Charlie Munger once revealed 3 reasons Warren Buffett was ‘so much richer’ than him — how to unlock mega-wealth now

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Charlie Munger wasn’t known for mincing words, and that was never more true than in 2019, when at the Daily Journal Annual Meeting, he received a pointed question about his wealth that made the crowd laugh.
“In spite of being partners for so long, why is Warren so much richer than you?” the audience member asked, referring to Warren Buffett’s $82.5 billion net worth (1) compared to Munger’s $1.6 billion (2) at the time.
“Well, he got an earlier start, he’s probably a little smarter, he works harder — there are not a lot of reasons,” Munger laughed.
His quick wit also made an appearance, immediately adding, “Why was Albert Einstein poorer than I was?”
As the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway for 45 years until his death in 2023, Munger was second in command at Buffett’s investing empire.
Here’s how the Oracle of Omaha got his start, where his wealth stands today and what it could mean for your portfolio.
While Munger’s net worth reached $2.5 billion before his death, Buffett’s wealth currently sits at $148.3 billion — almost double what it was back in 2019 when Munger was asked about the disparity.
While Berkshire Hathaway’s operations might be complex, Buffett’s investing tenets are very simple.
Start young — the younger, the better. Buffett invested for the first time at age 11, which allowed for more decades in the market compared to the average investor.
That extra time contributes to the most potent part of investing: compounding.
The power of compound interest only really starts to show up once you’ve been in the market for some time, or once you’ve reached a significant milestone — like the $100,000 benchmark Munger is often cited for emphasizing. (3)
But most people probably don’t understand how to invest at the age of 11.
That said, it’s never too late to get started, and small amounts invested early can turn into big numbers once compounding does the heavy lifting.
Platforms like Acorns can make investing early easy — even if you’re a newbie investor — by investing the extra change on any purchase you make.
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