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Freedom251 › Blog › Berkshire Hathaway

How to Buy Berkshire Hathaway Stock Through a Brokerage Account

By Freedom251 Team · · 4 min read

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To buy Berkshire Hathaway stock, open and fund a brokerage account, search for the share class you want—BRK.A or BRK.B—then review and submit an order. The broker must support that class; fractional-share purchases, if you want one, depend on the broker and the security’s eligibility on its platform.

1. Choose a brokerage account

A brokerage account is the account you use to buy and sell securities. Before opening one, check the broker’s account terms, fees, supported order types, and whether its platform offers the Berkshire share class you intend to buy. If fractional shares matter to you, check eligibility for the exact class rather than assuming all stocks or account types are supported.

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Investor.gov explains how to check brokers and investment professionals through its brokerage account information and broker lookup guidance. Brokers generally must register with the SEC and become FINRA members.

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2. Open and fund the account

Follow the brokerage firm’s current instructions to open the account, complete identity checks, and transfer funds. A cash account requires full payment for securities purchased. A margin account lets you borrow from the broker and has different terms and risks; borrowing is not necessary just to buy Berkshire shares. Investor.gov describes these account types in its brokerage account guide.

3. Choose between BRK.A and BRK.B

Berkshire Hathaway has two classes of common stock. Its filing identifies their symbols as BRK.A and BRK.B. Confirm that the broker’s search result and order ticket name Berkshire Hathaway and show the class you intend to purchase; do not rely on a ticker alone if the platform displays additional details.

The classes are not interchangeable. Berkshire’s 1998 filing says a Class A share may be converted at the holder’s option into 30 Class B shares, while Class B shares cannot be converted into Class A shares. In its 2022 proxy statement, Berkshire reported that, as of that proxy’s record date, each Class A share carried one vote and each Class B share carried 1/10,000 of one vote on matters submitted to shareholders. Those figures describe different things: the conversion ratio is not the voting ratio.

4. Set the amount and choose an order type

Enter the number of whole shares you want, or a dollar amount if the broker supports fractional orders for that class. Then choose an order type. A displayed quote or last trade is not a guaranteed execution price: prices may move while an order is routed, and an order may not execute immediately.

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Market order

A market order seeks prompt execution, but it does not guarantee the price at which the order will fill. The final price can differ from the quote you saw when entering the order.

Buy limit order

The SEC says, “A limit order is an order to buy or sell a stock at a specific price or better.” For a buy limit order, the broker may execute only at your limit price or lower, but the order may not execute if shares are not available at that price. Read the SEC’s explanation of stock order types before choosing.

5. Review, submit, and verify the order

  1. Check the order preview. Confirm the Berkshire company name, BRK.A or BRK.B, quantity or dollar amount, order type, estimated total, and any time-in-force setting shown by the broker.
  2. Submit the order only after the preview matches your intention. The broker handles routing under its processes and obligations; execution can take time, and the price can change during routing.
  3. Check the order status in the account. It may show as open, partially filled, filled, or canceled, depending on the broker’s labels and the order’s progress.
  4. Review the trade confirmation for the executed quantity and price. If you cancel an order, verify that the cancellation completed before placing a replacement, so you do not accidentally create a second order.

The SEC explains how brokers handle orders and execution in its order execution information.

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Can you buy fractional Berkshire Hathaway shares?

Possibly, but it depends on the brokerage firm and whether it makes that particular security eligible for fractional investing. Some firms let customers enter a dollar amount or buy less than one whole share; they may also restrict order types, minimum amounts, trading hours, or platform access, and may aggregate fractional orders instead of executing each one in real time.

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Ask the broker specifically whether BRK.B is eligible and review its rules for order handling and liquidity. Do not assume fractional BRK.A or BRK.B purchases are available at every broker. Investor.gov outlines considerations in its fractional shares guide.

What protection does SIPC provide?

SIPC may protect eligible customer cash and securities if a SIPC-member brokerage firm fails, up to $500,000 per customer, including a $250,000 limit for cash. It does not protect you from a decline in Berkshire’s share price or other investment losses. See Investor.gov’s SIPC protection explanation for details.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Berkshire HathawayBRK.ABRK.Bbrokerage accountfractional sharesinvesting basics

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