'I'll Be Dead': Charlie Munger's Eerie Advice to Warren Buffett Before His Death: Write Your Obituary First—Then Live Life Backwards

Charlie Munger didn't just think about legacy — he planned his entire life around it. The billionaire investor, who passed away in late 2023 just weeks shy of his 100th birthday, left behind decades of wisdom. But it was one comment, shared in what would be his final interview, that stuck with people in an almost chilling way.

According to CNBC's Becky Quick, Munger once gave Warren Buffett a piece of advice that feels more like life instruction than financial strategy: "He should write his obituary the way he wants it written, and then live his life accordingly."

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Simple idea. Wildly uncomfortable. And coming from Munger — who'd lived through losing a child, going blind in one eye, and outlasting almost everyone else in the game — it carried weight. He didn't say it to sound poetic. He meant it.

When Quick asked if he had followed that same principle for himself, Munger replied, "I've written my obituary the way I've lived my life, and if you want to pay attention to it, that's alright with me. And if they want to ignore it, that's OK with me too. I'll be dead."

It landed like a punch — not because it was morbid, but because it was final. Munger had nothing left to prove. He'd made his choices, built his legacy, and wasn't sticking around to explain it.

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That was always Munger's style. For years, he preached the value of inversion — solving problems by flipping them around. One of his most-quoted lines sums it up best: "All I want to know is where I'm going to die so I'll never go there."

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The logic wasn't just clever — it shaped how he lived. Avoid stupid decisions . Don't blow your opportunities. Don't try to look like the richest guy in the room just because you can.

That last part wasn't theory. It was personal. Despite his wealth, Munger stayed in the same home for decades and resisted the urge to live like royalty. "I still decided not to live a life where I look like the Duke of Westchester," he said. "I didn't think it would be good for the children."

He wasn't interested in flash. He was interested in discipline — doing the right thing even if no one else clapped for it.

So when Munger said, "If they want to ignore it, that's OK with me too. I'll be dead," it wasn't cynicism. It was the clearest expression of how he viewed life: do it right the first time, because you don't get to rewrite your ending once it's over.

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