It's Warren Buffett's last day at Berkshire Hathaway. This is what he taught us

Warren Buffet is a legendary investor, the Oracle of Omaha, a fan of sharp retorts, profitable investments, Dairy Queen ice cream and cola. With his departure from Berkshire Hathaway, his golden thoughts will also end. CNN has collected the most memorable sayings of the “chief of all investors”.

To say that Warren Buffett has shaped generations of investors is an understatement. Through his advice-packed letters, his long hours of annual meetings, and the choices he makes at work and in his personal life, the Oracle of Omaha has taught CEOs and executives around the world how to run their companies and, in many cases, their lives.

“Forecasting rain doesn't help”

Reports Berkshire Hathaway is a mine of knowledge, presented by Buffett in an accessible way, without referring to “smart-sounding” phrases just because you know them.

Both Warren Buffet and his partner Charlie Munger had the ability to reduce a complex economic issue to an absolute minimum, describes Steve Hafner, CEO of Kayak.

Quotes such as:

• Only when the tide goes out do you find out who was swimming naked.
• Forecasting rain is useless. What matters is building the ark.
• Reluctantly, I abandoned the idea of ​​continuing to manage the portfolio after my death – I abandoned the hope of giving new meaning to the term “thinking outside the box.”

Not only his sense of humor is unconventional, but also his patience (especially among younger investors). Buffett was known to sit on huge piles of cash at Berkshire, waiting for the right investment opportunity. And when he did it, it was always on the so-called long term: “Our favorite investment holding period is forever,” he wrote to shareholders in 1989.

Entrepreneur and former White House communications director Antony Scaramucci wrote to Buffett 30 years ago that he was buying Berkshire stock for his daughter. “And since she was a year and a half old and had a life expectancy of 84 years, she had 82.5 years left to hold the shares,” the investor added. The Oracle of Omaha was supposed to reply to him at lightning speed “this is a sign of short-sightedness”.

“I will be merciless,” he would say, but only in one case

Buffett made billions of dollars on Goldman Sachs. And even though he was a financial shark – in the end according to Bloomberg, his fortune can be estimated at about $150 billionit was not without ethics.

– From him I learned that perfection is really about discipline – says Larry Restieri, president of the wealth management company Hightower, on CNN. – Set a clear direction, be faithful to your principles and patiently pursue your goals – as he adds, he is still guided by these principles to this day.

Buffet used to say: “Strgive me money for the company and I will be understanding. Damage the company's reputation and I will be ruthless.”

A collector of luxury goods in moderation

Buffett pis famous for his passion for private flightsthat. He is a Cadillac fan. He is incredibly rich and makes no apologies for it.

Together with Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, in 2010 he was the originator of the “Giving Pledge” initiative addressed to the richest people, which obliged them to donate most of their wealth to charity during their lifetime or in their will. In Novembercut wrote: “Too partoften a huge collectionThe collection of material goods ultimately has its own value“owner.”

But giving doesn't have to mean gor cash. – When you help someoneś in thousands of waysthat's it, you're helping to the world – he will writeŁ Buffett in 2025. – Kindness has no price, but it is also priceless, he added.

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