The dark side of Warren Buffett

Wealth magnifies your personal problems, especially with your nearby kin and whether blood related or other-wise.

I personally resent that just because Mr. Buffet does not see fit to leave his wealth to his own progeny that he should see fit to try to dictate what everyone else should do with their own wealth. I someday hope to have wealth to pass on to my children, presuming that I have any, but feel that that is my decision to make, not the federal governments and certainly not Mr. Buffet's. To me, it isn't a "death tax", it is government sanctioned theft.

Maybe when I'm old and distant to my own family I will change my views on that, though.

Money is limited by the technology that is available. Ramses was the ruler of the entire earth, yet his palace was sweltering hot in the summer-nobody had invented A/C. The same effect applies today. What is really valuable is technology, not money, which is why I have a laboratory & invent new things all the time. Some of the technology in my lab is worth more than Buffet & Gates' wealth put together. And is why I live better too...alfredschrader@aol.com

"The Dark Side of Warren Buffett" ?

Who is to judge such action as "the dark side" of anyone?
Mr. Buffet made his money his own way....and can choose to do with it what he wants.
It is getting tiresome reading peoples opinions and judgements of others....when they have never met these people, or walked a step in thier shoes.
It is probably more true that those who judge are simply in envy of those they judge.
dm

People with huge amounts of money are clearly beset with serious issues which money cannot solve. It's interesting that money requires more money to keep it going. There is no guarantee that goodness and love will follow and it causes there more common sense issues to become clouded and twisted. For Warren Buffett to give the money to the Gates Foundation, a man who already has more than he can ever spend, is selfish and mean. It shows a malicious and twisted mind.

I wish I made $40,000 a year. I made about $12,000 last year. I guess 'wealth' is relative?

She deserves some money for putting up with his sorry ass. The longer you have to endure a person lkie him, the more money you should get.

Poor, poor girl - she has to "get by" on $40,000 a year! Many people in this country would love to be able to have 40k per year!

Warren has three children...none of whom finished college. I think that's odd for a guy in his position and I think it's just one more clue that we don't know the REAL Warren Buffett. He talks about not leaving wealth to his kids yet each one of them runs a billion dollar foundation. I guess the point is, we really only know the Warren Buffett that he has created in the media.

Oh please, she "gets by on $40,000" and does without health care? Wow, welcome to the real world. Many families get by on a whole lot less and they don't have health care either.
I find it difficult to feel sorry for her as she did this to herself.
Mr. Buffet made his money and he can choose how he spends it. That's hardly the dark side of anyone.

D. Martin:
I can not and will not speak for others, but I DO pass judgement on Mr. Buffet for the sheer coldness of the letter that was sent: "I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin." That was needlessly vile and hurtful.

Yes, she knew that making those statments may have caused a reaction, but she did not say anything that outlandish, that hurtful, for him to respond in that manner.

Does he have a right to write her out of the will? OF COURSE, it's his money. No one, certainly not I would begrudge that right (although Mr. Buffet would like to dictate what I would do if in a simialar situation). And although he had a right to be upset. He should have had the strength of character, especially considering his age to refrain from such letters. This just makes him look like a petty old vindictive fool.

I certainly lost a lot of respect for him.

My only issue is how Buffett has chosen to cut her; as if because she's adopted she was never good enough to be a part of the family. Obviously there are more issues at play than just these two incidents, I would at least hope that was the case. That was a pretty cold letter.

It's pretty sad that most of the comments are about the "wealth", how about the fact that those that are not "blood", love those around them more because they actually make the personal choice to do so... Mr Buffet is probably missing out on alot of love from his family.

While this argues for a certain degree of "thin-skinned-ness" on the part of Mr. Buffett, the reaction is not beyond the pale, if one can somehow manage to exclude the issue of Mr. Buffett's money. Somehow. He was not planning on leaving much if any of it to her anyway. That much was in the film which I saw. And some part of me suspects that this is as much about his son's marriage as anything else.

People too easily over-rate family.

Warren Buffett is a self made man. What he chooses to do with his money is no one's business BUT HIS OWN. If his smart ass, smart mouthed granddaughter felt the need to publicly pass judgment on her Grandfather, so be it, but don't cry when you reap the retribution. I am so sick to death of everyone making other peoples business, their business. How about something different for a change, like, minding YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

Phil . . . She is a self-supporting artist (pretty un-common) and most likely works her butt off just to get by on 40k. Those who would like to make that much . . . get off your lazy butts and take up art.

If she's upset about the loss, she should have shut her pie hole.

YOU SEE, MONEY CREATES GREED! THAT IS HOW WE GOT IN THE PLACE WE ARE NOW IN THE ECONOMY. IT IS CALLED GREED!!!!!!!!!!

I've no hesitation on shame on Warren Buffet. He's doing everything he can think of to stroke his ego, to get people to say how great he is. His ego is as great as the ego of Regis Philbin on ABS TV and of David Faster of David Faster and friends. The man has never given away any money to the poor. A year r two ago he gave away a few million dollars to Bill Gates (of Microsoft Foundation). The foundation does not give money to the poor. It gives away to black countries to show that he's black oriented. But to disown your own grand daughter is ultimate low. I'd say shame on you Warren Buffet. People tghink he is a good investor. I do not hink so. He gets people to give him preffered stock at a huge discount to the market value because he invests hundreds of millions of dollars at a time and gets warrants to buy common stocks excercisable for a fraction of the market price. He then excercises the option and sells the stock at market value and recoves his original investment. That is not savy investing. That is fraud. May be not his fraud.Mayvbe it is the fraud of the executive officers of the companies he invests in. But it is fraud. I'm not impressed by him. Hiseatment of his beautiful grand daughter shows he's cruel too.

HEY WARREN...........IT'S CHRISTMAS........DON'T BE A SCROOGE.....TAKE CARE OF YOUR GRANDAUGHTER.