Warren Buffett Says "The Secret to My $147 Billion Fortune Was Being Born a White Male in America"

"Both Health and Longevity Are the Results of Luck, Not Skill"
Ranked 10th Richest in the World According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index

Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (age 96), has revealed that he attributes his success to "luck."

Warren Buffett. Reuters.

In an interview with CNBC on the 20th (local time), Buffett stated that he considers himself "one of the 10 luckiest people out of the world's 8 billion population" and added, "Both my health and longevity are not a result of skill, but rather of fortune."

Buffett, who has previously emphasized that his success did not come from effort alone, said, "Being born as a white male in America provided a significant social foundation for my success." He continued, "Thanks to this, I was able to have confidence from a very young age that I could become wealthy."

He mentioned that, because his father Howard Buffett was a stockbroker, he was exposed to the stock market from an early age, saying, "If my father had been a plumber instead, I would not have had such opportunities." Inspired by his father, Buffett made his first investment at age 11 by purchasing three shares of Cities Service at $38 per share.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Buffett is currently ranked as the 10th richest person in the world. Having accumulated $1 million (1.48 billion won) by age 32, he grew Berkshire Hathaway into a global investment company through long-term compounding investments. Buffett currently holds a net worth of $147 billion (approximately 217.56 trillion won).

Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of last year. Although Greg Abel succeeded him as CEO, Buffett is reported to still exert significant influence over the company.

Meanwhile, Buffett has pledged to donate most of his wealth to society. Since 2006, Buffett has annually donated billions of dollars worth of Berkshire shares to welfare foundations. However, for the 2026 annual stock donation, he dropped the Gates Foundation—which has received over $47 billion in donations from him since 2006—from the list of recipients, bringing nearly 20 years of one of the world's largest philanthropic collaborations to an end.

Buffett signed the "Giving Pledge" in 2010, promising to donate 99% of his wealth. In a recent letter to investors, he expressed his wish to dispose of all his shares and donate them for social causes by the end of 2034. He plans to entrust the distribution of his assets after his death to his sons, Howard and Peter, and his daughter, Susan Alice Buffett.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.