“股神”沃伦·巴菲特再一次打破了他的个人慈善捐款记录。据美国《福布斯》杂志网站7月15日报道，当天，巴菲特向多个慈善机构捐出价值近28亿美元的股票，超过去年的26亿美元。
身为伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司的首席执行官，巴菲特15日拿出超过2170万份公司B类股，当作慈善馈赠移交给比尔和梅琳达·盖茨基金会等五家慈善机构。按照当天的股票收盘价计算，每股价格为128.98美元，巴菲特此次捐款高达近28亿美元。由此，他的个人资产从659亿美元减少至631亿美元，他在“福布斯全球富豪榜”的排名也下滑一位降至第四。
据悉，巴菲特的此次大手笔馈赠分成五份。其中，价值21亿美元的1659万份股票捐给比尔和梅琳达·盖茨基金会。该慈善机构由微软公司创始人比尔·盖茨及其妻子梅琳达创立，旨在消除世界贫困、改善美国教育、提升生育控制技术等。
同时，巴菲特将价值2.15亿美元的股票捐赠给苏珊·汤普森·巴菲特基金会。该基金会以巴菲特亡妻的名字命名，致力于提供教育奖学金、实现教育平等。此外，巴菲特的三名子女——霍华德、苏珊和彼得——各自所成立的基金会也分别获赠价值1.5亿美元的股票。
去年，巴菲特向这几家慈善慈善捐出2287万份公司股票，价值26亿美元，其中20亿美元捐给比尔和梅琳达·盖茨基金会。
巴菲特和比尔·盖茨，这两名长期占据“福布斯全球富豪榜”前三位置的顶级富豪，也是慈善事业上的好伙伴。他们堪称世界上最慷慨的慈善家，同时积极倡导其他富豪加入慈善事业。2010年，巴菲特和盖茨发起“捐赠誓言”活动，号召亿万富翁生前或者死后至少用自己的一半财富来做慈善。作为表率，巴菲特承诺捐出全部财产的99%，截止目前他已捐出近230亿美元，仅次于已捐出280亿美元的盖茨。
The Berkshire Hathaway CEO’s latest gift of more than 21.7 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway class B stock — valued at $128.98 per share at Monday’s close — decreases his personal fortune from $65.9 billion down to $63.1 billion. He slips one spot on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, moving into 4th behind clothing and real estate magnate Amancio Ortega.
This years gift includes 16.59 million shares worth $2.1 billion for the Gates Foundation, the philanthropy operation of the world’s second-richest manBill Gates ($79 billion), which focuses on causes like ending world poverty, aiding U.S. schools and improving birth control technology.
He also gave away $215 million to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, an organization named for his late wife that provides scholarships for education. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation and the NoVo Foundation — run by his children Howard, Susan and Peter, respectively — each received gifts worth $150 million.
Last year, the Berkshire Hathaway CEO donated 22.87 million shares worth $2.6 billion, including $2 billion for the Gates Foundation in addition to sizable gifts for his family’s charities.
Buffett and Gates, longtime partners in giving, are the world’s most generous philanthropists as well as the leading advocates of giving to other fellow billionaires. The duo introduced the The Giving Pledge in 2010, encouraging the world’s wealthy to commit to donating at least half of their fortunes to philanthropy during their lifetime or after they die. Buffett, who has pledged to give away 99% of his fortune, has given away nearly $23 billion so far. Gates leads all givers with $28 billion.
