Every major investment he made, from 3 shares of Cities Service at age 11 to a trillion-dollar empire. The wins, the losses, and the extraordinary patience in between.
$114
First investment
$150B
Net worth
$1T
Berkshire mkt cap
$370B
Cash pile
Scroll
1942 — 1956
Early Investments
Three trades before he turned 26. Two lessons that shaped everything after.
Cities Service1942
3 shares at $38 each. His first stock. Age 11. It dropped to $27. He held. Sold at $40. It later went to $200.
+5%
GEICO1951
Age 20. Visited the headquarters on a Saturday as a Columbia student. Put 75% of his net worth in. Sold for a 50% gain. The stock went up 100x after that.
+50%
Cleveland Worsted Mills1951
A Ben Graham cigar butt. Bought it because it was cheap. Profits dropped 72%. Lost money. Learned what a value trap was.
-10%
1957 — 1969
The Buffett Partnership
Thirteen years. Never a down year. Crushed the Dow every single time.
Annual Returns: Buffett vs Dow
Buffett never lost money. The Dow had five negative years.
BuffettDow Jones
Source: Buffett Partnership letters (1957-1969)
Sanborn Map+50%
The company's investment portfolio was worth more than its stock price. He forced them to distribute it.
American Express+125%
Salad Oil Scandal. Stock crashed 50%. He walked around Omaha checking if people still used their AmEx cards. They did. He put 40% of the entire fund in one stock.
Walt Disney+55%
Met Walt Disney. Bought 5% of the company for $4 million. Sold for $6 million. That stake is worth an estimated $7-12 billion today.
Berkshire Hathaway64 years
A dying textile mill. Bought shares at $7.50 out of spite. Used it as an investment vehicle. BRK-A now trades above $600,000.
In 1969, he closed the partnership. Returned everyone's money. Said the market was too expensive.
1970 — 2025
Building Berkshire
55 years of buying, holding, and occasionally admitting mistakes.
Investment Timeline
Each bar = one position. Green = profit. Red = loss. Gold = still holding. Click any bar for details.