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  • 4/27/2025
Peter Buffett, son of Warren Buffett, chose to sell his Berkshire Hathaway stock worth $90,000 in the seventies, a stake valued at over $500 million today. He used the proceeds to build a life and legacy on his own terms, becoming a composer, marrying an artist, and relocating to a small town in upstate New York. There, he and his wife invested over $160 million into the community, supporting local initiatives such as a radio station, health network, farm hub, and even creating a local currency called 'Buffet Bucks.' Despite some locals feeling overpowered by their influence, Peter claims his intent was to fund innovative ideas typically overlooked by traditional systems. His choice exemplifies a unique departure from preserving generational wealth in favor of creating something new and meaningful.

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00:00Warren Buffett's son walked away from $500 million to build his own town instead.
00:04Peter Buffett sold off his Berkshire Hathaway stock in the 70s, worth $90,000.
00:09That same stock today would be worth over half a billion dollars.
00:12But he doesn't regret it.
00:13He used it to carve out a life and a legacy on his own terms.
00:17He became a composer, married an artist, and moved to a small town in upstate New York.
00:21Now he and his wife have quietly poured more than $160 million into the community.
00:26They've backed a local radio station, opened a health network, funded a farm hub,
00:30and even created their own local currency, Buffett Bucks.
00:34They're basically building a whole mini-ecosystem, complete with farms, skate parks, and their own local money.
00:39But when one family starts funding nearly everything in town,
00:42some locals say it feels less like help, and more like quiet control.
00:46Peter says he's just backing ideas the system would never fund.
00:49He gave up generational wealth to shape a town his way.
00:51Most people would have kept the money.
00:53He used it to build something that didn't exist yet.
00:55What would you have done?
00:56Follow Benzinga for more stories about legacy, risk, and doing it differently.

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