What did Warren Buffett write in his thank you letter?

95-year-old Warren Buffett has issued a Thank you letter For shareholders, he plans to make it an annual tradition as he steps away from running Berkshire Hathaway and turns over the CEO post to his successor, longtime Berkshire executive Greg Abel, on Jan. 1, 2026.

Buffett, who will remain Berkshire’s chairman of the board, informed shareholders that he would no longer write the company’s annual report or speak for hours at the annual meeting, but that he would “remain in touch” with them through a Thanksgiving letter.

He began the letter by announcing that he had donated $1.3 billion Berkshire holds stakes in four family foundations: the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Novo Foundation.

Each organization is run by one of Buffett’s three children (Susan, 72, Howard, 70, and Peter, 67) and has its own philanthropic focus, ranging from reproductive health to hunger.

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“All three children now have the maturity, brains, energy and inclination to share a large fortune,” Buffett wrote. He added that he needed to “increase” his pace of making lifetime gifts to his foundations to improve the chances that they would essentially dispose of my entire estate.

However, Buffett reassured shareholders that accelerating his donations to his children’s charitable organizations will not “in any way” affect how he sees Berkshire’s future. He praised Abel, saying that he “learns very fast.”

“I can’t think of a CEO, a management consultant, an academic, a member of a government – ​​you name it – that I would choose over Greg to handle your and my savings,” Buffett wrote.

In the letter, Buffett also reflected on his life and career, sharing vivid memories of growing up in Omaha, Nebraska. He recounted a time in 1938 when, at age 8, he suffered “severe stomach pains” that required an emergency appendectomy. He almost died, but instead spent three weeks recovering in the hospital.

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Buffett also mentioned famous figures in Berkshire’s history, such as former vice presidents Charlie Mungerformer publisher stanford lipsey and former Berkshire Board Director Walter Scott Jr.All of whom were fellow Omahans, friends and business partners.

For example, he wrote that Lipsy, who sold it omaha sun The newspaper, published in Berkshire in 1968, played a significant role in Berkshire’s early success in the newspaper business. In the early 1980s, Lipsey transformed the Berkshire-affiliated newspaper from a struggling business into one that allowed the company to earn more than 100% annually on its $33 million investment.

Looking ahead, Buffett offered one piece of advice: “Decide what you want to say in your obituary and live a life worthy of it.”

Buffett wrote, “Find the right heroes and imitate them.”

95-year-old Warren Buffett has issued a Thank you letter For shareholders, he plans to make it an annual tradition as he steps away from running Berkshire Hathaway and turns over the CEO post to his successor, longtime Berkshire executive Greg Abel, on Jan. 1, 2026.

Buffett, who will remain Berkshire’s chairman of the board, informed shareholders that he would no longer write the company’s annual report or speak for hours at the annual meeting, but that he would “remain in touch” with them through a Thanksgiving letter.