8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED) October 28, 2002

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

Delaware	001-14905	47-0813844
(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF INCORPORATION)	(COMMISSION FILE NUMBER)	(I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NO.)

1440 Kiewit Plaza Omaha, Nebraska	68131
(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES)	(ZIP CODE)

REGISTRANT’S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE (402) 346-1400

ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS

Effective January 1, 2002, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire”) adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 142 “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.” SFAS No. 142 changed the accounting for goodwill from a model that required amortization of goodwill, supplemented by impairment tests, to an accounting model that is based solely upon impairment tests.

The transitional requirements of paragraph 61 of SFAS No. 142 require Berkshire to provide certain transitional disclosures with selected financial data. Such transitional disclosures, for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997, and for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2002 and June 30, 2001, are included in the selected financial data filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1, and the information set forth therein is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND EXHIBITS

(c) The following exhibit is attached hereto:

Exhibit 99.1 Selected Financial Data of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. for the Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997 and for the Six-Month Periods ended June 30, 2002 and June 30, 2001

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.
By:	/s/    MARC D. HAMBURG
	Marc D. Hamburg Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Date: October 28, 2002

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Selected Financial Data of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. for the Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997 and for the Six-Month Periods ended June 30, 2002 and June 30, 2001

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Selected Financial Data

(dollars in millions, except per share data)

	First half				Year ending December 31
	2002		2001		2001		2000		1999		1998		1997
	Unaudited
Revenues:
Insurance premiums earned	$	8,855	$	9,108	$	17,905	$	19,343	$	14,306	$	5,481	$	4,761
Sales and service revenues		8,137		7,090		14,902		7,361		5,918		4,675		3,615
Interest, dividend and other investment income		1,407		1,383		2,815		2,725		2,314		1,049		916
Revenues from finance and financial products		986		707		1,564		1,505		987		394		359
Realized investment gain (1)		187		902		1,363		3,955		1,365		2,415		1,106
Total revenues	$	19,572	$	19,190	$	38,549	$	34,889	$	24,890	$	14,014	$	10,757
Earnings:
Net earnings (1) (3) (4)	$	1,961	$	1,379	$	795	$	3,328	$	1,557	$	2,830	$	1,901
Net earnings per share (4)	$	1,280	$	903	$	521	$	2,185	$	1,025	$	2,262	$	1,542
Balance sheet data as of June 30 and December 31 (2):	Unaudited
Total assets	$	167,497	$	148,776	$	162,752	$	135,792	$	131,416	$	122,237	$	56,111
Borrowings under investment agreements and other debt of non-finance businesses		4,091		3,660		3,485		2,663		2,465		2,385		2,267
Notes payable and other borrowings of finance businesses		5,213		3,591		9,019		2,116		1,998		1,503		326
Shareholders’ equity		62,370		58,730		57,950		61,724		57,761		57,403		31,455
Class A equivalent common shares outstanding, in thousands		1,534		1,527		1,528		1,526		1,521		1,519		1,234
Shareholders’ equity per outstanding Class A equivalent share	$	40,660	$	38,458	$	37,920	$	40,442	$	37,987	$	37,801	$	25,488

(1) The amount of realized investment gain/loss for any given period has no predictive value, and variations in amount from period to period have no practical analytical value, particularly in view of the unrealized appreciation now existing in Berkshire’s consolidated investment portfolio. For the first half of 2002 and 2001, net earnings include after-tax realized investment gains of $111 million and $564 million, respectively. For the year ending December 31, after-tax realized investment gains were $842 million in 2001, $2,392 million in 2000, $886 million in 1999, $1,553 million in 1998 and $704 million in 1997.

(2) Year-end data for 1998 includes General Re Corporation acquired by Berkshire on December 21, 1998.

(3) Net earnings for the year ending December 31, 2001 includes pre-tax underwriting losses of $2.4 billion in connection with the September 11 terrorist attack. Such losses reduced net earnings by approximately $1.5 billion and earnings per share by $982.

(4) Effective January 1, 2002, Berkshire adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No.142 “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets”. SFAS No. 142 changed the accounting for goodwill from a model that required amortization of goodwill, supplemented by impairment tests, to an accounting model that is based solely upon impairment tests.

A reconciliation of Berkshire’s Consolidated Statements of Earnings for each of the five years ending December 31, 2001 and for the first half of 2002 and 2001 from amounts reported to amounts exclusive of goodwill amortization is shown below. Goodwill amortization for the year ending December 31, 2001 and 2000 includes $78 million and $65 million, respectively, related to Berkshire’s equity method investment in MidAmerican Energy. For the first half of 2001, goodwill amortization related to MidAmerican was $40 million.

	First half				Year ending December 31
	2002		2001		2001		2000		1999		1998		1997
Net income as reported	$	1,961	$	1,379	$	795	$	3,328	$	1,557	$	2,830	$	1,901
Goodwill amortization, after tax		—		322		636		548		476		111		83
Net income as adjusted	$	1,961	$	1,701	$	1,431	$	3,876	$	2,033	$	2,941	$	1,984
Earnings per equivalent share of Class A common stock:
As reported	$	1,280	$	903	$	521	$	2,185	$	1,025	$	2,262	$	1,542
Goodwill amortization		—		211		416		360		313		88		67
Earnings per share as adjusted	$	1,280	$	1,114	$	937	$	2,545	$	1,338	$	2,350	$	1,609