Buffett and Gates Ask Super Rich For Half

Gosh I just really admire Warren Buffett. And now I really admire Bill Gates too, who it took me a while to warm to, after thinking of him as a power hungry monopolizer of the PC business when it was on everyone’s radar so many years ago. Both of them, after accumulating incredible wealth, and being at the top of the Forbes richest people list for years in a row, have donated impressive portions of their large fortunes to nonprofit organizations.

Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have also started their own nonprofit, and campaign endlessly for worldwide health and well being. Warren Buffett has always been quite an interesting character when it comes to how he handles his hefty fortune. He has lived in the same home in Omaha Nebraska, that he has owned for decades now, well before he got as rich as he is today.

Now granted, I’m sure there have been some upgrades over the years, but this is just one example of his frugality and living below his means. He truly is a guy who enjoys doing what he does. You don’t look at him and think of power and greed and showiness, like you would some other multimillionaires and billionaires. Instead, you look at him and know that he is still down to earth in his thoughts and spending habits, and that he truly does his job because he enjoys it – he gets a kick out of it.

In an unprecedented bid, both Gates and Buffett are calling on all of their richest peers and asking them to pledge half of their worth to charities and nonprofit organizations that are near and dear to their hearts. What this could amount to if everyone on the Forbes richest list did this would total somewhere around $600 billion, which would be a huge win for these charities, and for the humanity, environmental issue, or animals, or whatever else it is that they support.

Here’s hoping they are successful in reaching as many wealthy people as they can with their message, and actually being heard. This not only will provide a great windfall for good causes, but I think it also shows a huge vote of confidence in humanity, and especially the rich, who are often viewed unfavorably for not being giving, or from “stealing from the poor”, which we know is generally not true.