Mailbag, incl: What’s Buffett’s take on crypto. March 22, 2026

Hosts Scott and Andrew Page field listener questions in this Motley Fool Money mailbag, blending Warren Buffett's wisdom with debates on crypto's merits, navigating early investing losses, sound money history, financial planning's evolution, debt strategies, and Bitcoin lending mechanics. Discussions stress informed opinions, long-term horizons, and tradeoffs in nascent technologies and strategies.

Buffett's Crypto Skepticism Amid Innovation Potential

Warren Buffett dismisses cryptocurrencies as "rat poison squared," a view from Charlie Munger echoed around 2017 amid hype. Page agrees Buffett's instinct captures much of the "grift and scam" layered atop blockchain's base innovation, likening it to the 1990s internet boom—full of nonsense yet built on real tech. Buffett, at 90-something, skipped tech until 2012 and avoids non-productive assets like gold or Bitcoin, favoring cash-flow generators. Page counters that Bitcoin solves timeless problems like inflation and debanking for 9 billion people, predicting Berkshire might eventually stake big post-adoption curve, though at maturity it parallels cash more than stocks. Both hosts hold small Bitcoin positions but invest fundamentally; success lies in adoption phase gains, not long-term superiority to productive assets. They urge due diligence over hot takes, noting no serious researcher deems it a full scam.