Warren Buffett

Rank 8

Warren Buffett

137B

Berkshire Hathaway

Omaha, Nebraska

United States

  • Buffett still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska, home he purchased in 1958 for $31,500.
  • Buffett was rejected from Harvard Business School; he got a master's in economics from Columbia University instead.
  • Known as the "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time.
  • Buffett runs Berkshire Hathaway, which owns dozens of companies, including insurer Geico, battery maker Duracell and restaurant chain Dairy Queen.
  • The son of a U.S. congressman, he first bought stock at age 11 and first filed taxes at age 13.
  • He has promised to donate over 99% of his wealth. So far he has given more than $56 billion, mostly through the Gates Foundation and his kids' foundations.
  • In 2010, he and Bill Gates launched the Giving Pledge, asking other billionaires to commit to donating at least half of their fortune to charitable causes.