24 mind-blowing facts about Warren Buffett and his $87 billion fortune

While his elementary school classmates were dreaming about the major leagues and Hollywood, 10-year old Buffett was having lunch with a member of the New York Stock Exchange and setting life goals. REUTERS/Rick Wilking Buffett's legendary career all began with an epiphany at age 10 when he was on a trip to New York City with his dad. Dining with a member of the NYSE planted the idea in young Buffett's head to organize his life around money. Source: Business Insider

He bought his first stock at age 11. Airbnb He purchased multiple shares of Cities Service Preferred for $38 apiece. Source: GOBankingRates

When Buffett was a teen, he was already raking in about $175 a month — more than his teachers (and most adults). AP Images He pulled this off by dutifully delivering the Washington Post. Source: Business Insider

He had amassed the equivalent of $53,000 by the time he was just 16. AP Images Paper delivery was just one of many small businesses teenage Buffett orchestrated: He sold used golf balls and stamps, buffed cars, set up a pinball machine business, and turned a horse track into a lucrative playground. Source: Business Insider

He was rejected from Harvard Business School. Flickr/Florian Pilz Buffett, confident he nailed his admissions interview, had already told a friend, "Join me at Harvard." "I looked about 16 and emotionally was about nine," he recalled of the in-person interview. Forced to look elsewhere, he settled on Columbia University, which only required a written application and no interview. Source: Business Insider

His idol refused to hire him the first time he applied. AP Images Buffett originally wanted to work with his idol, and author of "The Intelligent Investor," Benjamin Graham, but Graham rejected him because he wasn't Jewish (Graham was saving a spot at his firm for someone Jewish, since at the time Jewish people had a tougher time landing work on Wall Street). Buffett wouldn't take no for an answer, and continued pitching Graham ideas until he eventually hired him. Source: James Altucher

Buffett spent $100 to take a Dale Carnegie course on public speaking. Brendan Hoffman/Getty He was 21 and terrified of public speaking. It ended up being a worthy investment, as the course helped him propose to his wife. Source: Business Insider

His house is a humble five-bedroom in Omaha, Nebraska, that he bought in 1956 for $31,500. Shutterstock If you want to be Buffett's neighbor, the house across the street will cost you about $2.15 million. Source: James Altucher

Buffett doesn't keep a computer on his desk, and he chooses to use a flip phone rather than a smartphone. CBS News There is, however, a World Book Encyclopedia set on his shelf. Source: James Altucher, Business Insider, and CNN

In fact, he's only sent one email in his life, to Jeff Raikes of Microsoft. Scott Olson/Getty Source: CNN

His distance from technology leaves him time for bridge, which he plays about 12 hours a week. Reuters Oftentimes, his bridge partner is Bill Gates. Source: James Altucher

He spends 80% of his day reading. AP Images When he's not playing bridge, he's reading. "I just sit in my office and read all day," he says. Source: The Week

He drinks an alarming amount of Coca-Cola each day. AP The business magnate is a notoriously unhealthy eater: "If I eat 2,700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce servings. I do it everyday." He also likes to double-fist salt shakers, and don't put it past him to enjoy a bowl of ice cream for breakfast. Source: Business Insider

99% of Buffett's wealth was earned after his 50th birthday. AP Images Source: Fool

Among investing legends, Buffett has the longest track record for beating the market. AP Photo/Nati Harnik The longevity of Buffett's outperformance is greater than that of other savvy investors, such as David Einhorn and Walter Schloss. Source: Business Insider

$1,000 invested in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway stock in 1964, when Buffett took over the company and shares cost just $19, would be worth about $13 million dollars today. Truth Leem/Reuters Source: Business Insider, Markets Insider

Buffett's net worth is greater than the GDP of Uruguay. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi Uruguay's 2014 GDP was estimated to be $57,471,277,325.

Though Buffett spends frugally, he gives generously. In 2010, he teamed up with Bill and Melinda Gates to form The Giving Pledge, an initiative that asks the world's wealthiest people to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images As of June 2016, more than 154 affluent individuals have signed the pledge, including Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison. Source: Business Insider, Fortune

Buffett has also so far donated nearly enough money in his lifetime to build six Apple 'Spaceship' Campuses, which are $5 billion endeavors. Reuters The Apple Campus, one of the last major projects Steve Jobs worked on, is a futuristic-looking company campus that will feature curved glass panels, an underground parking lot, a private auditorium for keynotes and product launches, and a 360-degree view of nature. Buffett has donated nearly $30 billion - the second-highest amount (following that of Bill Gates). Source: Forbes

In 2013, Buffett made on average $37 million per DAY — that's more than what Jennifer Lawrence made the entire year. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson According to Forbes, Jennifer Lawrence was the second-highest-paid actress in 2013, and she is estimated to have made $34 million that year. Warren Buffett made $37 million per day in 2013. Source: MarketWatch

In July 2016, Buffett broke his own giving record when he donated $2.9 billion to various charities, including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which is named for his late wife. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Source: Forbes

The multi-billionaire reportedly earns only $100,000 a year at Berkshire Hathaway — and spends it frugally. REUTERS/Rick Wilking Source: GOBankingRates

People are so fascinated with the legendary Buffett that they'll spend millions of dollars to eat lunch with him. Art Bochevarov/flickr Buffett has been auctioning off a "power lunch" since 2000 at his charity event for GLIDE Foundation. The highest bidder gets to bring up to seven people to dine with the steak-loving business magnate at Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Manhattan, and the most recent winner paid $3,456,789. Source: CNN Money