Warren Buffett

Warren Buffet is one of the most well-known business figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. From roots in Omaha, he went on to found the Buffett Partnership in 1956, a holding company that eventually purchased Berkshire Hathaway, then a textile manufacturer. He soon turned Berkshire into the diversified holding company it is today. He is well known for being personally frugal and having a steadfast belief in the value investing concept, initially pioneered by Benjamin Graham. Finally, he’s pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune before his death. 

Why They Made the Worthy 100: His pledge to give away his fortune has made him one of the biggest givers of all time. In June of 2022, Buffet donated another $4 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which brings his lifetime giving total to $48 billion. Aside from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Buffet also regularly donates to the Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffet Foundation, and the NoVo Foundation. But even with all that generosity, the 91-year-old business powerhouse will be hard-pressed to make good on his pledge as he’s still worth more than $100 billion.