What are some of the great companies that came to your mind when you read the title?

Is it your favourite fast food restaurant McDonald’s or the well-known consumer electronics company Apple. Perhaps even American Express and Coca-Cola have popped up too?

These are exactly the companies Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has invested in. These are great companies with strong brand names. There are not many other companies in the world that are able to rival their standings in their respective industries.

While there are in different industries, you may have already noticed some common characteristics they possess – large, well-known and successful. If you are like Warren Buffett and invested earlier on, you have probably made quite a sum on your investments to date.

Let’s have a look at the historical share price for McDonald’s:

If you invested in McDonald’s in 1984 for $2.49 per share,