Recently, I read an interesting article about how Charlie Munger lived in his final years. You know, it wasn't at all a peaceful retirement by the coast, as one might think. On the contrary — full of energy, contrarian moves, and constant new challenges.

What struck me: at 99 years old, this investment giant declined a luxurious ocean-view house in California and stayed in his old house in Los Angeles without air conditioning. Why? Simply because he was closer to the people he valued and the projects that inspired him. Such a stance says a lot.

Here's what’s especially interesting — in his last year of life, Munger made a bet on the coal industry, which he had avoided for 60 years. The market was pessimistic, but Charlie Munger saw the logic that others missed. He bought shares of Consol Energy and Alpha Metallurgical Resources. By the time of his death, these investments had yielded him over $50 million in profit. A classic example of contrarian thinking.

But even more impressive is his friendship with young neighbor Avi Mayer. In 2005, a 17-year-old knocked on his door. Instead of brushing him off, Charlie Munger became his mentor. Later, when Mayer and a friend got into real estate, Munger supported their company Afton Properties. Since 2017, they’ve together acquired about 10,000 apartments in Southern California. Munger was involved in everything — from choosing locations to picking paint colors. Today, the company’s assets are worth around $3 billion. Now that’s mentorship!

In recent years, he faced health issues — his eyesight worsened, and mobility declined. But he faced it all with humor and dignity. He joked that the secret to his longevity was Diet Coke, and told guests, “Oh, if only I could be 86 again!” Instead of withdrawing into himself, he regularly had breakfast with business friends, sharing experiences and life philosophies.

His friendship with Buffett remained unchanged until the end. They would call each other once every week or two, even though both had hearing problems and lived in different cities. According to close friends, they just shouted into the phone, and the whole neighborhood could hear. A few days before his death, when Munger was in the hospital, he asked his family to leave the room so he could call Buffett one last time. That’s how two legendary partners said goodbye. It’s touching and also shows how important these relationships were to both of them.