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Second richest man in the world gives all his money to charity

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Comments

  • #32
    Jigsaw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,510 ✭✭✭Jigsaw


    Obviously Mr Gates does not believe in the old adage that charity starts at home.

    If I was one of Bill Gates kids, I'd be pi$$ed off in a way words could not adequately express.

    But then again I am selfish. I love earning, having and spending money. I want material things. I want more money than anyone else I know.

    After my immediate family, my only love is money.


  • #33
    latenia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,996 ✭✭✭latenia


    FuzzyLogic wrote: »
    No, 10k is fine, a months wages or whatever, but still ensures that they're gonna have to work!
    $5 million is making them millionaires.

    10k won't even cover the therapy bills they're going to face as a result of having Bill Gates as their dad.


  • #34
    gabgab
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭gabgab


    Gotta agree with this,

    If you were a waiter, would you take a tip of 10cent, Fuzzy Logic?

    Its nonsense, whilst I agree with the idea behind it, I think lots of people are missing a big point, how many self made billionaires out there were what you would describe as excellent parents?

    These people while very driven, determined, mostly follow a similar pattern, working relentlessly and letting nothing get in their way to achieve their goal, then realising that there is more to life than material wealth,

    While these are excellent qualities in a business person, they rarely allow time for a father or mother to be around, watching a match, helping with homework, all the normal stuff


  • #35
    Terry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,073 ✭✭✭✭Terry


    The Scientist wrote: »
    $58bn would only feed Africa for about a week.

    Not if you teach them how to fish.


  • #36
    gabgab
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭gabgab


    Hilarious reply :D:D


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  • #37
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,706 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    the kids are only getting $1 million! why not keep the money and just donate the insane interest on that amount!


  • #38
    Mweelrea
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,172 ✭✭✭Mweelrea


    I love the way people are saying only $1 million.
    True its not a fraction of what they could be given but its a substantial amount of money to be given and never have done a days work.


  • #39
    seamus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68,173 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    I would imagine that Bill Gates' kids are already insanely wealthy and by the time he actually does shuffle off, they'll be high-level executives or running their own successful companies.

    I find it quite stupid that people expect anything from their parents' will. They spend the first 18-25 years of your life wiping your arse, putting a roof over your head, food down your throat and a school chair under your arse.

    And you're pissed off because they won't save every other penny so you can blow it on a new kitchen when they die?


  • #40
    ejmaztec
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,369 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    Can I donate my debts to his charity?


  • #41
    Wazdakka
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,467 ✭✭✭Wazdakka


    Terry wrote: »
    Not if you teach them how to fish.

    Give a man a fish and he will be hungry tomorrow...
    Teach a man to fish....
    And he will sit in a boat with his mates drinking beer for the next two weeks

    :D


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  • #42
    titan18
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,080 ✭✭✭✭titan18


    I'm pretty sure they're getting like $17 million each,not $10000


  • #43
    KnifeWRENCH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,148 ✭✭✭✭KnifeWRENCH


    sam34 wrote: »
    also, thought he was worlds richest man- if he's second, who is richest (and does anyone have his contact details :D )

    Carlos Slim Helu - a Mexican businessman. Made his fortune investing in telecom and financial companies.

    http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/03/news/international/carlosslim.fortune/


  • #44
    leninbenjamin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    square_igloo wrote: »
    Carlos Slim Helu - a Mexican businessman. Made his fortune investing in telecom and financial companies.

    http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/03/news/international/carlosslim.fortune/

    i thought Buffet is?


  • #45
    KnifeWRENCH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,148 ✭✭✭✭KnifeWRENCH


    leninbenjamin wrote: »
    i thought Buffet is?

    Hmmm...according to Wikipedia you're right! Buffet is a mere $2bn richer than Helu.
    And I read a big article in a paper about Helu being the richest.:confused:

    IKEA man is only 7th.....LOSER!!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_billionaires


  • #46
    jesus_thats_gre
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,446 ✭✭✭✭jesus_thats_gre


    This proves conclusively that Microsoft is evil...


  • #47
    slipss
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,025 ✭✭✭slipss


    sam34 wrote: »
    tbh, i wouldnt have a problem with that. it really annoys me that people expect so much inheritance from their parents. these parents (generally) have worked hard for their money, have provided for their kids while they were kids, and provided for an education for them to allow them get jobs. thats a parents job done, in terms of financial commitment, as far as i see it. (exceptions being if an adult offspring has a chronic illness preventing them from working).

    if the parents then decide to give their money to any cause, well, thats their right.

    a sibling of mine is expecting cash from our parents, who recently sold an investment property, and my sibling thinks they should give us all approx 50k!! now, firstly, giving us all 50 thousand would amount to more than what they got for the house. but secondly, why should they?? they ensured we all had an education, so we all thankfully have jobs. they struggled to provide for us in the recession days of the 80s. this is their nest egg and i think they deserve to enjoy it- let them go to a garage and pay up front for a bmw/merc/whatever, or go on fab holidays etc, whatever they want to do.
    they certainly should not feel obliged to give any of us anything. if they offered me money id politely refuse it.

    adults shouldnt expect their parents to fund their lives/lifestyles imo

    Well said. I couldn't agree more if I spent a lifetime studying agreement at the Cambridge School of Concurrency....or something. I simply can't stomach let alone understand any adult that still expects mammy and daddy to hand them over pocket money. Once you turn 18, work or starve. Your parents have just spent the last 2 decades making sacrifices and depriving themselves of things to pay your way for you. For someone to then expect to be given more for nothing is sickening. I mean, if my parents decided to leave me something in thier will I would be extremely grateful but I certainly would never expect them to.


  • #48
    tech77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,736 ✭✭✭tech77


    ejmaztec wrote: »
    Can I donate my debts to his charity?

    LOL.
    Fair play to him, always thought he was a decent enough sort tbh.

    To the person who asked who's the richest person in the world:
    Isn't it some Mexican telecom mogul with a funny name?

    That amount of wealth is mind-boggling though- there are so many ways of imagining it:
    Every time you hear figures like, say, the total credit card debt of the Irish people, or something similar, i sometimes think "Bill Gates could pay that off tomorrow". :)


  • #49
    Tar.Aldarion
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,119 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    micmclo wrote: »
    Warren Buffet, financial genius.
    Started a small fund and built his way up.

    Afaik, he is going to give each of children 1 million dollars and no more as he is afraid more money would ruin them.
    A man of principles! :cool:

    Sucks to be his child though and you get 1 million and you were expecting tens of billions. Just to put it in perspective

    Edit: Chuck Feeny has given $1 billion to projects in Ireland. Legend too imo!

    That Buffet guy also gave huge amounts to Limerick university to help it run I believe.


  • #50
    Rb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭Rb


    titan18 wrote: »
    I'm pretty sure they're getting like $17 million each,not $10000
    Indeed, I heard it was substantially more than €10k too.


  • #51
    Rb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭Rb


    On the subject of greedy children/inheritance.

    Leona Helmsley left her cat $12 million when she died last year, and divided the rest of her cash up between her family except for two grandchildren who she apparently had a personal feud with.

    This week the Manhattan courts have decided to reduce the $12 million to $2 million and split the cash between the two grandchildren that were excluded due to her apparently having an "unfit mind" when writing the will.

    Absolutely disgusting behaviour by both her grandchildren and the Manhattan courts. The woman designated who she wanted the money to go to, and the courts overturn it.

    (link)

    Oh well, lets hope karma plays its part and wipes out said grandchildren before they get the chance to enjoy it.


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  • #52
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    again on the subject of greedy kids,
    about 3 or 4 years ago there was an old woman in england whose kids were evidently fighting over her money before she had even died. so she took out full page ads in magazines (bella, chat etc rather than the celeb glossies) shaming her kids and saying she would continue taking out the ads til her dosh ran out, so theyd get nothing.

    i think she was completely right.


  • #53
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    Rb wrote: »
    .

    This week the Manhattan courts have decided to reduce the $12 million to $2 million and split the cash between the two grandchildren that were excluded due to her apparently having an "unfit mind" when writing the will.

    at the time of writing her will her solicitor should have determined whether she had whats called "testamentory capacity". if the solicitor had doubts about it, she should have been assessed by a medic.

    how can a court retrospectvely decide she was of unfit mind? (although to be fair you'd have to question the reasoning of anyone who left 12 million quid to a cat :D)


  • #54
    Rb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭Rb


    sam34 wrote: »
    how can a court retrospectvely decide she was of unfit mind? (although to be fair you'd have to question the reasoning of anyone who left 12 million quid to a cat :D)

    That's my thinking on it alright. Also, I think that leaving that cash to a cat says a lot about what she thought of those two grandchildren, which would incline me to believe that they have absolutely no right to her money. If they thought giving so much cash to a cat was OTT, give it to charity, not the kids that the woman purposely excluded.


  • #55
    ImDave
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,096 ✭✭✭ImDave


    I cried for the first time in 5 years when I read the thread title. Needless to say I am unbelievably money orientated.


  • #56
    ejmaztec
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,369 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    All those starving people will all be able to buy Windows 7 after the money comes rolling in.


  • #57
    pirelli
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,876 ✭✭✭pirelli


    FuzzyLogic wrote: »
    Apparently he's stepping down as exec chairman of Microsoft, and giving his entire $58billion fortune to charity.
    Well, to the bill and melinda gates foundation charity, but still.
    Hats off to the lad.
    If you had 30 billion euro and worked your ass off for 30 years to get it, would you give it all to charity?

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1027878/Bill-Gates-pledges-58-billion-fortune-charity--children.html

    (no I don't read the daily mail)

    He is talking about his will and I think he means when he dies he is not just giving it to his siblings. All normal people who become eccentricly rich overnight imagine their children have the capacity to follow in their footsteps from humble beginnings and force them to or at least expect they should try to do the same thing. They dont realise that their children would be lucky to earn a decent salary sans having money and connections to go into business with. Back to the middle of the road suburbs for the Gates children.


  • #58
    dlofnep
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Fair play to him!


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