Peter Buffett
Peter Buffett, the son of stock god Warren Buffett, Peter Buffett is a musician.
has spent more than 28 years working as a professional musician, composer, philanthropist and author. His musical ideas were heavily influenced by many of the early 1980s Bumpers' MTV and the unforgettable "Dance of Fire" scene in the Oscar-winning 1990s film Dances with Wolves.
The Son of the Stock God Publishes a Book
Peter has felt the magic of music since he was six or seven years old. When he felt depressed, he would sit in front of the piano at home and play a traditional children's song "Yankee Song." Peter writes in his new book, "Life Is What You Make": "Oddly, I turned this lilting march into a dirge. My family soon realized that I was not in a good mood."
Today, 51 At the age of 18, Peter realized that piano and music were still an important part of his life. After Peter returned from his first visit to Africa on behalf of his foundation, he composed a song based on his own feelings, expressing such an emotion: Although some Africans are extremely short of material, they can still maintain noble sentiments, which makes some Westerners who are greedy for profit and selfish are ashamed of themselves.
The above stories about his relationship with music are all collected in the book "Life is Made by You". The subtitle of this book is "Find your own way to obtain satisfaction". In the book, he also recorded the parenting methods of his father Buffett and his mother Susan, as well as his own experience of managing a foundation worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Unlike his father, Peter embarked on an artistic path that was completely different from business. He still remembers talking to his father about wanting to pursue a career in music when he was in his 20s.
"My father, as was his custom, listened carefully without commenting or making direct suggestions," he wrote in the book. "Until one day, he said to me: 'Peter, you know, you and I are actually I am doing one thing, music is your canvas, Berkshire Hathaway Company is my canvas , I draw a few strokes on it every day. '"
" This is what he said, This is enough. This is the answer I need, and it still feels precious to me. My father, who is so successful in his career, regards his work as equal to my work."
Peter pursues his music dream persistently. It was a hard life. Even in the most difficult situation, Peter did not reach out to his father. Instead, he posted advertisements everywhere to find a job and support himself. He eventually became a famous musician and composer, and won many awards including Emmy Award .
As a "rich second generation", Peter believes that the most precious wealth that parents leave to their children is not cash or luxury homes, but letting them learn to be independent and strong.
A good start in life
Peter's family was a middle-class family in the 1960s and 1970s. His father worked six days a week and his mother was a supporter of the civil rights movement. Peter was exposed to a variety of ideas and cultures from an early age.
Buffett had not yet become a "stock god" at that time, but his serious attitude towards work made his son empathize with him. Peter compared his father's study of finance to a monk's study of the scriptures. "He was so energetic and pure. It is a bit exaggerated to say that when his father was working, he entered another world and was simply fascinated."
Peter wrote in the book: " Money is actually a by-product, something external to the body. What really matters is the substance of the work. He (his father) has endless curiosity, tests his predictions with facts, and enjoys the joy of discovery."
When Peter was in high school, his father began to make a name for himself in the industry and made friends with powerful people. friend. Later, Buffett's friend Katherine Graham, publisher of the Washington Post, helped Peter get into Stanford University. Peter learned courses that interested him at this institution of higher learning.
"My father wouldn't help me if I wanted to take advantage of others," he said, "because it's not an exercise of privilege, it's a reduction of privilege.""
Peter believes that children from wealthy families often encounter similar situations and even develop psychological problems. In this case, if parents only think about donating money instead of caring, the problem will be made worse.
takes up music Road
When he was a sophomore in college, he discovered that he was very interested in music. Once, after enjoying a guitarist's performance, he went home and wrote an impromptu song and recorded it on a tape. Driving to the beach, this song played in the car. Peter realized where his future lay.
After three semesters in college, Peter received an inheritance of $90,000 from his grandfather. Converted into shares of Berkshire Hathaway. If these shares were kept today, they would have appreciated to almost $72 million. However, Peter sold the shares at that time to lay the financial foundation for pursuing his music dream.
" "Heritage is a privilege, a gift that I received without any cost," he said. "If I had the pressure of making a living, I wouldn't be able to continue on the path I have chosen." "
With the help of his father, Peter made a budget. He moved to San Francisco , lived in a small apartment, bought a used car, and lived a simple life. He purchased some equipment and established a A studio. Peter worked hard every day, doing paid and unpaid work.
The turning point of Peter's career came in 1981 when a neighbor's son-in-law was in need of music production. 10 seconds of commercial soundtrack.
From then on, Peter's music career continued to develop. In the late 1980s, Peter lived a prosperous life through his own efforts. Music album.
Later, Peter sold his apartment in Los Angeles and bought a villa on the shores of Lake Michigan. The new house was five times the size of the small apartment, giving him enough space to record music and host his first album. The collection "Waiting" was well-received and a best-seller in the industry, but Peter always hoped that film producers would notice him. Later, a friend gave him a copy of Evan Cornell's novel "Son of the Morning Star". The book describes the story of American Indians fighting the US government forces. Peter was deeply shocked after reading it, and this emotion directly affected his second album "One by One" released in 1989. , he heard that the famous Hollywood director Kevin Costner was preparing to make a movie about the Indians. Peter sent "One by One" to Costner and Costner invited him to be the film's director. Write a soundtrack. After Peter accepted it, he found that he couldn't write a soundtrack at all, so he had to give up. However, Peter gained Costner's recognition through this opportunity, and later won the opportunity to score the TV miniseries "500 Countries". And won an Emmy Award.
Music meets charity
Peter now lives in New York with his second wife, Jennifer. In 1999, the old Buffetts allocated 10 million US dollars for each child to establish a charitable foundation, and Peter has since entered a new world. field.
Buffett announced in 2006 that he would donate 85% of his personal shares to his children's charitable foundation and the "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation" founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates. Linda Gates" Foundation. Peter's "Novo" Foundation will eventually have assets of 1 billion US dollars.
At first, running the foundation caused Peter a lot of troubles. Because it meant that he would enter the public eye, And he has become accustomed to a "quiet" life and likes to read or stay with his wife.
However, Peter quickly realized the value of philanthropy. "Once I got rid of the barriers and devoted myself to philanthropy, the satisfaction I got was beyond imagination."
Peter and Jennifer positioned the foundation's work to help girls, especially girls. Girls from poor countries. For example, the "Novo" foundation invests in building schools in Africa so that girls can receive comprehensive education and learn skills such as using sewing machines.
Charity has also promoted the development of Peter's music career to some extent.
Recently, Peter collaborated with another famous composer, Angelique Kidjo, to create a song "A Song for Everyone", aimed at helping girls in Africa. They donated the fees paid by netizens to download the song to poor girls in Africa. According to statistics, 5 downloads can buy a new school uniform or a new school bag for an African girl; 1,000 downloads can cover the tuition fees for 45 girls for a year.
Peter believes that true satisfaction can only be obtained through one's own efforts, which cannot be given by parents' wealth. "I am engaged in a career that I love, and this is the path I have chosen."
