News Brief: Warren Buffett’s Children to Lead Historic Philanthropic Mission
Summary
Warren Buffett has announced that his vast fortune, estimated at over $150 billion, will be directed to a new charitable foundation overseen by his three children after his death. They must unanimously agree on disbursements and are required to give away the entire sum within a decade, a task of unprecedented scale. In a rare interview, the heirs discussed their philanthropic principles, shaped by their modest upbringing.
Key Points
- Historic Bequest: Posthumously, Buffett’s wealth will fund a new foundation run by his children: Susie, Howard (Howie), and Peter Buffett.
- Tight Deadline: The heirs must distribute the entire fortune—requiring annual giving of at least $15 billion—within 10 years of their father’s death.
- Unanimous Rule: All three siblings must agree on every grant, a structure they say simplifies saying “no” to requests.
- Modest Upbringing: Despite their father’s growing wealth, they lived a middle-class life, taking public buses and doing chores for allowance.
- Philanthropic Experience: Each has run their own foundation for over 20 years, funded by annual Berkshire Hathaway stock gifts since 2006, focusing on education, food security, and women’s issues.
- Five Guiding Principles: The siblings outlined their philanthropic strategy: 1) Flexibility to adapt to changing needs. 2) Embrace risk and failure as “risk capital.” 3) Seeing is believing—prioritizing firsthand observation. 4) Trust but verify with strict accountability clauses. 5) Efficiency, mirroring their father’s low-cost approach, with operating costs at just 1.3%.
- Father’s Trust: Warren Buffett expressed complete confidence in his children’s values and judgment, noting they are “not preoccupied with wealth.”
新闻简报：沃伦·巴菲特子女将主导历史性慈善使命
总结
沃伦·巴菲特宣布，其估计超过1500亿美元的巨额财富，在他去世后将交由他的三个子女管理的一个新慈善基金会。他们必须就所有拨款达成一致，并需在十年内将全部资金捐赠出去，这是一项规模空前的任务。在一次罕见的采访中，三位继承人讨论了他们受朴素成长经历影响的慈善原则。
关键要点
- 历史性遗赠：巴菲特去世后，其财富将注入一个由其子女——苏茜、霍华德（豪伊）和彼得·巴菲特——运营的新基金会。
- 严格时限：继承人必须在父亲去世后10年内分发全部财富，这意味着每年至少需捐赠150亿美元。
- 一致同意原则：所有三兄妹必须就每一笔拨款达成一致，他们表示这种结构让拒绝请求变得简单。
- 朴素成长经历：尽管父亲财富增长，他们仍过着中产阶级生活，乘坐公交上学，通过做家务赚取零花钱。
- 慈善经验：自2006年起，他们每年都收到伯克希尔·哈撒韦的股票捐赠，各自运营基金会超过20年，关注教育、粮食安全、妇女儿童等不同领域。
- 五项指导原则：三兄妹概述了其慈善策略：1) 灵活性，以适应不断变化的需求。2) 拥抱风险与失败，视慈善为“世界的风险资本”。3) 眼见为实，重视实地考察。4) 信任但需核实，附有严格的问责条款。5) 高效运营，效仿其父的低成本模式，运营成本仅占1.3%。
- 父亲的信任：沃伦·巴菲特对子女的价值观和判断力表示完全信任，指出他们“并不沉迷于财富”。
Original Article Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/15/buffett-family-fortune-philanthropy.html