According to Steve Jordan, writing in the December 29th edition of Omaha.com, Warren Buffet is not a success at everything. It seems there’s one thing he’s struggling with.
Here’s what Mr. Jordan has to say,
“Warren Buffett failed to make headway this year in his quest to turn his fortune over to charity. The 30 percent increase in Berkshire’s stock price this year is the culprit.
Despite his July donation of a record $2.6 billion worth of shares in Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the Omaha-based conglomerate he heads, the paper value of Buffett’s holdings increased during 2013 from $47 billion to $59.3 billion.”
How does one fail in a quest to turn one’s fortune over to charity? Did he accidentally misplace the decimal point on the check? Hello, Mr. Buffet, I think I know how to get rid of that fortune.
There are a lot of people out there that are worth a lot of money, and a great many of them give a great deal of it away to charities. Unlike Mr. Buffet though, a lot of people choose not to pass that information on.
The cynic in me is reminded of the rich man who, when Christ told him to give everything away, ended up walking away.
I don’t know Warren Buffet, so I can’t speak to the motives of his heart. Perhaps he wants to be an inspiration so that others will do the same. Personally, I think we're better off when we don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.
