Warren Edward Buffett ( Omaha (Nebraska) , August 30 1930 ) is an American businessman and investor. He is 38% of the shares major shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway , and has since September 2008 in the third place in the list of richest people in the world , with in March 2012 an estimated fortune of $ 44 billion. [1] This was the credit crisis still 62 billion dollars, when Buffett was also the richest man in the world.
Lifespan [ edit ][]
Buffett (whose nickname the Oracle of Omaha 's) is the second child of deputy Howard Buffett , and was educated at the University of Nebraska. He then studied economics in Pennsylvania , and attended college here at Benjamin Graham . After studying Buffett spent some time in Graham's company, before he returned to Nebraska and founded his own investment company.
From childhood he was engaged in investing and making money. One of his first major investment was in American Express . He also invested in Berkshire Hathaway, which was then a textile company. When Buffett had gotten control of the company he set the textile industry on the back burner (and eventually knocked it off) to continue as an investment the company.
Buffett invests in businesses with growth potential in the long term, but also in large companies such as The Coca-Cola Company (where he was the largest individual shareholder with 400 million shares) and Gillette . However, he eschews the high-tech enterprises, and the negative effects of the Internet bubble are therefore ignored him. 5 shares in 2012, the largest share part of its portfolio, in chronological order: The Coca-Cola Company (soft drinks), Wells Fargo (Bank), International Business Machines (computers), American Express (financial services) and Procter & Gamble (consumer goods).
The more than $ 10 billion position in IBM, which he acquired in 2011 is remarkable. Although Buffett's annual report reads IBM for more than 50 years, he repeatedly stated not to invest in high-tech companies. In addition to its usual investment philosophy Buffett has two reasons why IBM, according to him is a good investment. Firstly, because IBM is number one in everything to do with computers and software, and secondly the huge free cash flow which is used for the grand buybacks. Buffett hopes that the share for a long time at the lowest possible price is traded, so that as many shares can be bought and thus the value of its stake in IBM is optimal.
Although Buffett has positions primarily in U.S. stocks, Buffett also has a significant stake in the British supermarket chain Tesco . This position he probably because Tesco has taken a leading position in on-line retailing in Britain.
Buffett is the business partner of super investor Charlie Munger in the investment company Berkshire Hathaway.
Buffett rule [ edit ][]
Buffett is an outspoken opponent of excessive remuneration in business. Based on this conviction Berkshire Hathaway also pays its own top no big bonuses .
On June 26, 2006 Buffett announced that he would give to charitable organizations, including the $ 37 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation of Bill Gates .
In 2011, Warren Buffett called on the government to increase the tax. For millionaires He pointed out that he paid less tax proportionately than his secretary. Secretary who was on January 20, 2012 alongside Barack Obama at the opening of the parliamentary year. The president thus gave a signal, and he was actually a law to increase the tax. For the super rich This tax, called the press the "Buffett rule" was rejected by the Senate on April 16, 2012.