Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett demonstrated prodigious financial talent from childhood, selling items like chewing gum and golf balls, and filing his first tax return at age 13. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, to stockbroker and congressman Howard Buffett, he briefly attended the Wharton School before earning a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska in 1951. He then pursued graduate studies under mentor Benjamin Graham at Columbia Business School, mastering value investing—buying undervalued stocks with strong fundamentals. In 1956, Buffett launched his first investment partnership in Omaha, which grew rapidly. By 1962, irritated by a lowball buyback offer, he aggressively acquired control of the declining textile manufacturer Berkshire Hathaway, taking majority ownership in 1965 despite initial misgivings. He shifted its focus from textiles—shutting down that operation in 1985—to insurance and investments, using 'float' from insurers like GEICO for capital. Influenced by partner Charlie Munger, Buffett evolved toward 'wonderful companies at fair prices,' acquiring stakes in See's Candies, Coca-Cola, and others while writing famous annual shareholder letters from 1970 onward. Buffett's leadership propelled Berkshire into a holding company owning diverse subsidiaries like BNSF Railway, Precision Castparts, Dairy Queen, and Duracell, alongside major equity positions. He navigated crises, such as investing $5 billion in Goldman Sachs during 2008 and buying Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $44 billion in 2010. A vocal critic of policies favoring the wealthy, Buffett lives modestly in his childhood home and champions philanthropy, co-founding the Giving Pledge in 2010 with Bill Gates to encourage billionaires to donate most of their wealth.