17 facts about Warren Buffett and his wealth that will blow your mind
Warren Buffett has been incredibly successful, and he's extremely wealthy. Warren Buffett's wealth jumped by around $12.7 billion in 2013 alone. But how much is $12.7 billion anyway?
And how good an investor is Warren Buffett really? We've put together some facts that really put him in perspective.
99% of Buffett's wealth was earned after his 50th birthday.
Buffett made $62.7 billion of his $63.3 billion net worth after his 50th birthday. $60 billion — nearly 95% — is from after his 60th birthday. Talk about long-term investment strategies.
Source: Fool
Berkshire's Book Value beat the S&P 500 in 43 out of 44 years on a five-year rolling average basis.
From 2008 to 2013, the S&P 500 returned 128%, while Berkshire (based on book value per Class A share) returned 80%.
Source: Berkshire Hathaway, Business Insider
Among legends, Buffett has the longest track record for beating the market.
That chart compares investors with the S&P 500 over time. You can see the longevity of Buffett's outperformance is greater than that of other great investors.
Source: Business Insider
Buffett's net worth of $63.3 billion is greater than the combined 2013 GDP of Ghana and Cambodia.
Ghana's 2013 GDP was estimated to be $47,928,717,949. Cambodia's 2013 GDP was estimated to be $15,249,684,397.
Warren Buffett's wealth currently makes him the world's third-richest man.
Source: Forbes
In 2013, Buffett made on average $37 million per day — that's more than what Jennifer Lawrence made the entire year.
According to Forbes, Jennifer Lawrence was the second-highest-paid actress in 2013 and she is estimated to have made $34 million that year. Warren Buffett made $37 million per day in 2013.
Source: MarketWatch
You could pay the college tuition of six NYU students with what Buffett made in a single hour in 2013.
NYU is the most expensive university in the U.S. — four years there cost $247,908.
Buffett made $1.5 million per hour in 2013.
Source: CNBC
Buffett made his first stock purchase the same year that Pearl Harbor was bombed.
Warren Buffett's first stock purchase was in 1941 — he bought three preferred shares for himself and three for his sister at $38. The stock dropped nearly 30%, and when it finally got back up to $40, Buffett sold. A few months later, the stock soared to $200. Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7 of that year.
Source: Old School Value
Buffett has so far donated enough money in his lifetime to build four Apple "Spaceship" Campuses.
Buffett has donated a lifetime total of $20 billion — the second-highest amount (following that of Bill Gates). The Apple Campus is a $5 billion project.
Source: Forbes
You could increase the annual salary of every North Korean living in Pyongyang by 50% if you took Buffett's donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and distributed it evenly to them.
North Korea's capital Pyongyang has a population of 2.843 million. And the average North Korean makes an estimated $1,000 to $2,000 per year (so we used the number $1,500).
Buffett donated $2.1 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. That means that every person in Pyongyang would hypothetically get $738.65 — an amount that is 49.2% of the annual per capita earnings in North Korea.
Keep in mind, however, that Buffett's donation is in class B shares.
Source: CNBC
Buffett is "ready" to double his investment in renewable energy — bringing the total to an amount that could build 46 Burj Al Arabs.
Buffett already has $15 billion invested in solar and wind energy, and he is prepared to commit another $15 billion.
Dubai glitzy hotel, the Burj Al Arab, cost $650 million to build.
Source: Bloomberg
In 2014, a Singapore man bid $2.2 million for lunch with Buffett. That amount could've provided 9,746 students with a calculus textbook.
In case you don't have college-age kids yet, textbooks are extremely expensive. The one that we used in our calculation costs $225.72.
Source: Omaha.com
Berkshire Hathaway's cash balance is at $50 billion — that's equal to the entire GDP of South Dakota plus 45 Airbus A318s.
Berkshire Hathaway currently has over $50 billion in cash. The GDP of South Dakota in 2013 was $46.732 billion. An Airbus A318 costs $71.9 million.
Source: Bloomberg
If you invested $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway in 1970, that amount would be $4.86 million higher today.
Berkshire Hathaway closed at $41 at the end of 1970. On Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway closed at $199,562.
Source: Yahoo Finance
If you invested $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway in 1980, that amount would be $532,165 higher today.
Berkshire Hathaway closed at $375 on Aug. 12, 1980. On Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway closed at $199,562.
Source: Yahoo Finance
If you invested $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway in 1990, that amount would be $29,785 higher today.
Berkshire Hathaway closed at $6,700 on Aug. 13, 1990. On Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway closed at $199,562.
Source: Yahoo Finance
If you invested $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway in 2000, that amount would be $3,218 higher today.
Berkshire Hathaway closed at $62,400 on Aug. 11, 2000. On Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway closed at $199,562.
Source: Yahoo Finance
If you invested $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway the year that Buffett became the majority shareholder, that amount would be $10.5 million higher today.
In 1964 — the year Buffett became a majority shareholder — the stock was valued at $19 per share. On Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway closed at $199,562.
Source: Yahoo Finance
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