Getting rich through investing is a goal many people share, but building wealth over decades requires patience. While some investors look for quick returns, Warren Buffett has long followed a strategy built around long-term investments and the power of compounding. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once asked Warren Buffett why more people did not follow his investment approach, despite its simplicity. Buffett’s response, shared by Bezos at the America Business Forum in Miami in 2025, highlighted a key reason why many investors struggle to stay focused on long-term gains.
What Warren Buffett told Jeff Bezos about his investment strategy
“I once asked Warren Buffett, why don’t more people copy your investment strategy?” Jeff Bezos said on stage at the America Business Forum in Miami in 2025. “It’s not that difficult to understand in principle. And he said, ‘Oh, Jeff, that’s easy. My approach is a get-rich-slowly scheme.’”Jeff Bezos then explained why Buffett’s approach may be difficult for many people to follow.“And people don’t like those,” he continued. “But there’s a lot of truth in that for everything, which is if you can think in terms of seven years instead of three years, and you can defer gratification and think long term, that will give you a head start against all of your competitors because most people can’t do that.”Warren Buffett’s investment strategy has focused on buying strong businesses at reasonable prices and holding them for long periods. He has often stressed the importance of patience rather than trying to predict short-term market movements.In his 1988 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Buffett wrote, “Our favorite holding period is forever.” The approach relies on allowing investments to grow over time. Compounding can have a greater effect over longer periods, although investment returns are never guaranteed.
Jeff Bezos also built Amazon with a long-term approach
Bezos has also spoken about the importance of thinking beyond short-term results. Amazon’s first shareholder letter in 1997 carried the heading “It’s All About the Long Term.”The company invested heavily in warehouses, technology and new businesses during its early years. Amazon reported its first full-year profit in 2003, six years after the letter was published.Bezos’ remarks in Miami reflected the same principle: focusing on a longer time horizon can offer an advantage when others are prioritising quicker results.