Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the third richest person in the world, has taken a page out of Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ book when it comes to helping others.
What Happened: Gates, who is widely regarded as one of the most successful philanthropists of our time, has used his fortune to fund various initiatives aiming to improve healthcare, reduce poverty and tackle climate change.
The Amazon founder is following in those footsteps, saying late last year that he plans to donate most of his $126.5 billion net worth throughout his lifetime, committing the majority of his wealth to tackling climate change and reducing carbon footprints.
Bezos cares about retail investors, too. The billionaire has participated in funding rounds for multiple fintech startups, including one that allows individual investors to earn passive income in the housing market. If interested — here’s that company, and how to invest as little as $100 (or more, depending on your appetite) in a rental property to build wealth over the long term.
According to Forbes, which tracked money actually donated, Bezos has given more than $2.4 billion to charitable causes to date. Forbes excluded future supportive commitments, such as Bezos' promise to spend $10 billion over ten years through the Bezos Earth Fund to protect the environment.
Of that pledge, made in 2020, $1.54 billion has been disbursed through his charity.
The Bezos Earth Fund's top priorities are reducing the carbon footprint of construction-grade cement and steel, pressuring financial regulators to take climate-related risks into account, advancing data and mapping technologies to monitor carbon emissions, and creating massive, naturally occurring plant-based carbon sinks.
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