What Warren Buffett learnt from buying his first stock at age of 11 amid World War II

When most people think of Warren Buffett, they picture timeless investing wisdom and decades of market-beating returns. However, very few know that the legendary investor bought his first stock at the age of 11, but regretted selling it soon, just like most common investors on the stock market today.

Warren Buffett, commonly referred to as the ‘Oracle of Omaha', was born on August 30, 1930 in the town of Omaha, in the US. He studied under the legendary value investor Benjamin Graham while pursuing a business degree at Columbia University.



What was Warren Buffett first stock pick?

The son of a US Congressman, Buffett started investing at a very young age, buying his first stock at age 11. He bought shares of natural gas company Cities Service for $38 apiece in 1942, just after Japanese air forces attacked the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, amid the raging World War II.

"I bought my first stock when I was 11 years old. It was the first quarter of 1942, shortly after Pearl Harbor. I spent $114.75," he said during an interview with Yahoo Finance in 2018.

Also read: What is Warren Buffett’s best investment ever? It is not a stock

Why Buffett regretted his first stock market investment?

However, he expressed regret in his stock selection and timing. "If I put that $114 into the S&P 500 at that time, and reinvested the dividends, think of a figure as to what it would be worth today?" he said.

"The answer is about $400,000. So if I as a little kid had taken that 114 bucks I would have saved shoveling snow or whatever I had done — $400,000 today. One person's lifetime. That's America,” he further said during the 2018 interview.

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Buffett's timeless market wisdom

Buffett has always advised patience to investors, irrespective of geopolitical crises, recessions and more. The American investor, businessman, and philanthropist widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in history. Known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” he built his fortune through disciplined, long-term value investing and has been chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a massive conglomerate he transformed from a struggling textile firm into a global powerhouse.

“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient,” he once said. His letters to shareholders along with several quotes and writings have been etched in history for generations to come.

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