He is the poor son of the richest man in the world

His father, Warren Buffett, is a famous investor in the world, the richest man in the new world who surpassed Bill Gates in 2008, and the "stock god" of many celebrities who would rather spend millions of dollars to have lunch with him. As one of the most striking "rich second generation" in the world, how will Peter Buffett continue to write his father's glory?

"Stock God" Dad is an ordinary old man

Peter spent his childhood in Omaha, a small town in the Midwest of America. When he was two years old, his father bought an old house built in the early 20th century without walls for $30,000. At that time, my father Warren Buffett was not famous at all, and his family conditions were no different from those of other ordinary American families.

"When I was very young, I knew that I had to earn money by myself. My father said to me, my brother and sister,' My money is earned by working, so I won't give it to you in vain.' In order to earn a little pocket money, Peter always works hard: sweeping the floor, cleaning the windows, fertilizing and watering the flowers and plants ...

At that time, the back door of Peter's house was open all day, and neighbors could come in and out at any time. Because my mother is hospitable and likes to be a "big sister", and her friends are all over the town, women like to talk to her if they have any worries.

In the eyes of outsiders, Warren Buffett is a stock god, but in the eyes of Peter, his brother and sister, he is an ordinary old man who is getting old. Up to now, Buffett and his wife still live in the old house that he bought for 30,000 dollars more than 50 years ago.

Peter didn't know what his father did when he was a child. "He goes out to work on time at 8 o'clock every morning, and will come home no matter how late. My father has been like this since I was very young. He hasn't changed. The so-called increase in wealth and reputation is only an external symbol in the eyes of his family and himself. "

Peter once asked his mother, "Why did our family become rich overnight?" Because one day he suddenly found that almost everyone was talking about his father, and when he was walking on the road, someone would point fingers at him. Peter felt very strange: our life is still the same as before. TV sets, refrigerators and sofas have been used for many years, just like those of ordinary people. My father still wears ordinary clothes, while my mother is still warm and cheerful. The American media and business community once said: "Buffett will only make money, will not spend money, and will not be a father."

Money complicates the relationship between father and son

"When I asked him why other children have money without working, he always said, because your father is Warren Buffett." However, when Peter was 17 years old, his father's talent in investment and his wealth began to be talked about by Americans. This year, Peter entered the famous Stanford University through a letter of recommendation from the publisher of The Washington Post.

He told his father that if he was not Buffett's son, he would not be questioned by others. Buffett said: "Why don't you use your own efforts and achievements to prove that you deserve it? Besides, don't you always want to earn more money? Reading the business of this university is the best start. "

So Peter began to study hard and spent a year and a half finishing all the 20 basic courses. But Peter was not happy at all. He said to his father, "If I drop out of school, will you feel pale?" Buffett smiled and replied: "Isn't your sister and brother the same? At best, people say that you have followed in their footsteps. "

My father also said to him, "I know you always wanted to do something you like, such as being a musician, and I wanted you to be an investor. I still remember that when you were 7 years old, you sat in front of the piano and played a joyful Yankee Song into mourning music. " My father went on to say that playing happy music into sad music shows two problems: first, the player is in a bad mood; second, he has extraordinary musical talent.

Peter, who dropped out of school, was ready to devote himself to music creation, but he was penniless. Don't ask, my father won't give him any more living expenses. "Because I am 19 years old, and my father is a miser." Peter said with a smile. Grandfather once gave him $90,000, but his father took it and turned it into a share of Berkshire Hathaway. He said to his son: "In another 10 years, the money can become at least 9 million US dollars, and after 30 years, it may be 50 million." Peter quickly sold his stock, took the money and moved to San Francisco, rented a small house and set up his own music studio.

Then, he advertised in the newspaper and provided recording service for people at $35 per hour. There are customers coming intermittently, recording a few hours a week, earning one or two hundred dollars to scrape by.

Buffett reminded his son from time to time: "Learn to use your own money to make bigger dreams."

Finally, when Peter was scrubbing his worn-out car one day, his neighbor introduced him to his son-in-law who was engaged in animation production, and made a 10-second advertisement for a newly established cable TV channel, with a reward of $1,000. This made Peter excited. Soon, that TV channel became a big fire, and it was the famous MTV music channel.

After that, Peter can make a living by composing music. "Expand the scale of music studios, rent houses, get married, and buy suits for activities. These are all the money I earned myself. " When Peter proudly showed off to his father, Buffett didn't speak, just smiled and nodded.

At the age of 30, Peter was already the father of a pair of twin daughters, and a family of four lived in a house of less than 100 square meters. He wanted his wife and daughter to live a better life, so he borrowed money from his father for the first time in his life. My father shook his head and said, "Money will complicate our pure father-son relationship. You should borrow money to buy a house like other Americans, and then pay back the loan on your own ability. " Peter told himself in his heart, "I swear, this is the last time I borrow money from my father."

Father's love is not money but trust

Father refused to lend himself money, but Peter was depressed for quite a while. He bought a big house with a loan in a rage, and he had to repay tens of thousands of dollars in loans every month. A few years later, he could not bear the pressure of repaying the loan, and sold the big house for a small apartment. At that moment, he suddenly realized that his father only wanted to experience and understand life by himself, and his father's love was not money but trust.

Peter once wanted to make the music and dance drama "Soul" a tour performance, but it needed a lot of money. His father said to him, "You should raise 90% of the money first, and I will lend you the remaining 10%." So, Peter went to many organizations and people, and without exception, they asked, "Don't you have any money? Pay attention to the WeChat mind map. If Teacher Bao doesn't have it, do you have to get it with your dad? "

Peter had to tell people cheekily: "In fact, Warren Buffett never gives people a penny easily except that he is generous in charity." It turns out that you can't borrow money by Buffett's surname. Who would believe that the son of a billionaire would open his mouth and borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars from others?

With the money raised everywhere and the 10% that his father lent him, the music and dance drama Soul, which was planned, written and produced by Peter, finally performed grandly in national mall, Washington. Mother, brother and sister went to the dance drama, but father didn't. "He didn't receive my invitation. Why should I let him destroy the atmosphere and steal my thunder? " Peter laughed and said.

Then, he published several albums, and won the Emmy Award, the highest honor in American television industry, with the soundtrack of the drama "500 Tribes" about Native Americans. By his own efforts, he bought villas for his wife and daughter on the shores of Lake Michigan, and finally got a professional-level music studio. Peter also made everyone sincerely praise: "I am surprised that you have not inherited your father's business, but I am even more surprised that you have become the' Warren Buffett' in the music industry."

In 2006, the whole world witnessed Warren Buffett's great charity, and he announced that he would donate most of his property—up to $37 billion—to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. And three months ago, Buffett called Peter and told him what he thought.

Peter said to his father sincerely, "Dad, I am so proud of you!" Buffett, who never praises his son and can't have time to pay attention to his music in his son's eyes, said to his son on the phone: "Children, I am also proud of you!"

As far as the father is concerned, although his son has not inherited his father's business, his devotion and focus to his favorite career and his constant calm and calm even after his success are worthy of the famous surname "Buffett".

Peter said, "Although my father has accumulated a lot of wealth, he will eventually use the money for charity. To him, more and more money is just an affirmation of his investment talent. And my music is heard by more and more people, which is an affirmation of my musical talent. "

Now, Peter and his father can meet at most four or five times a year. Usually, they will call each other to tell each other the latest trends and what interesting people and things they have met.

In early 2011, when Peter told his father that his new book "Be Yourself" would be published in Chinese soon, Buffett, who has deep feelings for China, offered to write a preface for him. Of course, Buffett's preface is very short: "Peter's life is made by himself. His measure of success is not personal wealth or glory, but his contribution to the vast world. "