DollarsAndSense Experience: How Much Does It Cost To Attend The Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder Meeting

Even if you’re not familiar with Berkshire Hathaway itself, you might be familiar with the man behind the famous investment company – Warren Buffett.

Berkshire Hathaway, like any other publicly listed company, has an Annual Shareholder Meeting each year. Up to 40,000 investors from around the world attend it every year. For some investors, it is almost a pilgrimage for many to pay homage to the Oracle of Omaha, Pus, Warren Buffett is 95 this year. At the same time, Charlie Munger, his equally famous long time partner in the company, died in 2023 at the age of 99.

Since there are probably not too many years left to see the legendary Warren Buffett in person, I decided to realise a dream of mine to attend the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder Meeting.

Tickets to the Actual AGM: (Almost) Free!

1 share of Berkshire A class shares is US$768,000 (S$998,400) and B class shares cost US$512.33 (S$666.03) on 7 May. But surprisingly, you don’t actually have to be a shareholder to attend the Annual Shareholder Meeting. There isn’t any check or proof that you’re a shareholder needed if you get your tickets beforehand, so you could get a ticket without even buying or holding any shares. Although it’s probably better karma if you do own some Berkshire shares before attending the Annual Meeting.

To get the tickets, all you need to do is obtain the proxy form available online (released around early March) and mail it to the Berkshire Hathaway office. The office will send you the tickets for free. The only cost will be international mail to the US. However, international mail takes very long, usually almost two weeks each way.

Alternatively, you can also purchase tickets from Berkshire Hathaway’s official eBay account for US$5 (S$6.50) per ticket, plus shipping (about S$13), which takes around 1-2 weeks. 

If mail is not an option, you can also register by turning up at the venue the day before the AGM. In this case, you do need to show proof of ownership, and the queues are very long, so it’s probably better to get your tickets beforehand.

Shareholder Meeting tickets

US Immigration ESTA: US$21 (S$27.30)

Singaporean passport holders require an ESTA to enter the US. It can be easily applied online and costs US$21 (S$27.30)

Return Flights to Omaha, via San Francisco: ~SGD 1,800 per person

Even though he is one of the world’s richest people, Warren Buffett leads a famously frugal, low-key lifestyle in the quiet city of Omaha, Nebraska, far away from large, fast-paced cities of New York, San Francisco and the like. Given that it’s a small city of 500,000 people, it’s unsurprising that there are no direct flights from Singapore, where I am travelling from. The fastest route (from Singapore) seems to be to fly via San Francisco (15 hours) and then a 3-hour domestic flight to Omaha. Including the layovers, the total travelling time is around 22 hours at a minimum.

I booked my flights comparatively late, around March, via United Airlines, but if you book early, you may be able to secure a better deal.

Optional: Spend some time (and money) in San Francisco

Instead of flying directly to Omaha right away in a back-breaking 22-hour journey, you can also consider spending some time in San Francisco. After all, San Francisco and other cities in the Bay Area like Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Menlo Park are home to the top tech companies in the world, many of which are included in the S&P500 and NASDAQ index. It also has a strong tech start-up culture, with every other billboard or advertisement for a start-up or software company.

San Francisco has a famously high cost of living, though, so a stay there would increase the cost accordingly.

Accommodation per night: S$50 – S$500

Ranges from S$50 in a hostel in downtown San Francisco, S$200 for an Airbnb room or S$500 for a hotel

Transport: S$20 – $130

One key highlight about San Francisco is Waymo One, a fully autonomous, driverless taxi service owned by Google. It is currently only in a few select cities. At roughly the same price as Uber, you get to experience cutting-edge autonomous driving technology!

Costs: Approx US$15 ($19.50) for a 15-minute trip

Driverless Waymo!

Alternatively, you can also rent a Tesla and experience the Full Self Driving (FSD) mode for yourself on expansive US roads.

Cost: approximately S$130 per day to rent

In Omaha

Omaha is a small city in Midwest America, which generally has a lower cost of living. However, the Berkshire Annual Shareholder Meeting weekend is the second biggest event of the year in Omaha and a major peak period with high demand, which drives costs up.

Lodging: S$200 and up

There are international brand hotel chains such as DoubleTree Hilton and Marriott, but even getting a room is a problem if you don’t book 6 months in advance. During the peak period of the Annual Shareholder Meeting week, they are around $600 a night.

Airbnbs are also available, generally at around S$200 a night.

Transportation costs: S$50 per day for 2-3 trips

Unless you’re renting a car, you will probably be taking ride-hailing most of the time. One thing I noticed is that Lyft, a US-centric ride-hailing app, is significantly cheaper than Uber as of this writing.

Food and others: S$50 – S$100 per day

Nevada is a cattle-raising state, and there is a lot of great beef and steak. Local restaurants charge US$20-$100 per person, depending on your desired level of fanciness. Remember that the US has a tipping culture, and in general, you are expected to tip around 10-20% of the value of the meal.

Warren Buffett’s favourite steak restaurant is Gorat’s. A meal there costs me around US$65 (S$84.30) per person, including tips, to order his favourite steak (the Porterhouse, which he usually gets with hashbrowns, if you are curious).

Gorat’s capitalizing on its status as Warren Buffett’s favourite steak house

Steak at Gorat’s – a Nebraska Porterhouse

You can also purchase food from supermarkets or grocery stores to reduce your food expenses. Still, I noticed that fewer supermarkets and grocery stores are generally available compared to major cities.

Events: mostly free!

There are many events before and after the AGM itself, mostly about value investing, which is Warren Buffett’s investment strategy. Many of them are free, but you need to pre-register. Some events also vet participants by asking you to provide your CV beforehand. 

I attended VALUExBRK, hosted by the Aquamarine Fund, which had many interesting speakers to cover a range of topics from de-risking to a critique of passive funds. It was also great to speak to finance professionals and personal investors from all around the world, to exchange ideas and Linkedin Contacts.

Actual Event day: free!

The doors open at 7 am, but I woke up at 3.30 am to join the queue at 4 am. If you don’t join the queue by 5 am, there is no chance of getting into the venue before the event starts at 8 am. If it sounds a bit crazy, it definitely felt that way, like it was a K-pop or Taylor Swift concert. It was also 6 degrees, which made the 3-hour queue much more unbearable. Be prepared for the long queue and bring warm clothing and hot drinks.

Intense crowd storming the Arena to enter – and I was already way in front!

Once in the event hall, though, free coffee and food are provided.

Listening to Warren Buffett: Priceless

As per the usual format of the event, Warren Buffett answered questions posed by attendees for over 4 hours, sharing insights on tariffs, his investments in Japan, fiscal policy and currency devaluation, and more. At the end of the event, Warren Buffett also announced his retirement from Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025, and the fact that I was in person to witness this historic event made it all the more memorable.

Extras

Each year, the convention hall hosts booths of Berkshire Hathaway-owned companies, which truly allows you to appreciate Berkshire’s diversity and scale. The companies range from Forest River, an RV company, to NetJets, a private jet company, to See’s Candies, a premium sweets maker.

You can buy products from these individual companies as well as limited-edition official merchandise, which includes caps, T-shirts, and a Berkshire 60th anniversary book. See’s Candies, Brooks shoes, and Jaywares (which sells Squishmallows) each made over US$300,000 in sales over the AGM weekend.

The extremely crowded convention hall

My own purchases included See’s Candies chocolates and sweets, which are great as gifts (and much cheaper there than in Singapore!), as well as two pairs of limited edition Charlie and Warren Squishmallows.

Cost: US$200 (S$260)

Here are all the main costs for attending the Annual Shareholder Meeting in Singapore Dollars (SGD)

All conversions are done at the current exchange rate of US$1 = S$1.30

Going to the Berkshire Hathaway AGM costs a decent amount of money, as the US is very far from Singapore. Plus, the large crowds mean that prices of accommodation and ride-hailing are bumped up. For many, it’s the pilgrimage and the journey to meet like-minded investors who believe in Buffett’s philosophy of share ownership and long-term investing that makes it valuable.

If you’re an admirer of Warren Buffett, him stepping down could mean a drastic change to the format of the AGM. I suspect that he may not be a large part of the AGM in the years to come after stepping down, to allow Greg Abel, the new CEO, to shine. Still, as long as he is alive, he will likely make at least a guest appearance. If you wish to embark on your pilgrimage to Omaha, start planning early to avoid disappointment.

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