[Forbes] Gleaned from the pages of a book purchased by accident at the University of Nebraska, Warren Buffett's investment philosophy‐buy and hold stocks forever‐has proven to be one of the best-performing strategies of all time. It has also paid off particularly well this past decade. Despite gifting large amounts of Berkshire Hathway stock to charity since 2006 (about $34 billion total), the Oracle of Omaha is ending 2019 with a net worth of roughly $89 billion, up approximately $42 billion since 2010 and making him the seventh-biggest billionaire gainer of the past 10 years. Buffett has never sold any Berkshire, and about 98% of his fortune is made up of the company’s shares.
The never-ever let go strategy has worked for most of the decade’s other biggest gainers as well, all of whom are at least $40 billion richer than in 2010. Altogether the ten added an astonishing $555 billion to their fortunes. A testament to the longest bull market on record, all are founders or long-term executives, past and present, of public companies that dominated the decade's headlines. Like Buffett, they have largely scored by holding onto massive positions in those firms.
Related: Barron's - Berkshire Hathaway Is a Top Stock for 2020. Here’s Why.