Warren Buffett has committed to donate every Berkshire Hathaway share he still owns by December 31, 2034. The stock represents virtually all his fortune, but this is a phased transfer—not one cash donation or a deadline for charities to spend the money.
Berkshire Hathaway is the conglomerate Buffett built and led for decades. His remaining shares were worth more than $140 billion when he announced the deadline, but their final value will move with Berkshire's stock price. Berkshire's July 2026 announcement covers the shares, not every personal asset Buffett may own.
Table of Contents
- The Buffett donation timeline
- Which foundations receive the shares?
- What happens to Buffett's net worth?
- What the 2034 promise does—and does not—guarantee
The Buffett donation timeline
Buffett began the current giving program in 2006. The public plan has changed as his wealth grew and his children gained experience managing foundations.
The 2034 date replaces the less predictable timetable tied to Buffett's death and the settlement of his estate. He said the remaining shares would reach the four foundations by that date "one way or the other," making the cutoff independent of his lifespan.
- **June 2006:** Buffett pledged annual Berkshire Class B share donations to the Gates Foundation and four family foundations. He then owned 474,998 Class A shares worth about $43 billion.
- **June 2021:** Buffett said he had donated half his original Berkshire shares. That year's distribution was worth approximately $4.1 billion. Berkshire's 2021 release stressed that "halfway" referred to shares, not dollars.
- **November 2023:** Buffett named his three children as executors of his will and trustees of a charitable trust expected to receive more than 99% of his wealth. Their decisions were to be unanimous. His 2023 statement also provided for successor trustees.
- **November 2024:** Buffett said his children would gradually distribute all his Berkshire holdings after his death. Those holdings represented about 99.5% of his wealth. Berkshire's 2024 release reported that his Class A position had fallen 56.6% since 2006.
- **June 2025:** Buffett gave 12,358,321 Class B shares to five foundations. He said the foundations had received stock worth about $60 billion when donated, while his remaining Class A shares were worth roughly $145 billion. Berkshire's June 2025 release still described his lifetime commitments as ending at his death.
Which foundations receive the shares?
The July 2026 distribution divided 12 million Berkshire Class B shares among four family-connected foundations: The last three are managed by Buffett's children Susie, Howard and Peter, respectively. Buffett said he wants their annual grants to grow, with the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation's allocation increasing at a somewhat faster rate.
The Gates Foundation received no shares in the 2026 distribution and is not included among the four future recipients. Buffett told CNBC that the change primarily reflected his confidence that his children were ready to handle the fortune, according to the Associated Press. The Gates Foundation said Buffett had contributed more than $47 billion to it over approximately two decades.
- **Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation:** 9 million shares, or 75% of the distribution.
- **Sherwood Foundation:** 1 million shares.
- **Howard G. Buffett Foundation:** 1 million shares.
- **NoVo Foundation:** 1 million shares.
What happens to Buffett's net worth?
Buffett is donating stock rather than writing cash checks. For the July 2026 gift, he converted 8,000 Class A shares into 12 million Class B shares, demonstrating Berkshire's conversion ratio of 1,500 Class B shares for each Class A share. The foundations can then hold or sell the Class B stock under their own policies. The market price when shares transfer produces the donation value reported in the news; the July 2026 package was valued at about $6 billion. Its later value can rise or fall.
Each completed transfer reduces Buffett's personal ownership and therefore his reported net worth. However, his fortune does not decline by a simple cumulative total because the retained Berkshire shares can appreciate. By June 2025, he had donated shares worth about $60 billion at transfer while still holding Class A stock worth about $145 billion—more than three times the value of his entire Berkshire position in 2006. Buffett is donating his personal stake, not Berkshire's railroads, insurers, utilities or cash. The conversions divide his existing economic interest into smaller units; they do not make Berkshire itself the donor.
What the 2034 promise does—and does not—guarantee
The deadline covers Buffett's remaining Berkshire shares, which accounted for more than 99% of his wealth in recent disclosures. It does not necessarily cover every home, bank account or other personal asset, so "his entire fortune" is accurate only as shorthand for nearly all his net worth.
Several details remain unsettled: After the July 2026 transfer, Buffett reported owning 188,290 Class A shares and 1,162 Class B shares. That share count—not a fluctuating billionaire ranking—is the clearest benchmark for measuring progress toward the 2034 deadline.
- The shares' dollar value in 2034 cannot be known in advance.
- Buffett has not published a complete annual installment schedule through 2034.
- Donating shares to foundations is different from the foundations spending the money on operating charities.
- The four foundations' eventual grants and causes are not fixed by the public announcement.
- Buffett's complete will remains private until his death.