Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Charity begins at home

Warren Buffett's decision to make over the majority of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation makes the Microsoft founder's charity a bigger financial concern than Tesco, Lloyds TSB or British American Tobacco.

It also marks a remarkable turnaround for the world's second-richest man, who had previously insisted on giving away his $42bn fortune after his death, to ensure its long-term use.

The sheer scale of the newly-endowed Gates Foundation will be breathtaking. It was already a bigger company by valuation than Unilever, Cadburys Schweppes, and Prudential but with the Buffett money its endowment will rise to just short of $60bn (£33bn).

That is a sum greater than the gross domestic product of Libya, Ecuador, Croatia, Ghana, or Kuwait.

No comments: