Warren Buffett has a lot to celebrate as he turns 93 Wednesday. Aug. 30 is not only the birthday of the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, it’s also his wedding anniversary. In 2006, on his 76th birthday, he married his longtime companion Astrid Menks in a small, private ceremony.
Don’t expect the pair to celebrate either milestone with a highfalutin meal, though. Buffett’s dietary staples include Dairy Queen, Coca-Cola and Sees Candy—and he has been known to have a pack of Oreos for breakfast on more than one occasion.
“I checked the actuarial tables, and the lowest death rate is among 6-year-olds,” he once joked to Fortune. “So I decided to eat like a 6-year-old. It’s the safest course I can take.”
Born in Omaha, Neb. in 1930, Buffett graduated from Columbia University with an economics degree in 1951. In 1959, he met Charlie Munger, who would go on to be is lifelong business partner. Buffett has said the two have never gotten into an argument.
It has been a lucrative partnership, of course. Buffett is currently the world’s seventh-richest person, with a net worth of $120 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire’s Index. That’s a step lower in the overall rankings than a year ago, despite an overall dollar increase of $20 billion.
To put that into perspective, he has earned more than $3.5 million dollars every day he has walked this earth. Buffett has pledged to give away the vast majority of his fortune after his death, with much going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Curious about how much has changed since Buffett was born? It’s a lot.
Dow Jones Industrial Average
Aug. 29, 1930 – 240.42
Aug. 29, 2023 – 34,852.67
Inflation-adjusted value of $114 (the amount Buffett paid for his first investment - three shares of Cities Services Preferred)
1930 - $2,112.05
2023 - $114
Price of a gallon of gas
1930 - 10 cents
2023 - $3.827
Average American net income
1930 - $4,887
2022 - $61,900
