG, after which Gen Re provided reinsurance.
In 2002, Warren Buffett began serving as an advisor to the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington.
In 2003, Warren Buffett served as a financial advisor to Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger during the California gubernatorial election.
In July 2004, Susan Buffett, Warren Buffett's wife, passed away, marking the end of their marriage.
At the 2004 annual meeting, Buffett advocated for stock option expensing on corporate income statements and criticized a bill before Congress that would consider only some company-issued stock options compensation as an expense.
In 2004, the bulk of Susan Buffett's estate, valued at $2.6 billion, went to the Buffett Foundation.
In the 2004 annual report, Warren Buffett discussed the challenges of knowing when to sell company holdings.
On March 15, 2005, the AIG board compelled Greenberg to resign from his position as chairman and CEO following allegations by New York state regulators that AIG engaged in questionable transactions and improper accounting practices.
In 2005, Buffett substantially reduced his stake in the foreign currency market as changing interest rates increased the costs of holding currency contracts. Buffett remained bearish on the dollar and looked to acquire companies with substantial foreign revenues.
On February 9, 2006, AIG agreed to pay a $1.6 billion fine as a result of regulatory scrutiny.
By April 2006, Buffett's total gain on forward contracts to deliver U.S. dollars against other currencies exceeded $2 billion.
In June 2006, Buffett announced that he would gradually donate 85% of his Berkshire holdings to five foundations, with the largest portion going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, starting in July 2006.
In June 2006, Warren Buffett announced a plan to give 83% of his fortune to charity, primarily to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
On June 23, 2006, Warren Buffett pledged the equivalent of 10 million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares (worth approximately $30.7 billion) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, making it the largest charitable donation in history.
Starting in July 2006, Warren Buffett began gradually giving away 85% of his Berkshire holdings to five foundations in annual gifts of stock, with the largest contribution going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In December 2006, it was reported that Warren Buffett did not carry a mobile phone or have a computer at his desk and drove his own Cadillac DTS.
In 2006, Buffett stated that he paid only 19% of his income in federal taxes, while his employees paid 33%, despite earning much less. He questioned the fairness of this situation, stating, "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning."
In 2006, Warren Buffett auctioned his 2001 Lincoln Town Car on eBay to raise money for Girls, Inc.
In 2006, Warren Buffett disowned his son Peter's adopted daughter, Nicole, after she participated in a documentary about economic inequality.
In 2006, Warren Buffett sponsored a bridge match called the Buffett Cup, modeled after the Ryder Cup in golf.
In 2006, Warren Buffett's annual salary was about $100,000, which is a relatively small amount compared to other senior executives in similar companies.
In 2006, on his 76th birthday, Warren Buffett married his longtime companion, Astrid Menks, who had been living with him since 1977.
Following the 2007 season, Warren Buffett supported the hire of Bo Pelini as Nebraska's football coach, expressing a need for change.
In 2007, Buffett announced in a letter to shareholders that he was seeking a younger individual or individuals to succeed him in running his investment business.
In 2007, Buffett testified before the Senate, urging them to preserve the estate tax to avoid a plutocracy. Some critics argued Berkshire Hathaway benefited from the estate tax in past business dealings and had developed and marketed insurance policies to protect policy holders against future estate tax payments.
In 2007, Buffett's PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of his MidAmerican Energy Company, canceled six proposed coal-fired power plants, including Utah's Intermountain Power Project Unit 3 and Jim Bridger Unit 5, due to pressure from regulators and citizen groups.
In 2007, Warren Buffett auctioned a luncheon with himself that raised $650,100 for the Glide Foundation.
In 2007, Warren Buffett made a bet with numerous managers that a simple S&P 500 index fund would outperform hedge funds that charge exorbitant fees.
In 2007, Warren Buffett was listed among Time's 100 Most Influential People in the world, recognizing his global impact.
In 2007, during the subprime mortgage crisis, Warren Buffett faced criticism for allocating capital too early, which resulted in suboptimal deals.
On July 2, 2008, Warren Buffett attended a $28,500 per plate fundraiser in Chicago for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
On September 23, 2008, Berkshire Hathaway acquired 10 percent of perpetual preferred stock of Goldman Sachs.
In October 2008, Buffett agreed to buy General Electric (GE) preferred stock with special incentives, including an option to buy three billion shares of GE stock and a 10% dividend.
In October 2008, Buffett invested $230 million for 10% of battery maker BYD Company, which also operates an electric automobile manufacturing subsidiary. In less than one year, the investment reaped over 500% return.
In October 2008, USA Today reported at least 47 books were in print with Warren Buffett's name in the title. Buffett said that his own personal favorite is a collection of his essays called The Essays of Warren Buffett, which he described as "a coherent rearrangement of ideas from my annual report letters".
In 2008, Warren Buffett became the richest person in the world with a net worth estimated at $62 billion by Forbes and $58 billion by Yahoo, surpassing Bill Gates.
In 2008, Warren Buffett earned a total compensation of $175,000, including a base salary of $100,000.
In 2008, Warren Buffett published an opinion piece in the New York Times with the message "Buy American. I am." He also referred to the downturn in the financial sector that started in 2007 as "poetic justice."
In 2008, Warren Buffett was ranked by Forbes as the richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of approximately $62 billion.
In February 2009, Buffett sold some Procter & Gamble Co. and Johnson & Johnson shares from his personal portfolio, leading to questions about mistiming and the wisdom of keeping some of Berkshire's major holdings.
In March 2009, Warren Buffett stated in a cable television interview that the economy had "fallen off a cliff" and expressed fears of a re-emergence of 1970s-style inflation.
As of June 2009, Berkshire Hathaway was the eighteenth largest corporation in the world based on market capitalization in the Financial Times Global 500.
In 2009, Bill Gates regained the top position on the Forbes list of richest people, while Warren Buffett shifted to second place. Both men's values dropped.
In 2009, Buffett criticized the U.S. medical industry's incentive structure, arguing that fee-for-service reimbursements to doctors lead to overutilization and unnecessary care. He referenced Atul Gawande's article in the New Yorker, which documented variations in Medicare expenditures between McAllen and El Paso, Texas. He also raised concerns about lobbying efforts by the medical industry to maintain income.
In 2009, Warren Buffett divested his failed investment in ConocoPhillips, sharing his reasoning with Berkshire investors.
In 2009, Warren Buffett met with other billionaires, including Oprah Winfrey, Michael Bloomberg and David Rockefeller Jr., to discuss healthcare, education, and slowing population growth. This group, referred to as "The Good Club", had given away $45 billion to philanthropic causes. Buffett is a long-time supporter of family planning. The Buffett Foundation has given over $1.5 billion to abortion research to include $427 million to Planned Parenthood.
In 2009, Warren Buffett sold shares of Johnson & Johnson, part of a series of sales between 2009 and 2012 that totaled $80 million.
In 2009, Warren Buffett was elected to the American Philosophical Society, recognizing his contributions to intellectual pursuits.
In 2009, Warren Buffett was featured in Ralph Nader's novel, "Only the Super Rich Can Save Us", which depicts him leading a movement of billionaires to improve America.
In 2009, Warren Buffett was named an honorary assistant coach and watched the Nebraska game against Oklahoma from the sideline.
In 2009, after donating billions to charity, Warren Buffett was ranked as the second richest man in the United States with a net worth of $37 billion, surpassed only by Bill Gates.
In June 2010, Warren Buffett defended the credit-rating agencies for their role in the U.S. financial crisis.
On December 9, 2010, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg signed the "Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge," promising to donate at least half of their wealth to charity and inviting others to join.
In 2010, Warren Buffett criticized the U.S. healthcare system, stating that it was unsustainable to devote 17% of the GDP to healthcare expenditure. He compared healthcare costs to a tapeworm that compromises U.S. economic competitiveness. While acknowledging the U.S. excels in extreme, costly life-prolonging measures, he noted other countries achieve better healthcare value with lower spending.
In 2010, Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge with Bill Gates, encouraging billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
In 2010, Warren Buffett made a cameo appearance in the film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
In 2010, Warren Buffett, along with Bill Gates, was named the most influential global thinker in Foreign Policy's report, acknowledging his impact on global issues.
In 2010, the U.S. government reached a $92 million settlement with Gen Re, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, to avoid prosecution in the AIG case. Gen Re also committed to implementing corporate governance concessions.
In 2010, the merger with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) closed upon BNSF shareholder approval during Q1. This deal was valued at approximately $44 billion.
On March 18, 2011, Goldman Sachs was given Federal Reserve approval to buy back Berkshire's preferred stock in Goldman.
In November 2011, it was announced that over the previous eight months, Buffett had bought 64 million shares of International Business Machine Corp (IBM) stock, worth around $11 billion.
In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Warren Buffett the Presidential Medal of Freedom, honoring his significant contributions to the nation.
In 2011, Warren Buffett's company acquired the Omaha World Herald, which he reads daily.
On April 11, 2012, Warren Buffett was diagnosed with stage I prostate cancer during a routine test.
In May 2012, Buffett explained he had avoided buying stock in high-technology companies like Facebook and Google because they are complex and difficult to understand. He also advised that IPO's of new stock issues are almost always bad investments and that investors should look for companies that will have good value in ten years.
In May 2012, Warren Buffett's acquisition of Media General, consisting of 63 newspapers in the south-eastern U.S., was announced. The company was the second news print purchase made by Buffett in one year.
On September 15, 2012, Warren Buffett announced that he had completed the full 44-day radiation treatment cycle, expressing relief and gratitude.
In 2012, Warren Buffett sold shares of Walmart and Wells Fargo, part of a series of sales between 2009 and 2012 that totaled $80 million.
At the Berkshire shareholders meeting in May 2013, Warren Buffett explained that he did not expect to "move the needle" at Berkshire with newspaper acquisitions but anticipated an annual return of 10 percent.
On July 18, 2013, Interim publisher James W. Hopson announced that the Press of Atlantic City would be sold to Buffett's BH Media Group by ABARTA.
As of September 2013, Warren Buffett's net worth had risen to $58.5 billion, solidifying his position as one of the wealthiest individuals.
In late September 2013, during a presentation to Georgetown University students in Washington, D.C., Warren Buffett compared the U.S. Federal Reserve to a hedge fund and discussed the issue of wealth equality.
On December 9, 2013 Berkshire Hathaway purchased shares in USG Corporation.
In 2013, Warren Buffett had an old Nokia flip phone and had sent only one email in his life.
On August 14, 2014, the price of Berkshire Hathaway's shares hit $200,000 a share for the first time, capitalizing the company at $328 billion.
On August 20, 2014, Berkshire Hathaway was fined $896,000 for failing to report as required the December 9, 2013, purchase of shares in USG Corporation.
On December 16, 2015, Warren Buffett publicly endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for president.
In 2015, Warren Buffett made a cameo appearance in the TV series Entourage.
On August 1, 2016, Warren Buffett challenged Donald Trump to release his tax returns, increasing scrutiny on the presidential candidate.
On October 10, 2016, Warren Buffett released his own tax return after a reference to him in the second presidential debate, revealing he paid $1.85 million in federal income taxes on an adjusted gross income of $11.6 million in 2015.
In April 2017, Warren Buffett agreed to have his likeness placed on Cherry Coke products in China without compensation.
By 2017, Warren Buffett's chosen index fund was outperforming every hedge fund that took the bet against him, proving his point.
In 2017, Warren Buffett was the subject of the HBO documentary feature Becoming Warren Buffett.
In January 2018, Warren Buffet said the recent craze over Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies would not end well, adding that "when it happens or how or anything else, I don't know;" and later that year calling it, "rat poison squared." He said he would not take a short position on bitcoin futures.
At the 2018 Berkshire Hathaway's shareholder meeting, Warren Buffett stated that he uses Google as his preferred search engine.
In 2018, Warren Buffett sold his vacation home in Laguna Beach, California, for $7.5 million, which he had purchased in 1971 for $150,000.
In 2018, after donating almost $3.4 billion, Warren Buffett was ranked 3rd in Forbes' List of Billionaires.
In February 2020, Warren Buffett revealed in a CNBC interview that he had traded his flip phone for an iPhone 11.
In 2020, Buffett stated that repealing inheritance tax would be like "choosing the 2020 Olympic team by picking the eldest sons of the gold-medal winners in the 2000 Olympics".
Warren Buffett stated he would judge President Donald Trump by his results on national safety, economic growth, and economic participation when deciding if he would vote for him in the 2020 presidential election.
In a June 2021 interview with CNBC, Warren Buffet said that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased economic inequality and bemoaned that most people are unaware that "hundreds of thousands or millions" of small businesses have been negatively impacted. He also stated that the markets and the economy will likely be unpredictable well into the post-pandemic recovery period, even with the Biden administration and the United States Federal Reserve having a plan in place. He said the unpredictability and the effects of COVID-19 are far from over.
On June 23, 2021, Warren Buffett announced his resignation as a trustee of the Gates Foundation, marking a shift in his philanthropic strategy.
In November 2022, Warren Buffett donated $750 million in Berkshire Hathaway shares to four charitable foundations run by his children.
By 2022, Warren Buffett and his adopted granddaughter Nicole had reconciled, mending their relationship.
In September 2023, Jimmy Buffett, a longtime friend of Warren Buffett, passed away. The two referred to each other as 'Uncle Warren' and 'Cousin Jimmy' despite not being related by blood.
As of 2023, Warren Buffett has given over $50 billion to charitable causes, marking a significant milestone in his philanthropic efforts.
In 2023, a ProPublica article alleged that Warren Buffett made equity trades in his personal portfolio involving companies that Berkshire Hathaway bought or sold during the same or prior quarter, raising conflict of interest concerns.
In 1962, Buffett's partnerships held nearly $7.2 million, of which more than $1,025,000 (equivalent to $10,650,000 in 2024) belonged to Buffett.
In 2024, the equivalent value of Warren Buffett's Omaha home (purchased in 1958) is $352,658.
On May 3, 2025, at Berkshire Hathaway's investor conference, Warren Buffett requested that the board appoint Greg Abel to succeed him as the company's chief executive officer by the year's end.
On May 5, 2025, Berkshire Hathaway announced the appointment of Greg Abel as president and CEO, effective January 1, 2026, with Warren Buffett remaining chairman.
In May 2025, Forbes estimated Warren Buffett's net worth at US$160.2 billion, making him the fifth-richest individual in the world.
In June 2025, Warren Buffett donated $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway shares to five charitable foundations, predominantly to the Gates Foundation.
On January 1, 2026, Greg Abel assumed the role of president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, succeeding Warren Buffett, who remained chairman.
Bill Gates an American businessman and philanthropist revolutionized personal computing...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
Mark Zuckerberg is an American businessman and programmer best known...
Coca-Cola is a globally recognized cola soft drink produced by...
Home Box Office HBO is an American pay television service...
Facebook is a social media and networking service created in...
Makai Lemon is an American college football wide receiver. He currently plays for the USC Trojans.
2 hours ago Arch Manning Faces Challenge, NIL Scrutiny, and Setback Before Georgia Game.
5 months ago Zach Edey, Grizzlies center, faces reckless driving charge for speeding in Indiana.
Zhang Weili is a Chinese mixed martial artist and the reigning UFC Women's Strawweight Champion a title she's held twice...
The Lightning Panthers rivalry known as the Battle of Florida or the Battle of the Sunshine State is a professional...
1 month ago Dabo Swinney Faces Criticism as Clemson Struggles Despite Team Update and Hope
Chuck Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New...
Bernie Sanders is a prominent American politician currently serving as...
Nancy Pelosi is a prominent American politician notably serving as...
Candace Owens is an American political commentator and author known...
Nicholas J Fuentes is a far-right political commentator and activist...
XXXTentacion born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was a controversial yet...