艾麗斯·施羅德，曾任摩根士丹利的董事總經理，因撰寫伯剋希爾·哈撒韋公司的研究報告而與巴菲特結識，而巴菲特也因為賞識她的洞察力、和掌握主題的能力，授權施羅德撰寫他的人生故事。生於德州，在得剋薩斯大學奧斯汀分校獲得學士及MBA學位。擁有會計師執照，目前與丈夫居住在康涅狄格州。

《滾雪球: 沃倫·巴菲特和他的財富人生》這本巴菲特生平唯一授權的官方傳記，以從未有過的視角，揭開瞭巴菲特的真實人牛。許多年來聚光燈下高大的“股神”終 於走下神壇，以他最平實的語言、最真誠的心，娓娓道來，講述瞭他78午人生巾最觸動人心的故事，分享瞭他60多年商業和投資生涯中最寶貴的經驗。

1939午的鼕天，9歲的巴菲特在院子裏玩雪。他把少量的積雪鏟到一塊，揉成一個雪球，然後把它放在地上慢慢滾動，雪球越滾越大……

從此，巴菲特再也沒有停下腳步，目光投嚮白雪皚皚的整個世界……

沃倫·巴菲特，我們這個時代碩果儀存的商業領袖和投資大師，甚至在死後還會影響後世50年的偉大人物，終於嚮我們敞開瞭他的心扉。

Here is THE book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as “The Oracle of Omaha.”

Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time he became the world’s richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term “simple.”

When Alice Schroeder met Warren Buffett she was an insurance industry analyst and a gifted writer known for her keen perception and business acumen. Her writings on finance impressed him, and as she came to know him she realized that while much had been written on the subject of his investing style, no one had moved beyond that to explore his larger philosophy, which is bound up in a complex personality and the details of his life. Out of this came his decision to cooperate with her on the book about himself that he would never write.

Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer’s questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates—opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear. Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett’s legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people’s lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.

From the Hardcover edition.