Warren Buffett turns 95 – the secrets behind a $130 billion fortune

On 30 August, Warren Buffett marked his 95th birthday. The enduring figurehead of Berkshire Hathaway remains the most celebrated investor of modern times – a man whose influence on markets, philanthropy and corporate governance continues to shape capitalism itself

Warren Buffett’s longevity is as remarkable as his record. Born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, he bought his first shares at the age of 11. By 32, he was running an investment partnership that would become Berkshire Hathaway, today a conglomerate valued at close to $900 billion, with holdings that range from railroads and insurers to ice cream and jewellery. For more than six decades he has produced average annualised returns that professional fund managers can only dream of.

Buffett’s investment philosophy has always been disarmingly simple: buy businesses with durable competitive advantages, run by honest and capable managers, at sensible prices. As he once put it: “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.” His discipline has seen Berkshire shareholders’ wealth compound at extraordinary rates. A $1,000 investment in Berkshire in 1965 would now be worth around $17 million.

Yet his business legacy goes far beyond the numbers. Buffett, the world’s fifth richest man, represents a model of patient, long-term capitalism at a time when quarterly earnings guidance and speculative trading often dominate headlines. He is famous for urging investors to “be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful,” a maxim that has steadied countless market participants through crises from Black Monday to the 2008 financial crash and the pandemic turmoil of 2020.

He has also been a consistent advocate of transparency and good governance. His annual shareholder letters, written in a plainspoken style, are required reading in boardrooms and business schools worldwide. Few leaders have matched his ability to explain complex financial principles with such clarity. “The stock market,” he has written, “is designed to transfer money from the Active to the Patient.”

In later life Buffett has cemented his legacy through philanthropy. With his friend Bill Gates he co-founded the Giving Pledge in 2010, encouraging billionaires to commit at least half of their fortunes to charitable causes. Buffett himself has pledged the vast majority of his wealth (US$160.2 billion), with tens of billions of dollars already donated to foundations. His philosophy on wealth and responsibility is equally plainspoken: “If you’re in the luckiest 1% of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99%.”

Even now, at 95, Buffett remains engaged in Berkshire Hathaway’s affairs. He has confirmed that he will step down as chief executive at the end of this year, handing day-to-day control to his long-time deputy Greg Abel, while continuing as chairman. Each spring, investors gather in Omaha for the company’s annual meeting – often dubbed “Woodstock for Capitalists” – to hear his views on markets, business and human behaviour. The so-called Oracle of Omaha reminds them that integrity and patience still matter in capitalism: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

Warren Buffett: A Life in Numbers

Born: 30 August 1930, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Net worth: c. $150–160 billion (Forbes, 2025)

Role: Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway (CEO until end-2025)

Nickname: The Oracle of Omaha

Philanthropy: Co-founder of The Giving Pledge; has pledged the vast majority of his wealth to charity

Timeline of Milestones

1942 – At age 11, buys his first stock: three shares of Cities Service Preferred.

1956 – Establishes Buffett Partnership Ltd with $105,000 in capital.

1965 – Gains control of Berkshire Hathaway, then a struggling textile firm.

1972 – Acquires See’s Candies, a turning point in Buffett’s strategy of buying durable consumer franchises.

1988 – Begins buying shares in Coca-Cola, eventually amassing a stake worth billions.

2006 – Announces plan to give away the majority of his fortune to charity.

2010 – With Bill and Melinda Gates, launches The Giving Pledge.

2021 – Steps down as trustee of the Gates Foundation but continues major philanthropic giving.

2025 – Celebrates his 95th birthday; confirms he will step down as Berkshire Hathaway CEO at year-end, with Greg Abel named successor.

Main image: Buffett with former U.S President, Barack Obama, in the Oval Office. Photo: The White House