Living Simply

Jaden McGettigan

Warren Buffett

Who is Warren Buffett?

Warren Buffett is the third richest person in the world, and the second richest man in America.

He is the CEO of a company that owns many media, food, construction, clothing, insurance and furniture companies.

He is currently worth about $53.5 billion.

How does a billionaire live a simple life?

Warren is one of very few billionaires who live simple lives.

He does not own a huge mansion, but a small cottage.

He does not own a private jet or an expensive car, but drives a car made in early 2005.

What has Warren done to separate himself from his

wealth? Whilst doing his taxes in 2006, he

realised that his taxes (19%) were lower than his employees (33%).

His employees were earning way less than he was, yet they had higher taxes.

He literally begged the government to increase his taxes, to “make it fair”.

What has he done to separate himself from his

wealth? Warren made the worlds biggest donation to charity in 2006.

He donated $1.5 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Charity.

In 2012, he pledged to give away 99% of his wealth before he died.

What influenced Warren Buffett to give away so much money?

During his first marriage, Warren was widely criticised for not giving away any of his money.

After his first wife died of cancer, he decided to change his attitude to money, and give back to society.

Bill Gates also influenced him to give away his money. Gates is said to have told people “You don’t need a lot of money!”

What does Warren Buffett do for his job and in his spare time?

Warren’s company – Berkshire Hathaway – is a multi-billion dollar government bond insurance company.

Being the CEO of such a company, he is placed under a lot of stress.

In his leisure time, Warren just relaxes.

During an interview, he said “Damn the business deal. Keep your work and your life in balance.”

What does Warren Buffett do for his job and in his spare time?

Warren is jealous of everyone else in the world. Not the other billionaires, but people like us.

He has been called the greatest investor of all time, but Warren actually wishes he had less money to invest.

Warren is now just giving away his money.

Would I like to live the same way as Warren Buffett?

I would like to live the same way as Warren, not because of his money, but because of what he does for society.

Warren is not greedy, like most billionaires. He does not want his money, but wants everyone else to have it; especially those less fortunate.

Will Warren continue his work over the next few years?

Being an 82 year old, Warren might still be continuing his work in 10 years time.

Obviously, he won’t be alive in 50 years time.

Warren is dying. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. This is why he is now trying to give away more money than ever.