How Generous The Wealthiest Billionaires In The US Are, Charted
The wealthiest billionaires in the US have net worths that are hard for ordinary people like us to fathom. How good are they at devoting a portion of their wealth to philanthropy?
Using data from Forbes, personal finance site HowMuch created a chart that visualizes the net worth and philanthropy score of the top 30 wealthiest people in the US. The philanthropy score, devised by Forbes, is calculated using several criteria, including the amount a person has given away over their lifetime and the percentage of their fortune they've donated:
The philanthropy score is rendered on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most philanthropic. Bill Gates, the second-wealthiest billionaire in the US, for instance, received a score of 5. Based on Forbes' calculations, Gates has given away $35.8 billion to his foundation, or in percentage terms, 27% of his fortune as of September 7, 2018, the day Forbes locked in the net worths of the richest people in America.
Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, only has a score of 2 despite being the wealthiest billionaire on the list. One of the reasons for this is that Forbes doesn't count donations that haven't been paid out yet. According to the publication, if the $2 billion that Bezos pledged in September to help homeless families had been immediately distributed, Bezos's score would probably be a 4, instead of a 2. And we can easily see him achieving a high score of 5 if he would consent to us giving all of his fortune away. Fingers crossed.
[HowMuch]
