You should understand the cost basis, and the dividends these positions have paid out over time. It's not like Buffet paid $24B for Coca-Cola or $28B for AmEx y

You should understand the cost basis, and the dividends these positions have paid out over time. It's not like Buffet paid $24B for Coca-Cola or $28B for AmEx yesterday. From the 2022 letter, heading "Secret Sauce": > In August 1994 – yes, 1994 – Berkshire completed its seven-year purchase of the 400 million shares of Coca-Cola we now own. The total cost was $1.3 billion – then a very meaningful sum at Berkshire. > The cash dividend we received from Coke in 1994 was $75 million. By 2022, the dividend had increased to $704 million. Growth occurred every year, just as certain as birthdays. All Charlie and I were required to do was cash Coke’s quarterly dividend checks. We expect that those checks are highly likely to grow. > American Express is much the same story. Berkshire’s purchases of Amex were essentially completed in 1995 and, coincidentally, also cost $1.3 billion. Annual dividends received from this investment have grown from $41 million to $302 million. Those checks, too, seem highly likely to increase. These are positions that have matured and paid for themselves years ago.