Warren Buffett spent sixty years running one of the biggest companies in the world, and people still search his name every single day. This article lays out who he is, what he’s doing right now, and the real facts behind his family, career, and fortune — with anything unconfirmed clearly marked as such.
Background: Who Is Warren Buffett?
Warren Edward Buffett is an American investor, business leader, and philanthropist best known as the longtime head of Berkshire Hathaway, a company he grew from a failing textile mill into a trillion-dollar conglomerate. People call him the “Oracle of Omaha” because he’s from Omaha, Nebraska, and because his investment picks have shaped the stock market for decades.
People search for him constantly for a few simple reasons: he’s one of the richest people alive, he gives blunt and quotable advice about money, and he recently handed over day-to-day control of his company after six decades in charge. That leadership change is the single biggest reason his name keeps trending in 2026.
He’s also a well-known figure outside of finance circles. Buffett signed the Giving Pledge, a commitment to give away most of his fortune to charity during his lifetime or through his estate, and he has already donated tens of billions of dollars in Berkshire stock to charitable foundations, including ones run by his own children. That combination — extreme wealth paired with a public promise to give most of it away — is part of why casual readers, not just investors, search his name.
Quick answer: Warren Buffett is the 96-year-old chairman of Berkshire Hathaway who stepped down as CEO at the end of 2025, handing the role to Greg Abel, while staying on as board chairman.
Latest Update
As of September 18, 2026, here is what’s currently known.
Buffett formally left the CEO seat at Berkshire Hathaway on December 31, 2025, ending a run that started back in 1965. Greg Abel, who had already been running most of Berkshire’s non-insurance businesses for years, took over as president and CEO on January 1, 2026. Buffett stayed on as chairman of the board, so he’s still involved, just not making the day-to-day calls anymore.
What’s driving searches right now: Two things — the leadership handoff to Greg Abel, and Berkshire’s unusually large cash pile, which multiple 2026 filings and news reports place somewhere in the $280–$397 billion range depending on the reporting quarter. Buffett has been trimming stock positions, including a large chunk of the company’s Apple shares, and holding more cash and short-term Treasury bills instead.
Buffett turned 96 on August 30, 2026. He appeared at Berkshire’s 2026 annual shareholder meeting seated with other board members rather than solo on stage, a visible sign that Abel is now the one running the show. No credible source — not AP, not Reuters, not Berkshire’s own filings — has reported any health emergency, retirement beyond the CEO handoff, or other major personal news beyond what’s described above.
Unconfirmed claims flag: Various low-quality blogs circulate different net worth figures for Buffett, ranging anywhere from $100 billion to $154 billion depending on the source and date. The most reliable figure comes from Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires tracker, which listed his net worth at approximately $148.9 billion in January 2026. Because his wealth is tied to Berkshire’s stock price, this number moves daily and any figure you read should be treated as an estimate, not a fixed fact.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Warren Buffett was born on August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Howard Buffett, was a stockbroker who later served as a U.S. congressman, and his mother was Leila Stahl Buffett. Warren showed an interest in money early — he bought his first stock at age 11 and reportedly filed his first tax return at 13, a detail widely repeated across biographical sources.
Career Path
Buffett’s professional path started small. In 1951, he took a job as an investment salesman before returning to Omaha in 1956 to start an investment partnership with seven limited partners, including family members. That partnership grew steadily through the late 1950s and 1960s as Buffett applied lessons learned directly from his Columbia professor, Benjamin Graham, whose “value investing” ideas became the foundation of Buffett’s entire approach: buy solid businesses for less than they’re actually worth, then hold on for the long run instead of trading in and out.
He took control of Berkshire Hathaway, then a struggling New England textile mill, in 1965. Rather than trying to save the textile business, Buffett used its cash flow to buy other companies outright and to purchase large ownership stakes in publicly traded firms. Over the following six decades, Berkshire grew into a sprawling conglomerate that owns businesses like GEICO, Dairy Queen, See’s Candies, Duracell, and BNSF Railway, alongside massive shareholdings in public companies such as Coca-Cola, American Express, and Apple. Buffett also worked closely for decades with his business partner Charlie Munger, who helped shape much of Berkshire’s investment philosophy before Munger’s passing in 2023.
Buffett formally stepped down as CEO on December 31, 2025, and now serves as chairman of the board, a role that keeps him connected to the company without day-to-day operating responsibility.
Age
Buffett is 96 years old as of this writing, having been born on August 30, 1930.
Religion
Buffett has described his outlook in interviews as largely secular and has not affiliated himself with organized religious practice in his adult public life, though he was raised in a Presbyterian household. Because he has never made a detailed, on-the-record statement defining his personal beliefs, this should be treated as a general public impression rather than a confirmed, precise fact.
Spouse/Partner
Buffett was married to Susan Thompson Buffett from 1952 until her passing in 2004. He later married his longtime companion, Astrid Menks, in 2006. Astrid Menks Buffett has kept a low public profile compared to her husband.
Net Worth
Forbes placed Buffett’s net worth at roughly $148.9 billion in January 2026, making him one of the ten richest people in the world at that time. This figure changes constantly with Berkshire’s stock price and should always be checked against a live tracker like Forbes Real-Time Billionaires for the most current number.
Parents
His father was Howard Homan Buffett, a stockbroker and later a four-term U.S. congressman from Nebraska. His mother was Leila Stahl Buffett, a homemaker.
Height
Buffett’s exact height is not something he or Berkshire Hathaway has ever officially published, and there is no reliably sourced figure. Any specific number circulating online should be treated as unconfirmed.
Education
Buffett attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., then studied at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School before transferring to and graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He went on to earn a master’s degree in economics from Columbia Business School, where he studied under Benjamin Graham.
Hometown/State of Origin
Buffett was born and still lives in Omaha, Nebraska — in fact, in the same modest house he bought in 1958, a detail frequently cited as an example of his famously simple lifestyle despite his fortune.
Official Channel
The most reliable official source for news directly from his company is the Berkshire Hathaway website: berkshirehathaway.com. Buffett does hold a verified account on X (@WarrenBuffett), but it has posted only a handful of times since 2013 and should not be treated as an active news source.
Key Date: Buffett’s CEO handoff to Greg Abel took effect January 1, 2026, closing out a 60-year run atop Berkshire Hathaway.
Quick Facts Table
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Warren Edward Buffett |
| Born | August 30, 1930, Omaha, Nebraska |
| Age | 96 (as of September 2026) |
| Current Role | Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway |
| Former Role | CEO, Berkshire Hathaway (1965–Dec 31, 2025) |
| Successor as CEO | Greg Abel (effective Jan 1, 2026) |
| Spouse | Astrid Menks (m. 2006); previously Susan Thompson Buffett (1952–2004) |
| Children | Susan Alice, Howard Graham, Peter |
| Net Worth | ~$148.9 billion (Forbes, January 2026 estimate) |
| Education | University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Columbia Business School |
| Hometown | Omaha, Nebraska |
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Is Warren Buffett still the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway?
No. Buffett stepped down as CEO effective December 31, 2025, and Greg Abel took over as president and CEO on January 1, 2026. Buffett remains chairman of Berkshire’s board of directors.
How old is Warren Buffett in 2026?
Warren Buffett turned 96 on August 30, 2026. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1930.
What is Warren Buffett’s net worth right now?
Forbes estimated his net worth at about $148.9 billion in January 2026. Because his wealth is tied to Berkshire Hathaway’s stock price, the exact figure shifts daily, so treat any specific number as an approximation.
Is Warren Buffett married?
Yes. He married Astrid Menks in 2006 after being widowed by his first wife, Susan Thompson Buffett, in 2004. He and Susan had been married since 1952.
Why is Warren Buffett trending right now?
He’s trending mainly because of his 2026 CEO handoff to Greg Abel and reports of Berkshire Hathaway’s record-high cash reserves. There is no verified news of any health crisis or scandal as of this writing.
Who are Warren Buffett’s children?
He has three children: Susan Alice Buffett, Howard Graham Buffett, and Peter Buffett. All three are involved in philanthropy tied to the Buffett family’s charitable foundations.
Where does Warren Buffett live?
He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, in the same house he purchased in 1958, which he has kept despite his massive personal wealth.
What companies does Warren Buffett own through Berkshire Hathaway?
Berkshire Hathaway owns or holds major stakes in companies including GEICO, Dairy Queen, See’s Candies, BNSF Railway, and large public shareholdings in companies like Coca-Cola and Apple, among dozens of others.
Wrap-Up
Warren Buffett’s story is really the story of patience paying off over an extremely long period of time. He didn’t get rich overnight — he built his fortune slowly, over roughly seven decades, by sticking to the same basic idea: buy good businesses at fair prices and don’t touch them for years. That’s a big part of why so many people still search his name for financial advice rather than just celebrity gossip.
The 2026 leadership change at Berkshire Hathaway is a genuine turning point, not just a headline. Greg Abel now runs daily operations, and how he performs without Buffett steering will shape how history remembers this transition. Buffett staying on as chairman gives the company some continuity, but it’s fair to say Berkshire has entered a new era.
As always with a public figure this famous, expect ongoing rumors and recycled fake quotes attributed to him online, especially on social media. Fake accounts using slight misspellings of his name have circulated invented quotes for years, and some have even fooled major news outlets into reporting them as real. Stick to primary sources like Berkshire Hathaway’s own filings, the Associated Press, and Reuters if you want to know what’s actually happening with Warren Buffett rather than what a fake account or outdated blog post claims.
For readers who follow him purely for investing lessons, the core of his advice hasn’t changed even as his title has: understand a business before you buy it, avoid debt you can’t comfortably handle, and think in decades rather than days. Whatever happens next at Berkshire Hathaway under Greg Abel’s leadership, that basic philosophy is likely to remain Buffett’s most lasting legacy.
Thomas Andrew is the founder of Odubio.com, a digital platform sharing inspiring biographies, news, and stories about global icons and achievers.