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1950Age 19
1960Age 29
1970Age 39
1980Age 49
1990Age 59
2000Age 69
2010Age 79
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2028Age 97
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Life moments & milestones

Life timeline of Warren Buffett

Investor and longtime chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

Education

  1. Sept 1947 – May 1949

    Attended Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania)

  2. Sept 1949 – May 1951

    Attended University of Nebraska–Lincoln (B.S. Business Administration)

  3. Sept 1950 – May 1951

    Attended Columbia Business School (M.S. in Economics)

Career

  1. 1951 – 1954

    Investment salesman at Buffett-Falk & Co. (father’s brokerage firm)

  2. 1954 – 1956

    Securities analyst at Graham-Newman Corp. (Benjamin Graham’s firm)

  3. Charlie Munger becomes Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway

  4. Serves as interim Chairman of Salomon Brothers after trading scandal

  5. Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama (Nov 2011)

  6. Resigns as trustee of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (June 2021)

  7. Becomes Chairman Emeritus of Berkshire Hathaway; Howard G. Buffett elected Chairman (Sep 18, 2026)

Finance

  1. Meets GEICO management and buys first shares of GEICO insurance

  2. Establishes Buffett Foundation (later Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation) for philanthropy

  3. Invests ~$1B to acquire ~7% of Coca-Cola stock

  4. Announces plan to donate ~83% of wealth to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (pledge of 10M shares), 2006

  5. Ranked richest person in the world by Forbes (net worth ~$62B), 2008

  6. Buys $5B of preferred stock in Goldman Sachs during financial crisis (Oct 2008)

  7. Co-founds The Giving Pledge to donate majority of wealth (signs Dec 2010)

  8. Begins significant investment in Apple Inc. (becomes Berkshire’s largest stock holding)

Work

  1. Founded Buffett Partnership Ltd. investment partnership

  2. 1956 – 1969

    Operated Buffett Partnership Ltd. (investment funds)

  3. 1958 – 1961

    Lead investor in Sanborn Map Company (activist stake)

  4. Acquires controlling interest in Berkshire Hathaway (textile)

  5. Acquires See’s Candies (candy manufacturer)

  6. Acquires significant stake in GEICO insurance during its restructuring

  7. Completes acquisition of remaining shares of GEICO (full ownership)

  8. Announces acquisition of General Reinsurance Corp., 1998

  9. Announces acquisition of MidAmerican Energy Holdings, 1999

  10. Completes acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad for $26B (Feb 2010)

  11. Announces $28B acquisition of H.J. Heinz Co. (with 3G Capital, Feb 2013)

Other life moments

  1. 1970 – 18 Sept 2026

    Berkshire Hathaway leadership era

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