Investing.com - Warren Buffett has been called a wizard, a sage, and is amicably referred to as the "Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) of Omaha". His wealth extends well over 80 billion dollars, but his image remains the one of just a simple man from Nebraska.
Buffett was born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska. Buffett was born an entrepreneur. As a child, Buffett sold chewing gum and Coca Cola bottles. At the age of 15, he bought a used pinball machine for $25 and placed it in the local barber shop. A few months later, he owned several machines, and sold the business for $1200.
In 1954, Buffett started working at Benjamin Graham's partnership. His investment philosophy is modeled after a concept pioneered by Graham, called value investing. In 1956, after Graham's retirement, Buffett created his own partnership.
Since then, Buffett made more than a few stellar investment decisions. He is well known for his long term investing strategy. Buffett invested 290 million dollars in Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) in 1990, a purchase that has since returned over 9500%. Buffett's most famous holdings also include Kraft Heinz, as well as Coca Cola and American Express (NYSE:AXP). Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKa) also holds $18 billion worth of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock. All these holdings are the reason a single share from Berkshire Hathaway costs over 280 thousand dollars.
However, even though Buffett is remarkably wealthy, the billionaire lives a simple lifestyle. He still lives in the house he purchased in Omaha in 1958 for 31,500 dollars, and Berkshire Hathaway's headquarters employs only 25 people. Buffett has also joined fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg in pledging half of his wealth to charity.
Buffett's smarts, demeanor and philanthropic actions have turned him into one of the most popular billionaires in America.