Warren Buffett: checked claims

Scores by kind of claim

Each kind of claim is scored on its own, out of 100: the share that held up, with the range it likely falls in. Fewer resolved claims give a wider range.

Factual claims

Statements about the present or the past, checked against the record: did they hold up?

85 79 91

High confidence, 51 factual claims resolved. From 14 documents, 2001 to 2026; 15 documents sampled from 31 candidates found.

Not scored: 51 unresolvable, 45 checkable only against their own records.

See the factual claims
Predictions

Statements about events outside the person's control, checked once they fell due: did they come true?

78 65 89

Low confidence, 14 predictions resolved. From 6 documents, 2001 to 2024; 15 documents sampled from 31 candidates found.

Not scored: 71 unresolvable, 2 checkable only against their own records. 10 more fall due later.
Does not yet allow for how likely each prediction was when made.

See the predictions
Promises

Commitments to the person's or organisation's own future action, with something to deliver: was it delivered?

72 57 85

Low confidence, 12 promises resolved. From 7 documents, 2001 to 2026; 15 documents sampled from 31 candidates found.

Not scored: 17 unresolvable, 4 not yet due, 1 checkable only against their own records.

See the promises
Guidance

A company's own figures for its results over a period, checked against what it then reported.

Insufficient record: 1 guidance claim resolved, 5 needed for a score.

Not scored: 2 unresolvable.

See the guidance

All types combined: 82 (likely 76 to 87, high confidence), from 77 claims: 51 factual claims, 14 predictions, 12 promises. It mixes kinds of claim in different proportions for different people, so compare people kind by kind.

Warren Buffett's claims

147 claims · page 1 of 2

147 claims, sorted by newest said. Choose a claim to read it in full.
Verdict	Kind	Said	Claim	Topic
Resolved true	Factual	18 Sep 2026	Howard Buffett has been a Berkshire director for 33 years. Factual · 18 Sep 2026	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	18 Sep 2026	Warren Buffett took the reins at Berkshire at age 34, after a shorter apprenticeship than Howard Buffett's 33 years as director. Factual · 18 Sep 2026	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	18 Sep 2026	Howard Buffett succeeds Warren Buffett as Berkshire's Chairman. Factual · 18 Sep 2026	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	18 Sep 2026	Warren Buffett has served Berkshire since 1965. Factual · 18 Sep 2026	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	10 Nov 2025	Buffett said that after Stan built the paper's new Sunday product, Berkshire's newspaper, which had been losing cash, earned over 100% annually pre-tax on Berkshire's $33 million investment for some years. Factual · 10 Nov 2025	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	10 Nov 2025	Buffett's children and the Berkshire directors are fully supportive of Greg Abel as CEO. Factual · 10 Nov 2025	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	10 Nov 2025	Buffett and Charlie Munger several times encountered a CEO's debilitating disease and failed to act. Factual · 10 Nov 2025	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	10 Nov 2025	Berkshire's stock price has fallen about 50% three times in 60 years under present management. Factual · 10 Nov 2025	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	2025	Warren Buffett received an education at three universities. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	2025	Berkshire's insurance operations are not dependent on reinsurers. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	2025	When buying Forest River, Warren Buffett asked Pete Liegl what his compensation should be and said he would accept whatever Liegl named. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Mostly true	Factual	2025	Becky Quick and her CNBC crew transmit Berkshire's meetings worldwide and archive much Berkshire-related material. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	2025	Greg Abel has met many times with the managements of the five Japanese trading companies, and Buffett regularly follows their progress. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	2025	Carrie, whose grandfather was Bill Kizer, Sr., refused any payment for her extensive work on the new "Charlie" edition. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	2025	In 2024 Berkshire made four payments to the IRS totaling $26.8 billion. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	2025	In 2024, 53% of Berkshire's 189 operating businesses reported a decline in earnings, yet Berkshire did better than Buffett expected. Factual · 2025	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	There have been times in Buffett's investing life when he had so many opportunities he could have invested everything by nightfall. Factual · 5 May 2024	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	The meeting bookstore normally carries about 25 books, and Buffett said he thought about 2,400 copies of Poor Charlie's Almanack (fourth edition) were sold the day before. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett said he thinks the number of Berkshire shareholders across the US who have given $100 million or more to local charities is many multiples of that of any other US public company. Factual · 5 May 2024	Philosophy, ethics and society
Own records only	Factual	5 May 2024	Warren Buffett alone made the decision for Berkshire to sell its Paramount stake, with no involvement from Ted Weschler or Todd Combs. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett receives very few calls from Berkshire's operating managers, close to zero. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	5 May 2024	Warren Buffett said he thinks he read Ben Graham's book about five or six times. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	In 2008 people did have money but were paralyzed and unwilling to act. Factual · 5 May 2024	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	Charlie Munger understood the importance of psychology, human behavior and incentives very early. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett said he was responsible for the purchase and for the operation until Greg Abel took over. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	A significant number of Berkshire shareholders across the US have given $100 million or more to local charities. Factual · 5 May 2024	Philosophy, ethics and society
Mostly true	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett first went to GEICO in 1950. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett turned handling of the real estate brokerage settlement over 100% to Craig (Berkshire HomeServices), who kept him informed. Factual · 5 May 2024	Economics and markets
Own records only	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett read through the Moody's Transportation Manual a couple of times when he was about 20 or 21. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Mostly true	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett said that the previous year he had said that developing nuclear weapons let a genie out of the bottle, and that the genie has been doing terrible things lately. Factual · 5 May 2024	Other global risks
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett kept Berkshire in the textile business as long as he did partly because he liked Ken Chase, who ran it. Factual · 5 May 2024	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	A great many Berkshire shareholders make large charitable gifts anonymously. Factual · 5 May 2024	Philosophy, ethics and society
Own records only	Factual	5 May 2024	Buffett does not get phone calls from Berkshire's operating managers. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	5 May 2024	Bill Gates is working on batteries that last longer. Factual · 5 May 2024	Technology
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	Berkshire has not historically been very tough on managers who coasted. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	5 May 2024	Berkshire needed Disney's approval to use the Desperate Housewives actresses in its meeting movie, and the approval was easily obtained. Factual · 5 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	5 May 2024	When Buffett was born in 1930 the world population was essentially 2 billion; it is now 8 billion. Factual · 5 May 2024	Other
Own records only	Factual	4 May 2024	Berkshire's operating executives overwhelmingly prefer to talk to Greg Abel and Ajit Jain rather than to Buffett. Factual · 4 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Mostly true	Factual	4 May 2024	Berkshire has created an insurance structure that did not exist when Ajit Jain joined in 1986. Factual · 4 May 2024	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	4 May 2024	On 4 May 2024, Buffett said it had been reported to him that See's Candy set a new record. Factual · 4 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Mostly true	Factual	4 May 2024	Buffett said Berkshire offered a solution within a couple of days to something in Canada that was getting close to the brink. Factual · 4 May 2024	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	4 May 2024	A significant number of Berkshire shareholders across the US have contributed $100 million or more to local charities, usually anonymously. Factual · 4 May 2024	Philosophy, ethics and society
Unresolvable	Factual	4 May 2024	Berkshire has not historically been very tough on managers who coasted. Factual · 4 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	4 May 2024	The US federal corporate tax rate was 35% not long ago and has been 52% in the past during Buffett's career. Factual · 4 May 2024	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	4 May 2024	Buffett says he thinks charitable giving by Berkshire shareholders to local charities is many multiples of that by shareholders of any other US public company. Factual · 4 May 2024	Philosophy, ethics and society
Own records only	Factual	4 May 2024	Warren Buffett said he thinks he read Ben Graham's book about five or six times. Factual · 4 May 2024	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	4 May 2024	Buffett says a figure he discusses alongside driving, which was about seven or six after World War II, has come down to under two, and he credits Ralph Nader with the decline; he does not state what the figure measures or its unit. Factual · 4 May 2024	Technology
Resolved true	Factual	4 May 2024	Buffett said he had seen an image of himself, with his voice and wearing the kind of clothes he wears, delivering a message that did not come from him [E1][E2]. Factual · 4 May 2024	AI capabilities
Mixed	Factual	15 Dec 2020	Big businesses have generally done very well, with travel and entertainment mentioned in a way the quote leaves unclear, though they still have difficulties. Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Economics and markets
Resolved true	Factual	15 Dec 2020	The pandemic-induced recession has shut down many people's businesses while others are prospering. Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Economics and markets
Resolved true	Factual	15 Dec 2020	Buffett said he attended the first graduation of the Small Business Program, which he credited to Goldman Sachs, at LaGuardia Community College about 10 years before he spoke in December 2020. Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	15 Dec 2020	Michael Porter helped develop the curriculum of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Economics and markets
Own records only	Factual	15 Dec 2020	Buffett said he has met many small business people through "the Goldman Sachs program." Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Economics and markets
Mostly true	Factual	15 Dec 2020	Large food manufacturers have done terrifically during the pandemic. Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	15 Dec 2020	Buffett graduated from two universities and attended neither graduation ceremony. Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	15 Dec 2020	The company Mrs. B started at the Furniture Mart now employs probably 10,000 people. Factual · 15 Dec 2020	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Buffett said he had never met the CEOs of any of the four airlines, though he added that he may have met one and shaken his hand at a Texas business Hall of Fame event. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Buffett said he usually sees him maybe twice a year, at Sun Valley and perhaps one other time. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Buffett said Berkshire had received nothing but good reports about the CEO, whom Greg Abel had known 20 years earlier. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Buffett said that once he and the two others he referred to as "the three of us" learned that it was regarded as unfriendly, they had no intention of making one; the surrounding remarks refer to the 3G people and to Unilever. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Mostly true	Factual	27 Feb 2017	In 1963, during American Express's Salad Oil Scandal, Buffett visited restaurants to see how people used the American Express card, an approach he first used then. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Economics and markets
Mostly true	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Berkshire Hathaway does not make hostile takeover bids. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	27 Feb 2017	A company may not buy over 10 percent of a financial company unless it becomes a bank holding company. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Economics and markets
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	As of February 2017, no acquisition deal is in the works at Berkshire. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Berkshire closed its purchase of $3 billion of Dow Chemical preferred stock in April 2009, when the market had collapsed. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Buffett said he does not work on acquisitions "that way" himself, referring back to an approach mentioned just before. He said he tells the seller he will make an offer if they want one and won't make one if they don't. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Unilever was the only deal in that area that Buffett seriously thought about and that made sense. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	As of February 2017, there is no backup deal after the Unilever approach. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Mixed	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Buffett said Berkshire tried to time its sales of Dow Chemical stock once it rose above the conversion price, selling more aggressively as the price rose, because it did not want to own the roughly 72 million common shares. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Own records only	Factual	27 Feb 2017	On 27 February 2017, asked whether he was working on anything, Buffett said he is always looking but that there was "nothing close". Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	27 Feb 2017	Berkshire's US Air preferred stock had a clause under which unpaid dividends compounded at a good rate. Factual · 27 Feb 2017	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	21 Jul 2016	Berkshire has a provision that in any corporate transaction Class A stock cannot be treated differently from Class B stock. Factual · 21 Jul 2016	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	21 Jul 2016	Buffett has given away about 40% of his Berkshire shares as of July 2016. Factual · 21 Jul 2016	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	21 Jul 2016	When Buffett gives away his Berkshire shares, he always converts the Class A voting stock into Class B stock first. Factual · 21 Jul 2016	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	21 Jul 2016	Berkshire does not use consultants or advisory organizations to direct how it votes its shares. Factual · 21 Jul 2016	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	21 Jul 2016	In certain countries there are various ways for workers to participate in company governance. Factual · 21 Jul 2016	Philosophy, ethics and society
Mostly true	Factual	21 Jul 2016	New constituencies in corporate governance, such as activists, have become stronger over the years. Factual · 21 Jul 2016	Philosophy, ethics and society
Unresolvable	Factual	9 Feb 2012	At a gold price of $1,750 per ounce at the time of writing, the world's gold stock is worth about $9.6 trillion. Factual · 9 Feb 2012	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	9 Feb 2012	An individual taxed at an average 25% earning 5.7% on Treasury bills over 47 years would have had zero real income after taxes and inflation. Factual · 9 Feb 2012	Economics and markets
Mostly true	Factual	9 Feb 2012	Berkshire holds significant amounts of currency-based investments, primarily short-term ones. Factual · 9 Feb 2012	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	9 Feb 2012	The world's gold stock is about 170,000 metric tons. Factual · 9 Feb 2012	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	9 Feb 2012	Over the past century, these instruments destroyed the purchasing power of investors in many countries even as interest and principal were paid on time. Factual · 9 Feb 2012	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	9 Feb 2012	A tax-free institution would have needed 4.3% annual interest from bond investments over the period described, during which it came to take $7 to buy what $1 had bought, simply to maintain its purchasing power. Factual · 9 Feb 2012	Economics and markets
Own records only	Factual	15 Aug 2011	The tax burdens of the other 20 people in Buffett's office ranged from 33 to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	15 Aug 2011	The mega-rich in the US continue to receive extraordinary tax breaks, as of August 2011. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Economics and markets
Resolved true	Factual	15 Aug 2011	Some investment managers among the mega-rich earn billions of dollars from their work. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	15 Aug 2011	The mega-rich pay income taxes at 15 percent on most of their earnings but pay practically nothing in payroll taxes. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	15 Aug 2011	Buffett's 2010 federal tax payment was 17.4 percent of his taxable income, a lower percentage than that paid by any of the other 20 people in his office. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Their own work or organisation
Mostly true	Factual	15 Aug 2011	Some mega-rich investment managers who earn billions are allowed to classify their income as carried interest, which is taxed at a 15 percent rate. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	15 Aug 2011	Warren Buffett's 2010 federal tax bill, including income tax and payroll taxes paid by and on behalf of him, was $6,938,744. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Their own work or organisation
Resolved true	Factual	15 Aug 2011	Holders of stock index futures for 10 minutes have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they were long-term investors. Factual · 15 Aug 2011	Economics and markets
Own records only	Factual	23 Sep 2010	Berkshire's carpet, brick and insulation businesses have recovered less than 61 percent from their lows but are recovering. Factual · 23 Sep 2010	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	23 Sep 2010	Berkshire's businesses are currently adding very few employees. Factual · 23 Sep 2010	Economics and markets
Mostly true	Factual	23 Sep 2010	Public sentiment turned very sour over the three to five months before September 2010. Factual · 23 Sep 2010	Economics and markets
Unresolvable	Factual	23 Sep 2010	Huge stimulus during World War II took the US out of the Depression. Factual · 23 Sep 2010	Economics and markets
Mostly true	Factual	23 Sep 2010	The course gave 23 students a crash course in subjects useful for running their small businesses. Factual · 23 Sep 2010	Economics and markets
Resolved true	Factual	23 Sep 2010	The US federal deficit in 2010 is about nine percent of GDP. Factual · 23 Sep 2010	Economics and markets
Resolved true	Factual	23 Sep 2010	Berkshire's railroad business (BNSF) shipments are 61 percent of the way back up from the recession bottom toward the prior peak. Factual · 23 Sep 2010	Economics and markets
Mostly true	Factual	2010	In 2006 Warren Buffett committed to gradually give all his Berkshire Hathaway stock to philanthropic foundations. Factual · 2010	Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable	Factual	2010	About 20% of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway shares have been distributed to date, including shares given by his late wife Susan Buffett. Factual · 2010	Their own work or organisation

Back to the list

Warren Buffett

Open its page

Factual Their own work or organisation

“Howard has been a Berkshire Director for 33 years.”

Warren Buffett, Berkshire chairman, signed shareholder letter 18 September 2026 Berkshire news release Sep 18, 2026 (Howard Buffett elected Chairman) (Berkshire Hathaway)

Howard Buffett has been a Berkshire director for 33 years.

Resolved true The record shows it happened or was so.

The evidence is the person's or their organisation's own records.

Said for an organisation they lead or work for; it counts on both records.

What would count as true or false

Use Berkshire proxy statements to find the year Howard G. Buffett joined the Berkshire board, and compare his continuous tenure as of 2026-09-18 with 33 years. True: his tenure is 33 years (start in 1992–1993, depending on the month), with continuous service. Mostly true: tenure is 32 or 34 years, or there was a minor break. Mixed: tenure is off by 2–3 years. Mostly false: tenure is off by more than 3 years, or he was no longer a director at that date while having served about that long. False: he was never a Berkshire director, or his tenure is far from 33 years.

Evidence

Warren Buffett becomes Berkshire chairman emeritus at 96; son Howard takes over StockTitan (republishing Berkshire Hathaway Inc. news release and shareholder letter) · 18 September 2026 Own record
“the Board has elected Howard G. Buffett, a Berkshire director since 1993, as Chairman of the Board.”

Reasoning

E2 republishes Berkshire Hathaway's official news release dated 2026-09-18. It describes Howard G. Buffett as "a Berkshire director since 1993" and says the Board elected him Chairman. Service starting in 1993 gives a tenure of about 33 years as of 2026-09-18, and the release shows he was still a director on that date, which supports the claim. This rests only on the company's own official announcement, not an independent source, and no proxy statement was provided.

Cite this claim

Warren Buffett, “Howard Buffett has been a Berkshire director for 33 years.” (said 18 September 2026). Verdict: resolved true. Reliability API, claim c_027c6966047b, method 0.1.0+28da144b. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_027c6966047b

Claims without a verdict

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