Warren Buffett has spent almost 60 years delivering market-beating returns to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders -- and inspiring other investors around the world. But all good things must come to an end, and during the holding company's annual meeting in May, the billionaire announced he would retire as chief executive officer at the end of this year.
Though investors surely will miss Buffett and his wisdom-filled shareholder letters, I have some good news for you. First of all, Buffett is handing the reins over to Greg Abel, currently the vice-chairman of non-insurance operations at Berkshire. Buffett hand-picked Abel for the job and has expressed strong confidence in this successor, so there's reason for the rest of us to be excited about this new chapter, too.
And second, we also aren't truly bidding adieu to Buffett as he will remain chairman of Berkshire. In fact, with Buffett days away from retirement, let's consider three ways to continue seeking inspiration from the billionaire -- in 2026 and beyond.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
1. Put Buffett's investment strategy to work for you
Buffett's investment strategy consists of many parts, but there are a few elements that stand out -- and these, all of us can easily apply to our own portfolios in any investing environment. The first is his focus on buying quality companies for reasonable, or ideally, bargain prices.
The famous investor looks for players with a strong moat, or competitive advantage -- this could be a brand that's impossible to unseat, such as Coca-Cola, for example, or a logistics advantage. Here, I'm thinking of Amazon with its vast fulfillment network and Prime membership program -- imagine how tough and costly it would be for a competitor to build out a similar operation and gain the loyalty of customers.
Buffett identifies such companies, but he won't buy them for ridiculously high prices. Instead, as a value investor, he goes for them when valuation reaches low or at least reasonable levels.
Regardless of the market environment in 2026, consider adding a few such stocks to your portfolio if the opportunity arises and then follow the ultimate Buffett rule: Hold on for the long term, meaning at least five to 10 years. With long-term performance as your focus, and Buffett-style stocks in your portfolio, you may set yourself up for significant investing success.
2. Consider one piece of evergreen advice
Here's one piece of Buffett advice that you can use at any time. The billionaire has faith in the performance of American businesses over the long haul, and to benefit from this performance, he suggests buying an S&P 500 index fund. These are funds that track the performance of the famous benchmark.
Non-professional investors should commit to owning "a cross-section of businesses that in aggregate are bound to do well," Buffett once wrote in a letter to shareholders. "A low-cost S&P 500 index fund will achieve this goal."
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The billionaire has proven that he truly stands by this advice, as he's followed it. Buffett said that it's part of his own financial plan -- upon his passing, Buffett has instructed a trustee to put 90% of his cash in an S&P 500 index fund for the benefit of Buffett's wife.
And it's never too late to get in on this investment opportunity, as history shows us the S&P, even after the toughest moments, always has gone on to gain. Since its launch as a 500-company index in the late 1950s, it's delivered an average annual return of 10%.
3. Stay tuned for Buffett's latest thoughts
Finally, as Buffett said himself in his recent Thanksgiving letter to shareholders, he's "going quiet." But he added two very important words to that: "sort of." Buffett won't completely disappear from the scene. The top investor will continue to go to the office regularly, has said he will be around to help out or offer advice if needed, and he will, of course, be in attendance at the May shareholders meeting -- though Buffett says he'll be in the audience; not on stage.
Buffett also will communicate with shareholders through an annual Thanksgiving letter. So, all of this means we might have opportunities to hear some of the great investor's thoughts, on occasion, about investing and the stock market.
It's also important to remember that Buffett chose Abel for the CEO role, and as I said, continues to be present as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. So, we might consider Berkshire's future moves as Buffett-inspired, too.
All of this means that today, even as Buffett marches toward retirement, we still may look to him for inspiration in 2026 and beyond.
