There are three main components to Berkshire Hathaway, at least from an investor's perspective. Berkshire owns a collection of more than 60 operating businesses, including some household names like GEICO, Duracell, Fruit of the Loom, and Dairy Queen. It also owns a stock portfolio worth nearly $300 billion that includes several notable large positions in companies such as Apple and American Express (NYSE: AXP). And last but certainly not least, Berkshire has about $344 billion in cash and short-term investments on its balance sheet.