Warren Buffett on Monday assured Berkshire Hathaway shareholders they should stick around as he prepares to depart as chief executive, giving a full-throated endorsement to his successor Greg Abel and promising to remain a major shareholder.

“I will no longer be writing Berkshire's annual report or talking endlessly at the annual meeting. As the British would say, I'm ‘going quiet.’ Sort of,” Buffett wrote. “Greg Abel will become the boss at yearend. He is a great manager, a tireless worker and an honest communicator. Wish him an extended tenure,” he added.

As Buffett prepares to hand over Berkshire’s reins, he’s fast-tracking his mission to give away nearly all of his $147 billion fortune.

In a Thanksgiving letter that will become an annual tradition, Buffett said he needs to accelerate the disbursement of his Berkshire stock to his three children's foundations. He also intends to keep a significant amount of shares for a short window until shareholders gain confidence in incoming CEO Greg Abel.