3 Timeless Lessons from Warren Buffet's Final Shareholder Letter
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Warren Buffett is one of the most iconic and successful investors of all time, earning him the nickname, “The Oracle of Omaha.”
It’s difficult to overstate the level of insight and experience this one man holds. At 94 years old, he has been leading Berkshire Hathaway since 1965 and investing for more than 80 years - having bought his first stock at just 11 years old, back in 1941. It’s hard to imagine anyone alive today with a longer history of investing.
For some perspective, here’s a brief history of the major events he’s lived, and invested, through:
Great Depression: 1929–1939 (when he was born)
World War II: 1941–1945 (when he first invested)
Korean War: 1950–1953
Cuban Missile Crisis: 1962
Vietnam War Escalation: 1965–1975 (when he took over Berkshire Hathaway and became a millionaire at age 37)
Nixon Shock and End of Bretton Woods: 1971
Oil Crisis: 1973–1974 (-47% market crash)
Black Monday: 1987 (when he started investing in Coca-Cola)
Savings and Loan Crisis: 1986–1995 (when he became a billionaire)
Gulf War: 1990–1991
Dot-Com Bubble: 1999–2000
Dot-Com Crash: 2000–2002 (-49% market crash)
9/11: 2001
Global Financial Crisis: 2007–2009 (-57% market crash)
European Debt Crisis: 2010–2012
Brexit Referendum: 2016 (when he started investing in Apple)
COVID-19 Pandemic: 2020-2023 (when his net worth hit $100 billion)
Russia-Ukraine War: 2022–Present
U.S. Inflation Surge and Rate Hikes: 2022–2023 (when his close friend and business partner, Charlie Munger, died - after having worked together at Berkshire for 45 years and having known each other for over 60 years).
Trump’s tariffs: 2025
It’s almost impossible to fathom the economic, social, and technological changes he’s seen first-hand.
And even now, in his nineties, he remains sharp and reflective - still writing an annual shareholder letter packed with insight. He’s been writing these since 1965, and has recently announced he’ll retire at the end of 2025; therefore, his 2025 shareholder letter may be his final one.
So, with that in mind, it’s worth taking a closer look at what could be the closing message from one of the greatest investors who’s ever lived.
The 2025 Shareholder Letter
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Thanks for reading,
Tom Redmayne
Chartered Financial Planner
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