Synopsis
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett and his wife, Astrid Buffett, fell in love in an unexpected way. His marital life is often described as unconventional. Warren Buffett has built a legacy on smart investing, sharp wit, and, apparently, relationship advice that’s as practical as his portfolio strategy. He had also shared a secret to a long-lasting marriage.
Warren Buffett is acclaimed for his financial savvy—and his success as a self-made billionaire. While enduring on paper from 1952 until she died in 2004, Buffett’s marriage to Susan Thompson was anything but conventional.
And when the veteran investor first met Astrid in the 1970s, he was still married to his first wife, the late Susan Thompson Buffett. In a 2017 conversation with Bill Gates, Buffett credited his choice of spouse with making him successful.
Warren Buffett shares wisdom on a lasting marriage
“You want to associate with people who are the kind of person you’d like to be. You’ll move in that direction,” Buffett said. “And the most important person by far in that respect is your spouse. I can’t overemphasize how important that is.”
And his key to finding the right person to marry has little to do with beauty, character, or a sense of humor.
“If you want a marriage to last, look for someone with low expectations,” Buffett told Fortune at the 2015 Most Powerful Women Summit.
Susan’s decision to move to San Francisco to pursue a singing career marked a turning point in her relationship with Warren Buffett. Despite the separation, their connection endured, sustained by long phone calls and an unconventional yet mutual understanding of each other’s lives.
Before leaving, Susan Buffett reportedly reached out to several women she knew from a cocktail bar where she performed, asking them to look after her husband. One of these women was Astrid Menks, a waitress. Susan asked Astrid to help care for Warren, including cooking for him during her absence.
Astrid eventually moved in with Warren, and the three developed an unusual yet close bond. Susan and Astrid reportedly became good friends, a relationship reflected in their annual Christmas cards, which were signed, “Warren, Susie, and Astrid.”
Buffett captured the essence of his relationships with both women, stating in his biography, “Susie put me together, and Astrid keeps me together.” Susan’s understanding of Buffett’s need for love and absence of criticism played a crucial role in their dynamic. Two years following Susan’s death, Buffett married Astrid Menks.
Marrying the right person
In HBO’s 2017 documentary, “Becoming Warren Buffett,” the investment legend said that he had “two turning points” in his life: the first was when he came out of the womb and the second was when he met Susan. “What happened with me would not have happened without her,” Buffett said.
Buffett also emphasized marrying the “right person,” which he found in Susan. “Marry the right person. I’m serious about that,” he said during a 2009 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. “It will make more difference in your life. It will change your aspirations, all kinds of things.”
Going against the saying of “happy wife, happy life,” Buffett approaches both personal and professional relationships with low expectations.
“If you’re going to get married and you want a marriage that’s going to last,” he said during a university lecture. “What quality do you look for in a spouse? One quality. Do you look for brains? Do you look for humor? Do you look for character? Do you look for beauty?”
“No,” Buffett said. “Not necessarily the happiest marriage—or one that Martha Stewart will talk about. You want a marriage that is going to last.”
M.Economic Times
