Warren Buffett, 95, plans to give away his remaining Berkshire Hathaway stake — worth about $140 billion — by the end of 2034. Bloomberg Intelligence senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas suggested the billionaire donate those shares to Trump Accounts, the new government-run savings program that launched July 4 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The program gives every eligible child born between 2025 and 2028 a $1,000 deposit from the Treasury, invested by default in an S&P 500 index fund called SPYM. But there's a catch: Trump Accounts currently only accept cash, and changing that would require a new law.
Buffett's eight-year timeline
On July 14, Buffett gave nearly $6 billion in Berkshire shares to his four family foundations. For the first time since 2006, the Gates Foundation got nothing. 'My goal is to dispose of all of my Berkshire shares within about eight years,' Buffett said. That puts the clock at 2034. The scale is enormous — roughly $140 billion in stock that needs a home.
How Trump Accounts work
The accounts are simple: the Treasury deposits $1,000 for each eligible child. Families can add up to $5,000 per year. The money goes into SPYM, an S&P 500 index fund. Robinhood and BNY run the app and the accounts. Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion to the program, giving $250 each to about 25 million children. So far, only cash has flowed in.
The stock-gift roadblock
Balchunas argues that allowing stock gifts could narrow the wealth gap, teach kids about investing, avoid capital gains tax, and carry Buffett's legacy. But the law limits Trump Accounts to cash and US index funds with fees under 0.1%. Altimeter Capital CEO Brad Gerstner has pushed to allow stock gifts from billionaires. He faces the same legal wall. Changing the rules means a new act of Congress.
Bitcoin's possible future
President Donald Trump has hinted that Bitcoin could join the accounts in the future. It's just an idea — no legislation, no timeline. But the hint alone signals that the program's asset menu might not stay narrow forever. For now, the only way in is cash.
The next concrete question is whether Congress will take up a bill to let billionaires donate stock to Trump Accounts. No one has filed one yet. The clock on Buffett's 2034 deadline is ticking.
