Warren Buffett Biography, Age, Son, Books, Net Worth

Warren Buffett is an American billionaire who made his money primarily from investments. He amassed so much wealth that he is currently known as the No. 1 investor in the world. He currently serves as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a company he started in his youth.

Warren Buffett Biography

Warren Edward Buffett is an American businessman who made much of his wealth from investing in startup companies. He was born on August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Howard Buffett, was also a recognized businessman of his time. Besides that, Howard Buffett was also a US congressman who represented Nebraska for four terms. He is the second of three children and the only boy in the family. Even though he came from a well-rounded and above-middle-class family, he did not relax and started working as soon as he possibly could to make money.

Warren Buffett’s Educational Background

His elementary education started at Rose Hill Elementary School in Nebraska. Later on, he had to transfer out after his father was elected for his first term in office as a congressman and had to move his family to Washington, DC. He attended Alice Deal Junior High School, and in 1947, he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. Warren Buffett started his college education at the University of Pennsylvania but transferred to the University of Nebraska, where he later graduated from and got a B.Sc. degree in business administration in 1951.

He was rejected by Harvard for a master’s degree program, so he enrolled at Columbia University. After graduating with a master’s in economics, he then attended the New York Finance Institute. Buffett initially wanted to forgo college and focus on growing the businesses he had set up while in high school, but his father refused.

Warren Buffett’s Career

Buffett has had quite an extensive career, as he started investing and doing several businesses as early as 13 years old. When he was in high school, he, along with a friend, came together and put a pinball machine in a local barber shop, which they bought for $25. After a few months, they had several other pinball machines in three different barber shops. Buffett always showed interest in understanding the stock market; he spent time in his father’s brokerage office trying to understand. His father, noticing his interest, took time to teach him all he could about the business.

Much of his early childhood was spent taking part in different business ventures, selling chewing gum, Coca-Cola, delivering weekly magazines, etc. By the time he graduated from high school, he was worth about $10,000, which is roughly $130,000 in today’s economy.

From 1951 to 1954, he worked in his father’s firm, and then he worked as a security analyst for another firm, Graham-Newman Corp, from 1956 to 1959. His first purchase of GEICO stock was made in 1951; in 1954, he purchased a Sinclair gas station as a side investment; unfortunately, it failed. He returned to Nebraska with savings of about $170,000 and began a series of investment partnerships. In 1962, Buffett officially became a millionaire due to the success of his partnerships, which had grown to 11 different entities at this point. He joined them together and called it ‘Buffett Partnership, Ltd.’

He later took control of the textile industry, Berkshire Hathaway, after investing in it. He started by buying shares from the owner of the company, whom he later fired. In later years, he shifted the company’s focus from textiles to the insurance sector. In 1977, Buffett, through Berkshire, purchased the Buffalo Evening News for $32.5 million. In 1979, he helped finance a deal between media companies ABC and Capital Cities for a 25% stake in both companies.

In 1989, Berkshire purchased 12% of Salomon Inc., making it the largest shareholder and Buffett its CEO a director. A year later, a scandal involving the then CEO of Salomon Inc. forced Buffett to take over as its chairman. He started purchasing Coca-Cola company shares in 1988, and currently Berkshire Hathaway owns a total of 9.3% of Coca-Cola’s outstanding stock (400 million shares). According to Berkshire Hathaway’s latest holdings report from December 31, 2024, this is currently worth $24.9 billion.

In 2008, he backed Dow Chemical’s $18.8 billion acquisition of Rohm & Haas, a move that made him the company’s largest shareholder. That same year, he was named the richest person in the world, with a net worth of $62 billion. His pattern of buying up shares, investing heavily, and funding major deals for stakes has continued ever since.

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Berkshire Hathaway Investment Portfolio

By the end of 2024, Berkshire Hathaway had invested in 38 publicly traded companies, with a total portfolio valued at around $267 billion. Interestingly, just five of those stocks made up nearly 71% of the portfolio’s total worth.

Here’s a look at their top 10 holdings:

• Apple Inc. (AAPL)
  • Shares held: 300,000,000
  • Market value: $75.1 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 28.1%
• American Express Co. (AXP)
  • Shares held: 151,610,700
  • Market value: $45.0 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 16.8%
• Bank of America Corp. (BAC)
  • Shares held: 680,233,587
  • Market value: $29.9 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 11.2%
• The Coca-Cola Company (KO)
  • Shares held: 400,000,000
  • Market value: $24.9 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 9.3%
• Chevron Corp. (CVX)
  • Shares held: 118,610,534
  • Market value: $17.2 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 6.4%
• Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY)
  • Shares held: 265,026,328
  • Market value: $12.4 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 4.6%
• Moody’s Corp. (MCO)
  • Shares held: 24,669,778
  • Market value: $11.7 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 4.4%
• Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC)
  • Shares held: 325,634,818
  • Market value: $10.0 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 3.7%
• Chubb Ltd. (CB)
  • Shares held: 27,033,784
  • Market value: $7.5 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 2.8%
• DaVita Inc. (DVA)
  • Shares held: 35,892,479
  • Market value: $6.2 billion
  • Portfolio weight: 2.3%

Warren Buffett Awards

Over the years, he has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his achievements and impact. Here is a comprehensive list of some of the most notable accolades bestowed upon him:

• Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011)
• Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy (2016)
• Horizon Award by the Museum of American Finance (2015)
• Membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1992)
• Membership in the American Philosophical Society (2009)
• Barron’s Most Respected Company (2007) – Under Buffett’s leadership, Berkshire Hathaway was named the most respected company in the world by Barron’s in 2007, highlighting the company’s esteemed reputation in the financial industry.

Warren Buffett’s Age

He was born on August 30, 1930; as of 2025, he is 95 years old.

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The Giving Pledge

In 2010, Warren Buffett, alongside Bill and Melinda Gates, launched The Giving Pledge, a campaign encouraging billionaires to donate most of their wealth to philanthropic causes. The initiative seeks to foster a culture of generosity among the world’s wealthiest individuals, urging them to address pressing societal issues through substantial charitable contributions. This could be while they are still alive or in their will.

Buffett himself pledged to give away more than 99% of his fortune, emphasizing that his wealth could have a far greater impact if used to improve the lives of others rather than retained for personal use. As of June 2022, The Giving Pledge has attracted over 240 signatories from 30 countries, including notable figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and MacKenzie Scott.

These pledgers have committed to using their wealth to tackle a wide range of global challenges, from education and healthcare to poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability.

Warren Buffett’s Marriage

Buffett got married to his first wife, Susan Thompson, in 1952 in a ceremony at the Dundee Presbyterian Church. He had three children with her: Susan, Howard, and Peter. She died in 2024, and he remarried in 2006 on his 76th birthday to his longtime live-in partner, Astrid Menks.

Warren Buffett’s Personal Life

In 1977, Warren Buffett and his wife, Susan Thompson Buffett, began living apart. Susan moved to San Francisco to pursue her singing career, while Warren remained in Omaha. Despite the separation, they maintained a close relationship and continued to appear together at public events.

Before Susan’s departure, she introduced Warren to Astrid Menks, a Latvian-born waitress at a local Omaha restaurant where Susan performed. Astrid began assisting Warren with household tasks and, in 1978, moved in with him.

Susan and Warren remained legally married until her death in 2004. Two years later, on Warren’s 76th birthday, he married Astrid in a private ceremony. They did not have children together.

Warren Buffett’s Children

Warren Buffett has three children from his first marriage: Susan eldest and only girl, Howard, and Peter. Susan is currently 72 years old she is a widow and has 2 children. Howard is currently 71 years old and has a son, he is divorced. Peter is currently 67 years old, a music composer and author, he is an Emmy Award winner and a New York best-selling author. he used his share of his inheritance to pursue his music career after dropping out of college in the 1980s. He is married with 2 children.

Warren Buffet Controversies

Warren Buffett, renowned for his investment prowess and ethical reputation, has not been immune to controversy. In 2023, ProPublica reported that Buffett engaged in personal stock trades that coincided with Berkshire Hathaway’s transactions, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Buffett did not comment on the report, but Vice Chairman Charlie Munger dismissed the allegations, stating he didn’t believe Buffett engaged in any unethical behavior. During the 2008 financial crisis, Buffett’s significant investment in Moody’s came under scrutiny.

Critics argued that Moody’s played a role in the crisis by assigning high ratings to risky mortgage-backed securities. Buffett defended the agency, suggesting that the entire market was caught in a “mass delusion” regarding housing prices. Despite acknowledging the risks of climate change, Buffett has faced criticism for Berkshire Hathaway’s continued investments in fossil fuel companies. In 2025, a Reuters investigation reported that Berkshire Hathaway Energy operates several of the most polluting coal-fired power plants in the United States. Despite significant investments in renewable energy, the company faced criticism for plans to operate these plants until at least 2049, raising environmental and public health concerns.

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Warren Buffett’s Net Worth

As of 2025, his net worth is estimated to be about $165.3 billion, making him the fifth richest man in the world.

Warren Buffett’s Social Media Handles

• Instagram: @officialwarrenbuffett
• Twitter X: @Warren Buffett
  

Warren Buffett’s Books

Warren Buffett, as one of the best investors in the world, has written books detailing his career and his approach to investing. His approach focuses on value investing, long-term strategies, and the importance of understanding the businesses you invest in. Over the years, several books have been written about him and by him, offering wisdom on investing, business, and life. Here’s a list of notable books on Warren Buffett:

• The Intelligent Investor
• Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist
• The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America
• The Warren Buffett Way
• Warren Buffett’s Ground Rules
• Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
• The Oracle of Omaha: Warren Buffett’s Words of Wisdom