24 Mind-Blowing Facts About Warren Buffett and His $70 Billion Fortune He was picking out stocks at 11 years old and had amassed the equivalent of $53,000 in today's dollars by the time he was 16.
By Emmie Martin
This story originally appeared on Business Insider
With a net worth of over $70 billion, Warren Buffett is the second-richest person in the world, behind only his good friend Bill Gates.
But to those who knew him from the beginning, Buffett's success comes as no surprise: He was picking out stocks at 11 years old and had amassed the equivalent of $53,000 in today's dollars by the time he was 16.
Inspired by a Quora thread asking "What are some mind-blowing facts about Warren Buffett," we rounded up 24 astonishing facts about the "Oracle from Omaha" and his massive amount of wealth.
Rick Wilking | ReutersWhile his elementary school classmates were dreaming about the major leagues and Hollywood, 10-year old Buffett was having lunch with a member of the New York Stock Exchange and setting life goals.
Buffett's legendary career all began with an epiphany at age 10 when he was on a trip to New York City with his dad.
Dining with a member of the NYSE planted the idea in young Buffett's head to organize his life around money.
AirbnbHe bought his first stock at age 11.
He purchased multiple shares of Cities Service Preferred for $38 apiece.
APWhen Buffett was a teen, he was already raking in about $175 a month -- more than his teachers (and most adults).
He pulled this off by dutifully delivering the Washington Post.
APHe had amassed the equivalent of $53,000 by the time he was just 16.
Paper delivery was just one of many small businesses teenage Buffett orchestrated: He sold used golf balls and stamps, buffed cars, set up a pinball machine business and turned a horse track into a lucrative playground.
He was rejected from Harvard Business School.
Buffett, confident he nailed his admissions interview, had already told a friend, "Join me at Harvard."
"I looked about 16 and emotionally was about nine," he recalled of the in-person interview. Forced to look elsewhere, he settled on Columbia University, which only required a written application and no interview.
APHis idol refused to hire him the first time he applied.
Buffett originally wanted to work with his idol, and author of The Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham, but Graham rejected him because he wasn't Jewish (Graham was saving a spot at his firm for someone Jewish, since at the time Jewish people had a tougher time landing work on Wall Street).
Buffett wouldn't take no for an answer, and continued pitching Graham ideas until he eventually hired him.
Brendan Hoffman | Getty ImagesBuffett spent $100 to take a Dale Carnegie course on public speaking.
He was 21 and terrified of public speaking. It ended up being a worthy investment, as the course helped him propose to his wife.
ShutterstockHis house is a humble five-bedroom in Omaha, Nebraska, that he bought in 1956 for $31,500.
If you want to be Buffett's neighbor, the house across the street will cost you about $2.15 million.
CBS NewsBuffett doesn't keep a computer on his desk, and he chooses to use a flip phone rather than a smartphone.
The most high-tech gadget you'll find in his office is a land line. There is, however, a World Book Encyclopedia set on his shelf.
Scott Olson | Getty ImagesIn fact, he's only sent one email in his life, to Jeff Raikes of Microsoft.
Buffett has successfully evaded technology over the years.
ReutersHis distance from technology leaves him time for bridge, which he plays about 12 hours a week.
Oftentimes, his bridge partner is Bill Gates.
APHe spends 80 percent of his day reading.
When he's not playing bridge, he's reading. "I just sit in my office and read all day," he says.
APHe drinks an alarming amount of Coca-Cola each day.
The business magnate is a notoriously unhealthy eater: "If I eat 2,700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce servings. I do it everyday."
He also likes to double-fist salt shakers, and don't put it past him to enjoy a bowl of ice cream for breakfast.
AP99 percent of Buffett's wealth was earned after his 50th birthday.
And he doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Nati Harnik | APAmong investing legends, Buffett has the longest track record for beating the market.
The longevity of Buffett's outperformance is greater than that of other savvy investors, such as David Einhorn and Walter Schloss.
Truth Leem | Reuters$1,000 invested in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway stock in 1964, when Buffett took over the company and shares cost just $19, would be worth about $13 million dollars today.
Buffett took the failing textile company and turned it into a legendary conglomerate.
Alessandro Bianchi | ReutersBuffett's net worth is greater than the GDP of Uruguay.
Uruguay's 2014 GDP was estimated to be $57,471,277,325.
Kevork Djansezian | Getty ImagesThough Buffett spends frugally, he gives generously. In 2010, he teamed up with Bill and Melinda Gates to form The Giving Pledge, an initiative that asks the world's wealthiest people to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.
As of June 2016, more than 154 affluent individuals have signed the pledge, including Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison.
ReutersBuffett has also so far donated nearly enough money in his lifetime to build six Apple 'Spaceship' Campuses, which are $5 billion endeavors.
The Apple Campus, one of the last major projects Steve Jobs worked on, is a futuristic-looking company campus that will feature curved glass panels, an underground parking lot, a private auditorium for keynotes and product launches and a 360-degree view of nature.
Buffett has donated nearly $30 billion -- the second-highest amount (following that of Bill Gates).
Lucas Jackson | ReutersIn 2013, Buffett made on average $37 million per day -- that's more than what Jennifer Lawrence made the entire year.
According to Forbes, Jennifer Lawrence was the second-highest-paid actress in 2013, and she is estimated to have made $34 million that year.
Warren Buffett made $37 million per day in 2013.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty ImagesIn July 2016, Buffett broke his own giving record when he donated $2.9 billion to various charities, including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which is named for his late wife.
Every year, Buffett donates billions to charity.
Rick Wilking | ReutersThe multi-billionaire reportedly earns only $100,000 a year at Berkshire Hathaway -- and spends it frugally.
The Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting.
People are so fascinated with the legendary Buffett that they'll spend millions of dollars to eat lunch with him.
Buffett has been auctioning off a "power lunch" since 2000 at his charity event for GLIDE Foundation.
The highest bidder gets to bring up to seven people to dine with the steak-loving business magnate at Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Manhattan, and the most recent winner paid $3,456,789.
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