Contact Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett is renowned for his success as an investor and also noted for his work as a philanthropist. Your options are limited if you want to contact him, and a reply is never guaranteed. Nonetheless, if you are determined to contact him with an investment proposal, charitable request, or other comment, there are a few different routes you can try.

Steps

Method One: Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

  1. Write him a letter. The only mailing address available to the public is the address of his company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. He is the company's chairman, president, and CEO.
    • Mail your letter to:[1]
      • Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
      • 3555 Farnam Street
      • Suite 1440
      • Omaha, NE 68131
    • Address Warren Buffett in the greeting of your actual letter. He will not open the letter directly, but staff members who may open and read your letter first will at least know that you intend to reach Mr. Buffett directly.
  2. E-mail him. While Warren Buffett does not have a personal e-mail address and reportedly does not check the e-mail address provided for Berkshire Hathaway, there is some chance that a message sent to the Berkshire Hathaway e-mail address may reach him if the content is significant enough.
    • The e-mail address is: berkshire@berkshirehathaway.com
    • Note that there is a disclaimer on the website directly stating that the personnel at the corporate office is unable to provide a direct response to e-mail messages.
    • The e-mail address should be used primarily for inquiries or comments related to the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. website. Only use it as a means of contacting Warren Buffett as a last resort; try sending a letter via regular mail first, if at all possible.
  3. Know what to expect. When you write to Mr. Buffett using the Berkshire Hathaway contact information, your letter may not actually reach him. He receives approximately 250 to 300 letters each day, all of which must go through various staff members before they arrive at his desk.
    • Unsolicited mail rarely receives a reply. This includes personal mail, charitable gift requests, and most investment proposals.
    • If you are making a charitable gift request, contact Buffett through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He is a primary trustee for the foundation and works with the Gates to develop charitable giving strategies.
  4. Know what to write. The only way you might have your letter read and replied to is if you write an investment proposal that meets all the investment criteria set by Warren Buffett in his annual letter to shareholders.
    • You can find the letter to shareholders here: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html
    • While the acquisition criteria can change from year to year, oftentimes, business representatives must adhere to the following standards when they write:[2]
      • The acquisition must be a large purchase.
      • The business must have demonstrated consistent earning power.
      • The business must earn good returns on equity with little to no debt.
      • The management must already be in place.
      • The business must be simple.
      • The proposal must come with an offering price.
  5. Note the missing pieces. There is no public phone number or fax number for either Warren Buffett or Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Method Two: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

  1. Contact the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for charitable gift requests. Warren Buffett is a trustee of the foundation and has considerable influence within the organization. Moreover, most of his charitable donations are made through the foundation, as well.
    • Note that most unsolicited mail does not receive a reply, so you may not get a letter back.
    • When writing to the foundation, you should use the generic "To Whom It May Concern" heading. Warren Buffett does not directly check mail sent to the foundation, nor do Bill or Melinda Gates.
    • In the body of your message, within the first few paragraphs, mention that you would like the letter to be forwarded to Warren Buffett.
  2. Send an e-mail.[3] You can contact the foundation at: info@gatesfoundation.org
    • Note that this e-mail address is one of the recommended ways of contacting the foundation about grant inquiries.
  3. Call with a grant inquiry. If you do not have an e-mail address to use, you could call the foundation directly about a grant inquiry at: 206-709-3140
  4. Contact the main office. You can do so by mail or by phone.
    • The mailing address for the main office is:
      • 500 Fifth Avenue North
      • Seattle, WA 98109
    • The phone number for the main office is: 206-709-3100
  5. Get in touch with the East Coast office. You can write or call.
    • The mailing address for this office is:
      • PO Box 6176
      • Ben Franklin Station
      • Washington, D.C. 20044
    • Use the following phone number: 202-662-8130
  6. Use the Europe and Middle East office. You can send a letter or make a phone call for this office, as well.
    • The mailing address is:
      • 80-100 Victoria Street
      • London
      • SW1E 5JL
    • The phone number is: +44 (0) 207 798 6500
  7. Contact one of the other offices. The foundation also has a China office and an India office, both of which can only be contacted via telephone.
    • The phone number for the China office is: 011-86-10-8454-7500
    • The phone number for the India office is: 011-91-11-4713-8800

Method Three: Social Media

  1. Tweet him. You can find Warren Buffett's Twitter account at: https://twitter.com/WarrenBuffett
    • Note that his Twitter page is not updated frequently and it may take some time before he sees your tweet. Even after he does see it, do not expect him to reply to it.
    • This method of contact is best used if you only intend to send a quick comment that does not require a response.

Method Four: Meet Warren Buffett

  1. Enroll in an MBA program. While there is no guarantee that pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree will allow you to meet Warren Buffett, this is actually the best method to pursue if you hope to speak with him in person.
    • Six times each year, Mr. Buffett invites graduate level business students from 45 universities to come to his office in Omaha, Nebraska.
    • During these visits, the students interact with him during a 90-minute question and answer session. Afterward, he treats the students to lunch.
    • Each college can only send 20 students, and of those students, 30 percent or more must be women.
  2. Attend his annual meeting. Warren Buffett has a shareholder meeting once every year. You can hear him speak, but the odds are low that you will actually be able to meet him or speak to him in return.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/
  2. ↑ http://www.robertpmiles.com/faq.html
  3. ↑ http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Information/Contact-Us

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