Howard’s real passion isn’t stocks or board meetings. It’s feeding the world. Through his Howard G. Buffett Foundation, he has given away hundreds of millions of dollars. And he doesn’t just write checks—he gets his hands dirty.
He’s driven a tractor in Ukraine, helped farmers in Rwanda, and taught people in Congo how to grow better crops. He once said, “I don’t want to build a building with my name on it. I want to build a better soil system.” That’s the most farmer thing I’ve ever heard.
Howard G. Buffett On His US Agribusiness, Support for Ukrainian Farmers
But here’s the punchline: Howard is famously cheap. Not frugal—cheap. He once made a business partner split a $15 hotel room with him. The room had no air conditioning and a shared bathroom. The guy was worth billions. Howard said, “It’s fine. We’re only sleeping there.” Savage.
The Berkshire Board’s Secret Weapon
While other board members are retired CEOs in suits, Howard shows up to Berkshire meetings in a flannel shirt. He doesn’t care about fancy presentations. He cares about common sense. Warren has said that Howard is the one person who will tell him, “Dad, that idea is dumb.” And Warren listens.
In fact, Howard is the guy who once convinced his father to not buy a major airline stock. Later, when that airline went bankrupt, Warren called Howard and said, “You saved us a billion dollars.” Howard probably replied, “Cool. Can I have that $15 hotel room back now?”
A philanthropist and farmer at heart, Howard, the charitable heir of
He also drives a 2001 pickup truck with 300,000 miles on it. The truck is worth less than a used iPhone. When asked why he doesn’t buy a new one, he said, “It still runs.” Pure Buffett logic.
