Warren Buffett (born 1930) is an American investor, businessman, and philanthropist who led the holding company Berkshire Hathaway for more than five decades. [1] Widely known as the "Oracle of Omaha," he built one of the world's largest fortunes through a patient, long-term style of value investing. [2] He has pledged to donate the overwhelming majority of his wealth to charity and, in 2011, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [1]
Early life and education
Warren Edward Buffett was born on 30 August 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, where his father, Howard Buffett, worked as a stockbroker and later served in the United States Congress. [1] He showed an early aptitude for business and numbers, running small enterprises and filing his first tax return while still a teenager. He studied at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania before transferring to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, from which he graduated. [1] He then earned a master's degree at Columbia Business School, where he studied under Benjamin Graham, the economist widely regarded as the father of value investing. [2]
Berkshire Hathaway
After working briefly for Graham's firm in New York, Buffett returned to Omaha and formed a series of investment partnerships during the 1950s. [2] In 1965 he took control of Berkshire Hathaway, then a struggling New England textile manufacturer, and gradually converted it into a diversified holding company. [1] Under his leadership Berkshire acquired or invested in businesses spanning insurance, railroads, energy, consumer goods, and finance, including GEICO and See's Candies, along with major stakes in companies such as Coca-Cola and American Express. [3]
Investment philosophy
Buffett became one of the most closely followed investors in the world, earning the nickname the "Oracle of Omaha." [2] He championed a value-investing approach rooted in Graham's teaching: buying shares of well-run companies at prices below their intrinsic worth and holding them for the long term. His annual letters to Berkshire shareholders, written in a plain and often witty style, are widely read as commentary on markets and business. [3]
Philanthropy and public life
In 2006 Buffett announced that he would give away the bulk of his fortune, directing most of it to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and to foundations run by his family. [1] In 2010 he and Bill Gates launched the Giving Pledge, encouraging the world's wealthiest individuals to commit the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. [4] He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. [1]
Legacy
Buffett is regarded as one of the most successful investors of the modern era, and his long-term record helped turn Berkshire Hathaway into one of the world's most valuable companies. [4] His emphasis on discipline, patience, and business fundamentals has influenced generations of investors and business leaders. [2]
