How to be a billionaire

“Becoming Warren Buffett” tells the improbable story of how an ambitious, numbers-obsessed boy from Nebraska became one of the richest, most-respected men in the world. The candid portrait sheds new light on a man who has helped shape the way Americans view capitalism and, more recently, philanthropy. Told primarily in Buffett’s own words, the film features never-before-released home videos, family photographs, archival footage and interviews with family and friends.

“I like numbers,” Buffett tells a group of Omaha Central High School students. “It started before I can remember.” A voracious reader, the seven-year-old read the library book “One Thousand Ways to Make $1000,” and made extra cash selling Coca-Cola, gum and newspapers as a youth. His father, a salesman who survived the Depression, was elected to Congress when Warren was 12, moving the family to Washington. Displaced and unhappy, The youngster lost interest in academics and faltered, despite his love of learning and competitive spirit.

With a net worth of more than US$60 billion, Buffett is truly a one-of-a-kind billionaire. Now 86, the legendary investor still lives in a modest home in Omaha, and continues to drive himself to the office every morning to manage Berkshire Hathaway, the fourth-largest public company in the world. But more surprising than his humble lifestyle and self-effacing personality are Buffett’s moral integrity and unique mind, which drove him not only to become the most successful businessman in the world, but also an unparalleled philanthropist.

Check it out at www.HBOAsia.com