The last letter

Warren Buffett is one of the world’s greatest investors and my personal hero. He announced that he is stepping back from writing Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder letter and from speaking at the company’s annual meeting.

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Now 95, he said this year’s note will be his final one. The announcement confirms the long-planned leadership transition to Greg Abel, who will assume the CEO role at yearend. Buffett framed the message as a Thanksgiving reflection, explaining why he is retiring from these responsibilities and passing the baton to Berkshire’s next generation of leaders.

Luck and the life he lived

In his last letter, Buffett looked back on luck, mentors, family and the people who shaped his life. “As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m grateful and surprised by my luck in being alive at 95,” he wrote. “I was born in 1930 healthy, reasonably intelligent, white, male and in America. Wow! Thank you, Lady Luck.”

He recalled his childhood brushes with illness and the doctors, nuns and teachers who looked after him. He paid tribute to mentors who influenced his thinking. These stories make the letter feel less like a corporate update announcement and more like a personal closing chapter.

Magic in Omaha’s water

After reflecting on his early years, Buffett turned to the people who helped build Berkshire. He began with Charlie Munger, his partner of more than six decades, describing him as a teacher and “protective big brother.”