That might explain why the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has Berkshire as its second biggest holding, behind only Microsoft. As of the latest reporting period, the foundation owns 24.6 million shares of Berkshire worth around $10 billion, making up 21% of its total portfolio.

Berkshire stock has compounded in value by roughly 20% per year for decades. A small investment could have turned into a large fortune over that time period if it had been invested in Berkshire shares. This fact alone has attracted scores of investors to Berkshire. But there are two things every investor should know about the company today.