Buffett is #1 when it comes to giving away money

A Forbes ranking of the world's most generous billionaires has Warren Buffett in the top slot.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, JAN 24, 2020 WARREN BUFFETT WATCH Buffett tops 5-year list of most generous billionaires Warren Buffett gave away $14.7 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock over five years, putting him in the number one slot of Forbes' list of the "Top 25 Billionaire Givers (2014-2018)." (Buffett also topped the magazine's list of the top givers in 2018.)   His five-year total is 16.3% of his current net worth.         Since 2006, when he announced his intention to give away almost all his fortune, Buffett has donated $34 billion.    Most of that has gone to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with smaller amounts going to foundations run by his children.   Bill and Melinda Gates, close friends of Buffett's, are number two on the Forbes list with a five-year donation total of $9.9 billion, 9% of their current net worth.   The three of them also joined forces in 2010 to create the Giving Pledge.  It currently has 205 wealthy people or families who have agreed to eventually "give the majority of their wealth to address some of society's most pressing problems." Couple pleads guilty in solar scam that snared Berkshire The husband-and-wife co-owners of a California solar company have pleaded guilty to an estimated $912 million Ponzi scheme that included Berkshire Hathaway among its victims.   Joel and Paulette Carpoff admitted that their company, DC Solar, pretended to be leasing thousands of mobile solar generators that didn't exist. Prosecutors say the couple used money from new investors to pay earlier investors in funds connected to federal tax credits meant to encourage the use of solar power.   Last May, Berkshire took at $377 million charge after investing $340 million in DC Solar funds because the company believed "it is more likely than not that the income tax benefits that we recognized are not valid." BUFFETT AROUND THE INTERNET Some links may require a subscription Inc. recalls "The Story of the 'Most Gruesome' Mistake of Warren Buffett's Career" The Motley Fool notes that "Big Banks Cost Buffett Nearly $1.6 Billion in the First Week of Earnings Season" MoneyWise lists "The Simple Secrets to Warren Buffett's Incredible Wealth" The Felder Report skeptically asks "If Stocks Are 'Ridiculously Cheap' Why Isn't Warren Buffett Buying?" BERKSHIRE STOCK WATCH         BERKSHIRE'S TOP STOCK HOLDINGS      Berkshire's top stock holdings by market value, based on today's closing prices. The number of shares held is as of September 30, 2019, as disclosed in the company's November 14 13F SEC filing.   The full list of holdings and current market values is available from CNBC.com's Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker.   QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS Please send any questions or comments about the newsletter to me at alex.crippen@nbcuni.com. (Sorry, but we don't forward questions or comments to Buffett himself.)   If you aren't already subscribed to this newsletter, you can sign up here.    -- Alex Crippen, Editor, Warren Buffett Watch   Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service   Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS