The "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett, is known as the most successful value investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has a long and illustrious career and a reputation as an excellent decision-maker.
However, a day in the life of this wealthy billionaire might surprise you. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett still resides in his home state today. He bought his home in 1958 for $30,000, and he still lives there even today.
To build his net worth of well over $100 billion, the investor spends the majority of his time reading and sleeping. In addition, Warren Buffett is well-known for his frugal spending habits. The man claims he has the diet of a six-year-old, and he enjoys drinking Coca-Cola and eating at McDonald’s.
The man clearly doesn't have the lifestyle of the other billionaires in society, preferring a relaxed approach to life. Here’s what a day in the life of Warren Buffett looks like.
Inside Warren Buffett's daily routine
Mornings
Warren Buffett is somewhat of an early riser, especially for a man of his age. His day starts at 6:45 am after getting at least eight hours of sleep each night.
When Buffett gets up in the morning, he doesn't reach for the coffee pot. Instead, the billionaire investor opens the fridge to get an ice-cold can of Coca-Cola. The man claims that around a quarter of his total daily calories come from sweet soda. He drinks around five 12-oz cans per day, every day.
If that surprises you, then wait till you hear about Buffett’s breakfast. The man enjoys dropping into the local McDonalds for his morning meal. But, unfortunately, the man is so frugal that he lets the market dictate his appetite, despite being able to buy every McDonald’s location in the state.
Buffett jokingly said in an interview that when the market is down, he'll opt for the $2.61 breakfast, consisting of two sausage patties. However, he'll put them together in one sandwich, along with a Coke. He also said that he'd go with the $3.17 bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit when the market is up.
Like us, you're probably wondering why Buffett chooses to go with such an unhealthy diet. The investor explains that he looked at actuarial studies and discovered that the lowest death rate was in six-year-olds, so he decided to eat like a six-year-old.
If he has the time, Warren likes to get in some exercise in the morning, but we can't find any information about the kind of training the man does to counteract the effects of the McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.
Afternoons
After breakfast, Warren gets down to business. The man explains that most days, he just sits in his office and reads all day. The Oracle states that most of the materials he reads relate to company financials, market materials, financial journals, and investor reports.
However, he also spends a decent amount of time reading newspapers and books. Buffett prefers newspapers over watching the news on TV, and his favorite publications are the NYT, WSJ, Washington Post, Financial Times, and the Omaha World-Herald.
He once gave a speech to a class of graduates, and when asked about his secret to success, the man picked up a book and said, read 500 pages a day. When it comes to his investing strategy, the Oracle of Omaha lives up to his reputation as the value master.
The man pores over financial statements and reports, going as far back into a company's history as he can. Then, Buffett analyzes the company's progression and its future strategy for growth. The investor thinks deliberately before ever making an investment decision.
Evenings
Buffett famously said that his goal with each day is to make top-quality decisions. Jeff Bezos has the same strategy, and the pair are two of the richest men in the world. However, Bezos says he aims to make three good decisions a day, and Buffett claims he's doing well if he makes three good decisions in a year.
Buffett is famous for maintaining his schedule, and he gets irritated when people don't respect his time. He gets back home from the office between 5 and 6 pm each day, and he might swing past the drive-thru on the way home for a meal.
Buffett claims he values his sleep. So he retires to bed at around 10 pm, reading for half an hour or so, then going to sleep by 10:45 pm each night. Overall, Buffett lives an interesting lifestyle that's somewhat simple and like that of a six-year-old, but with the responsibilities of the world's most successful investor.
