Author: Gregory Zuckerman
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Date Read: December 2, 2025
This WSJ exclusive explores the lesser-known final chapter of Charlie Munger’s life—revealing how, even in his late 90s, Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman remained intellectually voracious, made bold investment moves, and continued building meaningful relationships until the end.
Key Insights
Choosing stimulation over comfort. Despite owning a spectacular ocean-view home in Montecito (in a gated community he designed that locals called “Mungerville”), Munger chose to remain in his longtime LA home—which didn’t even have air conditioning. During a heat wave, friends brought electric fans and bags of ice to cool his library. The reason for staying: it was close to people he liked and projects he found stimulating.
Still making bold bets at 99. In the year before his death, Munger made over $50 million from a bet on an out-of-favor industry he had shunned for 60 years—demonstrating his willingness to change his mind when facts warranted, even at the very end.
Long-term thinking beyond his timeline. He revved up his real-estate activities, working with a young neighbor to place big, long-term wagers—unusual for a nonagenarian, but characteristic of someone who thought in decades rather than years.
Intellectual curiosity until the very end. “Even a week or two before passing away, he was asking questions such as, ‘Does Moore’s Law apply in the age of AI?’” recalls his friend Jamie Montgomery. His mind remained engaged with cutting-edge questions about technology and the future.
Legacy. When Munger died weeks before his 100th birthday, he was among the nation’s most beloved businessmen, celebrated for his wit and wisdom—and the role he played helping Warren Buffett build Berkshire Hathaway into a trillion-dollar company.