The Man whose Gold was Gone

That title is a poor reference to the famous James Bond film "Man with the Golden Gun." Anyway, this post is about the "James Bond of Philanthropy": Chuck Feeney.^[1]

Chuck, during his early life, made a boatload of cash from building the duty-free shopping industry, selling tax-free spirits to U.S. sailors in the 1950s. After eventually selling his stake in the business to LVMH in 1996, Chuck chucked his money at various philanthropic endeavours. Recipients included $1 billion to Cornell University, $1 billion to various educational bodies in Ireland, as well as various causes in Australia, Vietnam, Bermuda and South Africa.

Cheap Chuck was known for travelling in economy, wearing a Casio, and not owning a car as he was more of a pragmatist than anything else. According to him, cars were tough to park in cities, a Casio told time as well as any other, and first class didn't get you there any faster. His pragmatism extended to his philanthropy. He often leveraged his donations to force governments and other donors to contribute. None of his donations bore a plaque or name, allowing egotistical donors to claim the fame of having their names on hospitals or schools for a lesser fee. He was even credited with roping in Gates and Buffett into their respective altruistic projects.

Chuck passed away at the age of 92 in 2023, but not before giving away his entire fortune by his retirement in 2016, leaving himself only $2 million in assets. Over his lifetime, he donated more than $10 billion to various causes.^[2]