This week Forbes released a list of the 25 most generous people in the United States.
I love reading articles like these as they are positive and show the good people can do for their communities, and it is great to share positive, uplifting stories with readers.
Warren Buffett was rated at the top of the list as the most generous person in the nation.
Buffett, the richest person in Omaha, donated $5.1 billion last year. Over his lifetime, Buffet has given away an astounding $51.5 billion to various organizations.
He is most likely the biggest philanthropist of all time.
Philanthropy
In 2010, in conjunction with fellow billionaire Bill Gates, Buffett launched the Giving Pledge, asking billionaires to pledge at least half of their wealth to charitable causes. Buffett aims to beat his stated aim of giving away half, pledging, in fact, to give away more than 99% of his fortune.
"More than 99% of my wealth will go to philanthropy during my lifetime or at death. Measured by dollars, this commitment is large. In a comparative sense, though, many individuals give more to others every day." Warren Buffett
Last Thanksgiving, just ahead of Giving Tuesday gifted $750 million to the four foundations run by his family, who are just as happy to donate their family fortune.
“I’ve got a personal pride in how my kids turned out. I feel good about the fact that they know I feel good about them. This is the ultimate endorsement in my kids, and it’s the ultimate statement that my kids don’t want to be dynastically wealthy.”
While that was enormous, it was nothing compared to what Buffett did in July. Last July, he gave out a massive $4 billion. The donations were given to five philanthropic organizations so large that Buffet fell from the fifth richest person in the world to the sixth richest!
Buffett is undoubtedly making Omaha proud.
Your thoughts
Readers, what do you think of Buffett's generosity? What organizations in Omaha would you like to see him support? Are you proud that Buffet lives in Omaha?
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