Why Warren Buffett Isn't the World's Richest Person?

Surprising Announcement

Warren Buffett ne 2006 mein sabko surprise kar diya jab unhone announce kiya ki woh apni almost saari wealth donate kar denge. Tab se, Buffett ne apne Berkshire Hathaway ke shares mein se 55 billion dollars se zyada charity ko de diye hain. Abhi haal hi mein 5.3 billion dollars ki donation ne unhe Forbes ke richest logon ki list mein 8th se 10th position par kar diya, aur ab unki net worth 128.9 billion dollars hai.

The What-If Scenario

Par sochiye agar Buffett itne dayalu na hote toh kya hota? 2006 mein, unke paas lagbhag 475,000 class A shares of Berkshire Hathaway the, jo us samay 43 billion dollars ke the. Agar unhone saare shares apne paas rakhe hote, toh aaj unki value lagbhag 292 billion dollars hoti. Aur unki baaki investments ko bhi shaamil karein toh unki Daulat lagbhag 293 billion dollars hoti. Iske saath, woh duniya ke sabse ameer insaan hote, Elon Musk (252.4 billion dollars), Jeff Bezos (215.9 billion dollars), aur Bernard Arnault (191 billion dollars) in logon ko bhi piche chod dete. Apne dost Bill Gates se 6 billion dollars kam hone ke bajay, Buffett Bill Gates se double ke barabar hote.

Seedhi baat mein, agar Warren Buffett apni wealth donate karne ka faisla na lete, toh woh duniya ke sabse ameer insaan hote. Estimated 293 billion dollars ke saath, Buffett ne Musk ka record tod diya hota, jo 2021 mein 300 billion dollars ko briefly cross kar gaya tha. Itni wealth ke saath, Buffett McDonald's, Coca-Cola, ya duniya ke 50 sabse valuable sports teams ko kharid sakte the.

A Path Less Taken:

Par Buffett ne ek alag raasta chuna. Apni modest lifestyle ke liye jaane jaane wale Buffett ne apni wealth ka 99% donate karne ka vaada liya. Har saal, woh 5 chosen foundations ko billions of dollars donate karte hain, aur har saal ki gift pehle se 5% kam shares hoti hai. Buffett ne kaha tha, "Meri family aur main kuch bhi nahi chhodenge jo humein chahiye ya jo hum chahte hain, is 99% ke vade ko pura karke." "Main aise jeeta rahunga jo mujhe zindagi mein sab kuch de sakta hai."

Buffett ki donations mein se zyada Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ko jaati hain. Ye foundation ab tak Buffett se 43 billion dollars se zyada ka stock pa chuki hai. 2000 mein Bill Gates aur unki ex-wife Melinda ne yeh foundation start ki thi jo poverty, healthcare, aur education par focus karti hai. 2010 mein, Buffett ne Gateses ke saath milkar The Giving Pledge co-found kiya, jo billionaires ko apni wealth ka kam se kam aadha hissa charitable causes ko donate karne ke liye encourage karti hai. 2021 mein Buffett Gates Foundation ke trustee se step down kar gaye, par unki philanthropy ki commitment ab bhi strong hai.

Buffett ke teen bacche aur unki late wife ke naam par bani foundation bhi unki dayalupan ka fayda utha chuki hai. Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, jo healthcare aur education par focus karti hai, unko 4.8 billion dollars se zyada ka shares mil chuka hai. Unke bacchon ki charities — Sherwood Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation, aur NoVo Foundation ko total 8 billion dollars se zyada mil chuka hai.

Continued Commitment:

Lagbhag do decades ke giving ke baad, 93 saal ke Buffett ne apne Berkshire stake ko lagbhag 208,000 class A shares tak reduce kar diya hai, jo ab bhi July 8 tak lagbhag 128 billion dollars ke worth ki hain. Woh apni annual donations ko paanch foundations ko dete rahenge jab tak woh zinda hain. Recently, Buffett ne bataya ki unki death ke baad jo bhi wealth bachegi, woh largely ek charitable trust ko jaayegi jo unke bacche dekhenge, pehle ke soch ke mutabik primarily Gates Foundation ko nahi. Ultimately, Buffett ki wealth ka 99% se zyada charity ko donate hoga.

Modest Lifestyle:

Buffett ki lifestyle unki bahut zyada wealth se kaafi alag hai. Unhone 1958 se Omaha, Nebraska mein wahi modest ghar rakha hai aur aksar McDonald's se exact change mein khana khate hain. 2021 mein unhone likha, "Society ko mere paison ki jarurat hai. Muzhe nahi."

Legacy:

Buffett ka apni daulat ko donate karne ka decision agar unhone na kiya hota, toh unki legacy ek philanthropist ke roop mein aur bhi strong hoti. Apni wealth ko personal gain par prioritize karke, Buffett ne yeh dikhaya hai ki asli wealth woh nahi jo hum rakhte hain, balki woh jo hum dete hain. Unke actions ne dusron ko bhi inspire kiya hai aur Kindness aur iska society par impact kya ho sakta hai, yeh bataya hai. Apni continued dedication se philanthropy mein, Buffett inspire karte hain aur example set karte hain, yeh prove karte hue ki sabse badi wealth humari dayalu pan hai.