Both Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and business mogul Kim Kardashian West are wildly successful in their own spheres. But the pair have another thing in common as well: They agree that the best investment they’ve ever made is in themselves.
"Ultimately, there's one investment that : Invest in yourself," Buffett told Forbes. “Address whatever you feel your weaknesses are, and do it now.”
The legendary investor learned this lesson firsthand when he enrolled in a as a young adult, which he says changed his life. The course was taught by Dale Carnegie, the well-known author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
"I was terrified of public speaking when I was young. I couldn't do it," Buffett says. He admits he became physically ill when the time came to take the podium. Still, he was determined to complete the course and master his fear. Not only did that make him a better investor and salesman, but he says he gained so much confidence that he during the course.
Investing in yourself adds lasting value to your life. “Nobody can take away what you've got in yourself — and everybody has potential they haven't used yet,” Buffett says.
Unlike financial investments, which ebb and flow with the market, any time, energy and money you put toward bettering yourself is well spent. “If you can increase your potential 10 percent, 20 percent or 30 percent by enhancing your talents, they can't tax it away,” Buffett says. “Inflation can't take it from you. You have it the rest of your life.”
Kardashian West agrees. “Is it cheesy to just say the best investment I’ve made is I’ve invested in myself and believed in myself?” she told Weathsimple in a recent profile.
Her work has paid off: The social media star is worth an estimated $350 million. In addition to appearing on 14 seasons of E!’s hit show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” she has her hand in several ventures, including a mobile game, children’s clothing line and “Kimoji” app and ecommerce site.
Most recently, Kardashian West has focused on her makeup line, KKW Beauty, which launched in 2017. It has already pulled in an estimated $100 million in sales, Forbes reports.
“I’ve always had that insane drive,” she says. “Like, if I want something bad enough, I always figure it out.”
Don't miss: Warren Buffett: If you invest this way, 'you can't miss'
Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!
