Warren Buffett's Kid Says They Had To Pull Their Own Weight — 'If You Went to the Movies, You Never Knew If He Would Buy Your Ticket Or Not'
When your dad manages billions and has a knack for multiplying money, you’d think he’d at least spring for a movie ticket. But growing up Buffett meant never being too sure—about tickets, snacks, or anything that even hinted at a freebie. Especially not popcorn.
Because even if Warren Buffett brought you to the movies, there was a real chance you’d still be pulling out your own wallet. And the popcorn? Don’t even think about it.
In 1990, Fortune asked the children of the rich and famous what it was like growing up with money. Buffett’s son, Howard, didn’t exactly describe a childhood of endless yeses.
“If you went to the movies, you never knew if he would buy your ticket or not,” Howard said. “His attitude was, ‘Everybody pulls his own weight.'”
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That line wasn’t some performative bit for the press. It was Buffett in full dad-mode: discipline over dollars.
And even if you were lucky enough to score a paid-for ticket, the snack stand wasn’t a sure thing either.
In “The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life,” biographer Alice Schroeder wrote about Buffett’s habit of denying small requests—even when the family was surrounded by signs of wealth.
“The children went on nice vacations, enjoyed themselves at the country club, wore good clothes, and saw their mother’s Cadillac and fur coats. But they never got to take money for granted. Their father niggled over small amounts of money all the time and surprised them by denying little requests. If he took them to a movie, he might not pay for popcorn.”
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Schroeder went on to explain Buffett’s thinking when it came to these everyday denials: “If one of the kids asked for something, his answer might well be no: ‘If I did it for you, I’d have to do it for everyone.'”
No luxury limo lectures. No shouting from marble staircases. Just a guy in a modest Omaha house turning down popcorn on principle.
This wasn’t just about snack bars or spare change. Even when Buffett’s daughter, Susie, needed a $30,000 loan to remodel a cramped kitchen in her Washington home, he turned her down. According to Schroeder, Susie asked for help and got hit with a classic Buffett response:
“‘Why not go to the bank?’ he asked, and turned her down.” Buffett explained that “a football player on the Nebraska football team shouldn’t inherit the starting quarterback position from his father, a former star quarterback.” He wasn’t trying to be cold, but he was sticking to principle. “He won’t give it to us on principle,” Susie said.
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In 2017, Susie told Business Insider her father unfairly gets a bad rap, saying; “I actually agree with his philosophy of not dumping a bunch of money on your kids. He has been much more generous than people are aware. I feel extremely grateful to have the parents I had and for what they’ve given us.”
This was Buffett’s parenting style: down-to-earth, dollar-aware, and pretty unpredictable when you were standing in line at the theater. He didn’t want his kids growing up with a built-in sense of “of course.” He wanted them to question it, earn it, or pay for it themselves.
And for Howard, that sometimes meant budgeting for your own ticket… and bringing exact change for Raisinets.
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This article Warren Buffett’s Kid Says They Had To Pull Their Own Weight — ‘If You Went to the Movies, You Never Knew If He Would Buy Your Ticket Or Not’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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