Warren Buffett is highly regarded for his financial knowledge and success as a self-made billionaire.
Those who want to emulate the 93-year-old businessman, investor, and philanthropist should pay close attention to the person they marry.
In a 2017 conversation with Bill Gates, Buffett attributed his success to his choice of spouse.
“You want to associate with the kind of people you want to be like. You're going to move in that direction,” Buffett said. “And the most important person in that regard is your spouse. I can't stress enough how important that is.”
And his key to finding the right person for marriage has little to do with beauty, character, or sense of humor.
“If you want your marriage to last, look for someone with low expectations,” Buffett said. luck At the 2015 Most Powerful Women Summit.
Buffett, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is the eighth richest person in the world, with a net worth of approximately $132 billion. bloomberg. He married Susan Buffett in 1952 and they had three children: Susie, Howard, and Peter. Susan passed away in 2004 at the age of 72 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Two years after Susan's death, Buffett married his longtime friend Astrid Menks. Oddly, all three were very close friends when Susan was still alive, according to Roger Loewenstein's 2008 book, and even had Christmas cards signed “Warren, Susie, and Astrid.” It is said that he was sending it. Buffett: The Making of the American Capitalist.
“Warren was emotionally attracted to Susan. Susan was his ideological mentor, sexual goddess, gateway to social acceptance, and therapist. Left behind by his conservative mother. Warren later said that he pulled out “all” of his nails.he is,” columnist Jerry Bowyer wrote in 2012. forbes opinion article. “She had money and 'freedom' that was unusual for a married woman.”
Even Buffett, who has a somewhat unconventional marriage history, has shared his wisdom about love over the years.
Here are three tips he gave me about love.
marry the right person
In HBO's 2017 documentary “How I Became Warren Buffett,” the investing legend said there were “two turning points” in his life. The first was when he came out of the womb, and the second was when he met Susan.
“What happened to me wouldn't have happened without her,” Buffett said.
Buffett also emphasizes marrying the “right person” like Susan.
“Marry the right person. I'm serious about it,” he said at the 2009 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. “It's going to bring about more changes in your life. It's going to change your aspirations and all kinds of things.”
Aim for a long-lasting marriage, not a happy one.
Contrary to the adage “Happy wife, happy life,” Buffett approaches her relationships, both personal and professional, with low expectations.
“If you're going to get married, if you want your marriage to last,” he said in a university lecture. “What qualities do you look for in a spouse? One quality. Are you looking for brains? Are you looking for humor? Are you looking for character? Are you looking for beauty?”
“No,” Buffett said. “It's not necessarily the happiest marriage. It's not the marriage that Martha Stewart talks about. You want a marriage that lasts.”
Marriage before money
Despite having more wealth than almost anyone in the world, Buffett said the money was not the best he had ever received.
“Being given unconditional love is the greatest blessing you can receive,” he told MBA students in a 2008 lecture.
The unconditional love of his wife, Susan, kept him motivated.
“The amazing thing about love is that you can't get rid of it,” he said in a 2008 lecture. “If you try to let it go, it doubles, but if you try to hold onto it, it disappears. This is an unusual situation, where the people who absolutely push it out give it back to them tenfold.”
It is true that money can buy many things, but it cannot buy love.
“The problem with love is that it's not for sale,” Buffett told students at the University of Georgia in 2001. I get very frustrated when I have a lot of money. You'd like to think you can write a check. “I'll buy you a million dollars of love.” But it doesn't work. The more love you give, the more you receive. ”
