Warren Buffett has committed roughly $6 billion of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stock to five philanthropic foundations, his largest annual gift since he began distributing his fortune in 2006. The pledge was announced on 27 June and the shares are scheduled to be transferred on 30 June.
The 12.36 million Class B shares include 9.43 million for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation will receive 943,384 shares, while the Howard G. Buffett, Sherwood and NoVo foundations—each led by one of Buffett’s children—will get 660,366 shares apiece.
The donation lifts Buffett’s total giving to the five organisations to more than $60 billion. Despite the transfer, the 94-year-old investor still controls about 13.8% of Berkshire and, according to Forbes, had a net worth of approximately $152 billion before the latest gift. Buffett reiterated he has never sold Berkshire shares and has earmarked 99.5% of his estate for charitable use.
Berkshire, valued at about $1.05 trillion, owns nearly 200 businesses including Geico and BNSF Railway. Buffett has led the conglomerate since 1965 but plans to step down as chief executive at the end of 2025, recommending vice-chair Greg Abel as his successor. The latest donation extends Buffett’s long-standing commitment to large-scale philanthropy, which he formalised through the Giving Pledge in 2010.
Warren Buffett: "You don't have to make 100 correct judgments in this business — or 50 correct judgments. You only have to make a few. And that's all we try to do."
"It is not hard to figure out that Bill Gates or Tom Murphy or Don Keough are really outstanding managers."
If Warren Buffett were in his 20s today, he’d be in software. That’s what CEO Savneet Singh realized when he built Par Technology, now the digital backbone behind restaurant POS systems.
Bryan Beach, editor of Stansberry Venture Value, explains why $PAR is one of his favorite
