Historical Figures Codexery

Warren Buffett

The Oracle of Omaha

Warren Buffett

USA International Trade Administration · via Wikipedia: Warren Buffett · Public domain

Forbes estimated Buffett's net worth at US$148.9 billion as of January 2026, ranking him as the world's ninth-richest individual.[1]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Warren Edward Buffett
Born
30 August 1930
Birthplace
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Political party
Independent
Education
  • University of Pennsylvania (attended)
  • University of Nebraska (BS)
  • Columbia University (MS)
Occupation
Business executive; investment manager
Years active
1951–present
Children
  • Susan Alice
  • Howard Graham
  • Peter Andrew

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He has been referred to as the "Oracle" or "Sage" of Omaha by global media.[2] From a young age, Buffett demonstrated an early fascination with business and investing, which was sparked by a book, One Thousand Ways to Make $1000, that he checked out from the Omaha public library when he was seven.[3] His formal schooling started at Rose Hill Elementary School, and he completed his secondary education at Woodrow Wilson High School in 1947.[4] Buffett enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1947.[5]

Charlie Munger, a fellow investor, assumed the role of vice-chairman at Berkshire Hathaway in 1978.[6] Together with Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, Buffett launched The Giving Pledge in 2010.[7]

What the cited sources add

A CNBC transcript records Buffett calling his 1964 decision to buy Berkshire Hathaway a $200 billion blunder.[8] The Motley Fool account notes that Buffett paid $25 million for See's Candies in 1972, and it has returned $1.35 billion to Berkshire since.[9] The same source states that Buffett bought shares of Coca-Cola for Berkshire Hathaway in 1988, and the stock is up by approximately 1,350% from his cost basis.[9] A CNN profile reports that Munger met Warren Buffett at a dinner party in 1959.[10]

A CNBC article recounts that Buffett and Munger first bonded over dinner in 1959, with Buffett saying, "We went to dinner and in five minutes, Charlie was rolling on the floor laughing at his own jokes."[11] The same article notes that Munger became vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway in 1978.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Warren Buffett" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Warren Buffett" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Warren Buffett" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Markels, "How to Make Money the Buffett Way", U.S. News & World Report, July 29, 2007; Sullivan, "Buffett, the Sage of Omaha, Makes Value Strategy Seem Simple: Secrets of a High Plains Investor", International Herald Tribune, December 20, 1997; Gogoi, Pallavi, "What Warren Buffett might buy", NBC News, May 8, 2007; Buffett, "My philanthropic pledge", CNN, June 16, 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Warren Buffett" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Levere, "New HBO Documentary On Warren Buffett Uses Family Photos, Home Movies To Reveal His Life Story", Forbes, January 30, 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Warren Buffett" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Blair, "Nebraska family clashes over love, money and death", USA Today, January 29, 2004; Stephens, "Millionaires & Billionaires Secrets Revealed", Global Publishing Group, 2018; "Warren Buffett's High School Yearbook Totally Nailed What He Would Be When He Grew Up", Business Insider; Robert G. Hagstrom, "The Warren Buffett Way", Wiley Publishers, May 13, 2010, p. 29; Hagstrom, Robert, "The Essential Buffett: Timeless Principles for the New Economy", Wiley, 2001, p. 24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Warren Buffett" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Warren Buffett Timeline", About Money, July 2026; Gheen, "Alpha Sigma Phi comes back to Penn", Thedp.com; Me, "Warren Buffett Degree Directory", August 20, 2025; "Alumnus Warren Buffett Celebrates 89 Years", College of Business, Finance, August 29, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Warren Buffett" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Charlie Munger", Cnn.com, June 11, 2014; Clifford, "Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett remembers meeting Charlie Munger", CNBC, February 26, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Warren Buffett" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "US billionaires pledge 50% of their wealth to charity", BBC, August 4, 2010; Alexander, "Warren Buffett Honors His Hero, The Billionaire Who Secretly Gave It All Away", Forbes (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Buffett's Worst Trade", CNBC, October 18, 2010. facts only, no text reused. cnbc.com
  9. CFP, "8 Warren Buffett Deals That Won Big", The Motley Fool, November 13, 2017. facts only, no text reused. fool.com
  10. "Charlie Munger", Cnn.com, June 11, 2014. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com
  11. Clifford, "Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett remembers meeting Charlie Munger", CNBC, February 26, 2018. facts only, no text reused. cnbc.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Warren Buffett (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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