Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Buffett summary
Roger Lowenstein
The Making of an American Capitalist
15 mins
Table of Contents
Buffett
Summary of 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
Warren Buffett grew up in the Midwestern city of Omaha, Nebraska. Money was often on his mind.
Warren Edward Buffett was born to Howard and Leila Buffett on August 30, 1930, at a time when many families were facing an uncertain future.
As a child of the Great Depression, young Warren learned the value of money.
In 1932, when the Depression hit Warren’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, his father lost his job as a securities salesman for a local bank. But his dad was resourceful and soon began his own company, selling safe and reliable stocks and bonds.
Earnings were meager. Indeed, they could afford so little food that Warren’s mother would often give her portion to Howard so that he would have a decent meal.
These difficult times left a lasting impression on Warren Buffett, and fueled his desire for the kind of security and stability that money can buy. Even though his father’s business became successful when Warren was six, he never forgot those early Depression years.
It wasn’t long before Warren’s interest in investment and entrepreneurship revealed itself.
He always looked forward to visiting his father’s office, and, when Warren was ten, Howard took him on an exciting business trip to New York, where they visited the Stock Exchange.
A year later, when he was eleven, Warren made his first profit by buying and selling stocks along with his sister, Doris.
To afford these stocks, Warren had undertaken many entrepreneurial activities, such as roaming the local golf course to collect lost golf balls and then selling them back to the owner.
At the age of 14, Warren was in charge of five separate paper routes, which had him getting up early every morning, delivering papers and collecting subscription fees.
By saving every cent he made, Warren purchased 40 acres of land for $1,200. He wasn’t yet fifteen.
Warren was no slouch at school, either. He graduated in the top three percent and enrolled at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, in Pennsylvania, where his love of money would only grow.
Want to see all full key ideas from Buffett?
Key ideas in Buffett
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Buffett about?
Buffett (1995) tells the tale of Warren Buffett, from his humble beginnings as a boy with a paper route for the Washington Post to his success as one of the newspaper’s largest shareholder. But of course, that’s not all. Today, Warren Buffett is one of the world’s wealthiest people and one of its biggest philanthropists. Find out how he got there, and how he applies his unique mix of hard work, consistency and frugality.
Best quote from Buffett
Likes math . . . a future stockbroker - the caption under Buffetts high school yearbook photo.
—Roger Lowenstein
Who should read Buffett?
- Investors and traders looking for a role model
- Stock market junkies
- Students of business or management
Categories with Buffett
Books like Buffett
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
28 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers