Warren Buffett has formally signaled the tip of an period. In a transfer that marks the closing chapter of his historic tenure, the 95-year-old Oracle of Omaha launched a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders earlier this month that outlines his departure as CEO and the cessation of his legendary annual reviews. Whereas households throughout the nation collect for turkey and gratitude at present, the funding world is digesting a distinct sort of serving: the definitive “going quiet” of its most celebrated determine.
Buffett’s letter, dated November 10, confirms that his longtime lieutenant, Greg Abel, will assume the function of CEO at year-end. However probably the most poignant shift is in Buffett’s communication. For many years, his annual shareholder letters have been scripture for traders—a mixture of folksy knowledge, monetary acuity, and candor. Now, he says, that custom is over.
“I will no longer be writing Berkshire’s annual report or talking endlessly at the annual meeting,” Buffett wrote within the letter. “As the British would say, I’m ‘going quiet.’ Sort of.”
This “sort of” is basic Buffett misdirection. Whereas he’s stepping again from the grueling calls for of operating the $1 trillion conglomerate, he intends to maintain a singular line of communication open. “I will continue talking to you and my children about Berkshire via my annual Thanksgiving message,” he assured shareholders. “Berkshire’s individual shareholders are a very special group who are unusually generous in sharing their gains with others less fortunate. I enjoy the chance to keep in touch with you.”
The letter was accompanied by a tangible act of that generosity. Buffett transformed 1,800 Class A shares into 2.7 million Class B shares—valued at roughly $1.35 billion—donating them instantly to 4 household foundations: The Susan Thompson Buffett Basis, The Sherwood Basis, The Howard G. Buffett Basis, and the NoVo Basis. This continues his lifetime pledge to distribute 99% of his internet value to philanthropy.
Buffett used the missive to heap reward on his successor, guaranteeing traders that the corporate stays in regular fingers. “Greg Abel will become the boss at yearend,” Buffett wrote. “He is a great manager, a tireless worker and an honest communicator. Wish him an extended tenure.”
However the letter was additionally deeply private, reflecting on his 64-year friendship with the late Charlie Munger and the serendipity of his life in Nebraska. He requested readers to “Indulge me this year as I first reminisce a bit,” attributing a lot of his fortune to the “magic ingredient in Omaha’s water” and the sheer luck of being born in America.
For the enterprise neighborhood, the letter serves as a last navigational chart from a person who has steered capital via seven many years of market turbulence. His message stays constant: wager on America, belief in compounding, and acknowledge your errors.
“You will never be perfect, but you can always be better,” he mentioned.
As Greg Abel prepares to take the helm, the silence from Omaha will likely be louder than standard this coming spring. There will likely be no sprawling annual manifesto to dissect, no marathon Q&A periods to parse for hidden which means. As an alternative, we’re left with this Thanksgiving dispatch—a last, mild reminder from the world’s best investor that whereas cash is essential, the time we’ve to present it away is the one asset that really depreciates.
You possibly can learn Buffett’s last letter to shareholders in full under.
Warren Buffett’s Thanksgiving Letter 2025 by FOX Enterprise
