The moment many investors were dreading arrived just days ago: Investing legend Warren Buffett retired as of Dec. 31, ending a 60-year reign as chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway. During his time in that position, he led investment decisions, and his work helped Berkshire to outperform the S&P 500. Over the years, Berkshire delivered a compounded annual gain of about 20%, while the S&P 500 generated a 10% such increase.
Meanwhile, with each letter to shareholders, Buffett offered investors details regarding his strategy as well as valuable words of advice. And investors could count on additional thoughts from the billionaire throughout the years at shareholders’ meetings, as well as through interviews with the press.
So, it’s no surprise that investors, eager to hear the latest thoughts of such a successful investment professional, were sad to see Buffett step away. But I have some good news: You still may continue to benefit from Buffett’s investing wisdom in 2026. Here are three simple ways to keep Buffett in your investing life.
Buffett, as mentioned, remained at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway for six decades, and during that time, one thing didn’t change. The billionaire always stuck by his investing principles. He never surprised investors by shifting to a new way of investing, and instead, proceeded in the same manner over the years, through bull and bear markets.
So, even if Buffett no longer is directing Berkshire’s investment decisions, it’s clear that he still stands by the following: When investing, look for quality companies with strong moats, or competitive advantages, buy them for cheap or reasonable prices, and don’t let them go. Considering Buffett’s loyalty to these ideas, it’s likely that he would continue following them if he were to continue as Berkshire CEO.
And that means if you incorporate these points into your own investing strategy for 2026, you should continue benefiting from Buffett’s wisdom well into the future.
As of Jan. 1, Buffett handed the CEO reins over to Greg Abel, who was previously Berkshire’s vice chairman for non-insurance operations. Buffett hand-picked Abel for the job and has repeatedly praised his successor. And Buffett puts his money where his mouth is, saying he wouldn’t sell any of his Berkshire Hathaway shares as Abel takes on leadership.
