In every sector there are lists and some of the lists people are more interested than others. Once you have accumulated savings, hopefully it generates income, dividends and capital gains and you can decide what you want to do with the money. Some you will reinvest, some you may live off and some you may give to a charity or charities of your choice. Recently one of those lists was in the press.

in an article by Maria Di Mento of the Associated Press, one of the lists connected to giving away money is the Chronicle of Philanthropy, it totaled more than $3.5 billion given away.

Topping the list is Warren Buffett, he moved 1.5 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway Class B valued at $541.5 million to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. The foundation which includes 2 of his children and a son-in-law on the Board. The foundation provides scholarships in Nebraska and backs women’s reproductive health.

James Simon besides being a mathematician founded Renaissance Technologies hedge fund which has done very well every year. He and his wife through their foundation gave $500 million to the State University of New York at Stony Brook to boost scholarships, professorships, research and clinical care. Mr. Simons taught at the University and Mrs. Simon has earned 2 degrees.

Ross Brown, the founder of Cryogenic Industries pledged $400 million to the California Institute of Technology. The money will launch the Brown Institute for Basic Sciences.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, pledged $400 million to the 1803 Fund. The fund will help redevelop the area of Albina which is in the Portland, Oregan area. The area was previously a thriving black neighborhood and has fallen in economic viability. The money is coming from the Knight Foundation.

Dan Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer, gave $375 million through their Gilbert Foundation to Henry Ford Health to build 2 medical centers. Dan Gilbert founded Rocket Mortgage and is Chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team. One of the centers will focus on rehabilitation particularly those with little or no health insurance coverage. The other center will focus on research including neurofibromatosis which inflected one of their children.

Kenneth Griffin of hedge fund company Citadel LLC, gave $300 million to Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences for financial aid to undergraduates.

Mr. Griffin partnered with David Geffen to give $400 million to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The Chronicle’s annual rankings are based on publicly announced gifts. In March, the list will include total gifts in 2023.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, when you have surplus income and can donate it you can donate whichever way you wish. It is noted most of the money donated is because the donor has a personal reason to help. All of us are interesting people, but it is often some organization has helped somebody we know over the years, for example when my father was in a long-term care in a hospital, a group gave PJs to the residents as a one-time gesture. My parents appreciated the gesture and a few years later when my surplus was able to cover it, I teamed up with a local organization to continue the giving. The local organization gets the publicity. There are many great causes to give, ideally the investments you make allow you to consider giving.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.