Irish-American billionaire Chuck Feeney has donated $7.5 billion to charity and plans to give away the rest of his fortune before he dies. The 82-year-old prides himself on living a modest life; he travels coach, he doesn’t own a car, and he made a point of having his children work their way through college.
He began giving his fortune away in the 1980s but kept his philanthropy completely secret for 15 years- he even made the charities to which he donated keep his contributions anonymous.
Last year, Feeney told Forbes, “People who have money have an obligation. I wouldn’t say I’m entitled to tell them what to do with it but to use it wisely.” Feeney’s Atlantic Philanthropies foundation, which contributes to health, science, education, and civil rights causes around the world, will donate the remainder of his fortune by 2020.
Feeney told the Financial Times that he believes it’s better to do something good with the money rather than leave it in a bank account: “I became convinced that there was greater satisfaction from giving my money away and seeing something come out of the ground, like a hospital or a university.”
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