Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors in history, but his wealth did not appear overnight. This is a full year-by-year breakdown of the Oracle of Omaha's approximate net worth from age 14, when he was worth roughly $5,000, to age 96, where he now sits at approximately $143 billion according to the latest Forbes real-time data. The story his net worth curve tells is one of the most powerful lessons in personal finance. Buffett did not become a millionaire until he was 30 years old. He did not cross the billion-dollar threshold until age 56. And by his own admission, nearly 99 percent of his entire fortune was built after his 50th birthday. That is compounding in action. The early years look almost boring on the chart. Five thousand dollars at 14, twenty thousand at 21, one hundred and forty thousand at 26. But once the compounding curve kicks in, the numbers move fast. Seven million at 35. Twenty five million at 39. Sixty seven million at 47. A billion at 55. Sixteen bi...