Baby Berkshire

Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares used to be only for Fat Cats, yacht-owners, and "I-have-so-much-money-I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-it" types. They were trading at $3,476 each, before each share was split into 50 smaller shares in 2010. This stock split is known as "Baby Berkshire."

Why the split? Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares weren't traded enough to make them part of the S&P 500, i.e. they were too cool for school. Splitting the few, large, expensive shares into more affordable, lil' baby shares brought them into the mainstream, which didn't take long.

Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares were split into 50 baby shares each at the end of January, and joined the popular kids in the S&P 500 in early February.

Why doesn't BRK split so that it's not a gadjillion dollars a share and impossible for Joe Sixpack to buy? Because servicing millions of shareholders is way more expensive than servicing tens of thousands. And the number itself is kind of a victory lap for W-Buff, who opens every annual report with its stock price in the mid 70s as a kind of friendly FU to everyone running laps slower than BRK. Which is pretty much everyone.