Owner and undisputed master of an exorbitant and extraordinary fortune, Buffett is a businessman who stands at the opposite end of the spectrum from the average tycoon. Far from coveting wealth, he created it through innate talent, and his figure has inspired the rest of the world’s richest individuals. A man who leads a simple life, he emphasizes that one of his greatest satisfactions is donating much of his earnings to the planet’s less fortunate. Today we invite you to discover his most valuable life lessons. (Part 1)
Warren Buffett, now a sprightly 94, remains at the helm of the company he founded in his youth, Berkshire Hathaway. In a world where overwhelming wealth is often the target of harsh criticism, this mega-billionaire is a great example to his peers—the richest among the rich. And not only for his work ethic and business acumen, but also for one of his greatest passions: supporting charitable causes.
It is estimated that Mr. Buffett has donated well over half of his immense fortune, and with unshakable resolve, he plans to continue doing so for as long as he lives. His most cherished wish is to leave behind a better world for those whom life has not granted the same opportunities. After his death, his millions will be directed to the charitable foundation managed by his children. But Buffett insists he has no plans to leave this world anytime soon—and no hurry—continuing to work daily and guiding the key steps of his company.
Buffett is also regarded as an ultra-wealthy man of austere habits. He is famous for cultivating a lifestyle of near-Franciscan simplicity, far removed from that of other mega-billionaires. “My needs are very simple,” he explained almost apologetically for his austerity in June 2021. Yet with a touch of wisdom, he revealed the deeper reason: “What made me happy at 40 makes me happy at 90,” he said with striking simplicity and sincerity, leaving many perplexed who, well past midlife, remain entangled in the frantic race begun by the first gold prospectors of the Wild West.
His First Steps
This American investor and philanthropist was born when history seemed to be collapsing: during the Great Depression of the 1930s. From a very young age, he clearly demonstrated an innate instinct for successfully taking firm steps in business. A talent that experts estimate, as of February 2025, translates into a fortune valued at around USD 156 billion.
While still in primary school, the future financial magnate—the most successful investor of all time—was already exploring how to take his first steps. The young and shrewd Buffett would buy packs of Wrigley’s chewing gum and bottles of Coca-Cola from his grandfather’s store and go door-to-door selling them for a small profit.
But his audacity did not end with this charming, illustrative anecdote. The boy aimed higher. At just 11, he traded his ball and bicycle for stronger thrills and was already buying his first shares on the stock exchange. As a teenager, he developed a highly successful newspaper route and, with a neighborhood friend, invested in pinball machines placed in barbershops, splitting the profits with shop owners. By the age of 15, he showed enough ability to go further and explore new ventures. Using the dividends from his many earlier projects, he purchased about 50 acres of farmland in Nebraska to operate himself. As expected, he did very well.
Business, Life’s Arenas, and a Unique Vision of the World
Buffett has often told the media that the great teacher of his life was his father, Howard Buffett. From him, he says, he learned everything necessary and more: his philosophy of life, his boldness, and his daring in business, as his father educated him through his own experience. Howard Buffett was a businessman and passionate about politics. As a successful stockbroker, he passed on to his son essential wisdom about investing. And as a conservative Republican who spent eight years in Congress, he instilled in him vital values about how policies and well-directed money can change lives forever.
At this point, we pause in the story and, as we highlight these gems from Warren Buffett’s journey, we invite you to join us in the next dossier, where we will delve into the figure of a more mature Buffett—guided by what he called his “inner scorecard.” This compass led him to triumph in business and in life as a man firmly committed to making this world a place with more equitably distributed opportunities and, ultimately, a better place for the less fortunate.
