Charles Feeney He is 91 years old and lives in a small apartment with his wife. He decided to donate his entire fortune in order to help other people. That has been his dream, to give away all his assets while he is alive. We tell you the inspiring story of him.
Charles Feeney is an American businessman who, for many years, donated his money to charitable foundations. He came to give away the sum of US $ 8,000 million to altruistic projects around the world. But the particular of Feeney It’s that he did it anonymously. His dream was always to run out of his fortune in life. Also, despite his high net worth, he never spent on luxuries or mansions.
In 2017, a BBC journalist asked him why he secretly helped other people with large sums of money. He American philanthropist he simply replied, “Because you don’t have to explain to people why you’re doing it.” Next, we tell you the story of this tycoon.
What is the story of Charles Feeney, the billionaire who gave away his entire fortune?
Charles Feeney He was born in New Jersey, United States, in 1931. He came into the world in the context of the Great Depression, from the North American country. His father worked as an insurance agent, while his mother was a nurse.
He demonstrated his business skills from a very young age. He used to sell Christmas-themed cards to his neighbors when he was just ten years old. When he reached adolescence, he joined the US Army and fought in the Korean War.
Charles Feeney is 91 years old and lives in a small apartment. Photo: BBC
Subsequently, he became the first member of his family to go to university. For this, he took advantage of an educational program in the United States for veterans. That’s how he studied at Cornell University.
After finishing his undergraduate degree, he opened his own business in which he sold different products to the US troops. With this first experience, he was able to found, in 1960, Duty Free Shoppers (DFS). Today, this company bills itself as “the world’s leading luxury travel retailer.”
How did Charles Feeney donate his fortune to altruistic projects?
Charles Feeney decided to found, in 1982, The Atlantic Philanthropies. Through this initiative, he donated his fortune to support social and humanitarian projects around the world.
Charles Feeney managed in 2020 to donate his entire fortune to social initiatives around the world. Photo: Forbes
He secretly donated for 15 years. This caused him to be classified as the ‘James Bond of charity’. From the creation of The Atlantic Philanthropies to 2020, Feeney he donated practically all his assets: US$ 8,000 million.
This exorbitant sum of money has gone to countries around the globe such as the Republic of Ireland, Cuba, South Africa, among others. Since 2016, he has lived in a small apartment with his wife Helga. As he revealed to the media, he is happy to have donated all his assets in his life. It was his dream.
How much money did Charles Feeney donate to Latin America?
In Latin America, the ‘James Bond of charity works’ donated US$66 million to social organizations with health projects in Cuba. “Some investments also financed work to help normalize relations between Cuba and the United States,” the foundation says.
