From a $25M candy empire to a $433M shoe debacle, Buffett’s six-decade investment journey offers timeless lessons—and a few painful reminders.
May 4, 2025: Omaha, Nebraska — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced Saturday that he plans to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by the end of 2025, surprising many who expected the 94-year-old to remain at the helm indefinitely. Buffett’s legendary career, which began when he took over a struggling textile company in 1965, has transformed Berkshire Hathaway into a $900 billion conglomerate and made him a Wall Street icon.
Here’s a look at some of Buffett’s most brilliant investments—and a few decisions he’d rather forget.
🏆 Buffett’s Best Investments
🧾 Insurance Empire (National Indemnity, Geico, etc.)
Buffett’s 1967 acquisition of National Indemnity laid the foundation for Berkshire’s expansion. By reinvesting the $173 billion in “float” from insurance premiums, he built a powerhouse that now includes Geico, General Re, and others.
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🥤 Coca-Cola, American Express, Bank of America
Investing in blue-chip giants when they were out of favor, Buffett scooped up stocks at bargain prices. His long-held positions have since delivered over $100 billion in value—not including dividends.
🍎 Apple Inc.
Though initially skeptical of tech, Buffett began buying Apple in 2016, treating it as a consumer brand. His $31B investment ballooned to over $174B, cementing Apple as Berkshire’s single biggest equity stake.
🍬 See’s Candies
Buffett calls his 1972 See’s Candies purchase a “turning point.” Acquired for $25 million, it has returned over $1.65 billion in pretax earnings by 2011, exemplifying the idea of paying fair prices for great businesses.
🚗 BYD (Build Your Dreams)
Buffett’s 2008 $232M bet on the Chinese EV maker—urged by Charlie Munger—soared to $9B+ at its peak. Berkshire still holds $1.8B worth of BYD shares.
⚡ Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Acquired in 2000 for $2.1B, this utility business brought in $3.7B in profits in 2024 alone, thanks to investments in companies like PacifiCorp and NV Energy.
⚠️ Buffett’s Worst Investments
🧵 Berkshire Hathaway (Textiles)
Ironically, Buffett’s worst investment may be the company he now leads. The original textile operations bled money before being shut in 1985. Still, the brand name eventually housed one of the greatest investing legacies ever.
👞 Dexter Shoe Company
In 1993, Buffett paid $433 million in Berkshire stock for Dexter—now a cautionary tale. The company failed, and he considers it his biggest blunder, having essentially “given away” 1.6% of Berkshire.
📉 Missed Tech Giants
Buffett admits that not buying Amazon, Google, and Microsoft early were costly misses. A failed move to acquire Walmart stock is another painful what-if; 100M shares would be worth $10B today.
🏦 Selling Banks Too Early
Pre-COVID jitters and scandals at Wells Fargo prompted Buffett to sell shares in major banks, including JP Morgan and Wells Fargo. Both have since more than doubled, costing Berkshire billions in potential gains.
🏷️ Blue Chip Stamps
Though it faded into irrelevance, Blue Chip’s float helped fund acquisitions of winners like See’s, Wesco, and Precision Castparts. A loss turned into leverage—typical of Buffett’s long game.
As Buffett prepares to hand over the reins to Greg Abel, his legacy remains firmly intact. Through wins and stumbles, the “Oracle of Omaha” built an empire through patience, discipline, and unmatched foresight.
Tags: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett investments, stock market, investing wisdom, See’s Candies, Apple stock, BYD, Berkshire CEO retirement, Buffett best bets, Buffett blunders, financial legacy, Wall Street icons, Greg Abel