Warren Buffett Donates $1.15 Billion To Family Foundations, Announces Changes To Estate Plan

Warren Buffett has donated $1.15 billion to four family foundations. The billionaire investor converted 1,600 Berkshire Hathaway Class A shares into 2.4 million Class B shares, according to his latest later dated Monday to investors. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation received 1.5 million shares, while The Sherwood Foundation, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and NoVo Foundation each received 300,000 shares each.

This donation reduces Buffett’s holdings of Berkshire Hathaway Class A shares by 56.6% since his 2006 pledge. In 2004, Buffett and his late wife, Susie, owned 508,998 Class A shares. After Susie’s death, her estate, valued at $3 billion, donated 96% of the total to their foundation. Each of their three children received $10 million as part of the estate plan.

Buffett said that he trusts his children to manage and distribute his wealth. However, due to their advancing ages, he has appointed three successor trustees to oversee the distribution of assets after his death. He also confirmed that future decisions will require unanimous approval from his children to ensure that philanthropic choices are not influenced by external pressures.

“Susie and I had long encouraged our children in small philanthropic activities and had been pleased with their enthusiasm, diligence and results. At her death, however, they were not ready to handle the staggering wealth that Berkshire shares had generated,” Buffet said in a letter, adding,  “Nevertheless, their philanthropic activities were dramatically increased by the 2006 lifetime pledge that I subsequently made and later expanded”

Buffett’s latest donation reflects his long-standing commitment to philanthropy, with the majority of his wealth set to be distributed to charitable causes.

Buffett reflected on the inevitability of death, stating, "Father time always wins."

“Father time always wins. But he can be fickle – indeed unfair and even cruel – sometimes ending life at birth or soon thereafter while, at other times, waiting a century or so before paying a visit,” Buffet said.

He acknowledged that although he has been fortunate in avoiding death so far, it is a certainty that it will eventually catch up with him. He noted that his children’s life expectancies have diminished since his 2006 pledge, prompting his decision to appoint younger successor trustees.

“These bequests reflected our belief that hugely wealthy parents should leave their children enough so they can do anything but not enough that they can do nothing,” Buffet said.