Warren Buffett’s pockets are a little bit lighter this week. Buffett, the world’s sixth-richest person, donated $4.6 billion worth of stock in his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway on Wednesday, continuing a summer tradition of big gifts that stretches back to 2006.
The recipients are a familiar group. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on poverty and healthcare initiatives in developing countries and education and economic mobility in America, got $3.5 billion worth of Buffett’s stock. He gave another $350 million worth to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, founded by his late wife, which also focuses on healthcare and education. And Buffett money trickled down to his three children, too, with their three foundations each receiving $250 million of Berkshire shares on Wednesday.
Likely the biggest philanthropist ever, Buffett’s lifetime giving tops $51.5 billion–placing him at the top of Forbes’ 2023 list of America’s most generous philanthropists. Billions more sit in the coffers of the five foundations, soon to be put to use. And then there’s the rest of Buffett’s money, mainly his roughly 15% stake in Berkshire Hathaway, one of the world’s most valuable companies. He has pledged to donate nearly all of it to charity as well, meaning Buffett’s total giving could exceed $160 billion when all is said and done–an extraordinary sum, made possible by the huge jump in the value of Berkshire stock even since Buffett began donating vast amounts of it more than 17 years ago.
“The five foundations have received Berkshire B shares that had a value when received of about $50 billion, substantially more than my entire net worth in 2006,” Buffett, who is 92, noted in a press release. “I have no debts and my remaining A shares are worth about $112 billion, well over 99% of my net worth.”
In other words, Buffett–who Forbes estimates to be worth $112.3 billion–is more than twice as rich as he was in 2006, even after giving away more than $50 billion worth of stock, thanks to a 450% rise in Berkshire Hathaway shares.
“Nothing extraordinary has occurred at Berkshire,” Buffett said in the press release, “a very long runway, simple and generally sound decisions, the American tailwind and compounding effects produced my current wealth.”
