Charlie Chuck Finley, Successful in Duty-Free Business
Donates to Education, Human Rights, and Health While Dissolving Charity Foundation
Sets Aside 2.4 Billion Won for Retirement Life with Wife
Chek Finley (left) and his wife Helga Finley. The Finley couple is signing the dissolution of the charitable foundation Atlantic Philanthropy and the donation agreement. Photo by Atlantic Philanthropy.
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] An American billionaire has attracted attention by donating his entire fortune of $8 billion (9.4 trillion KRW).
The American business magazine Forbes reported on the 15th that Charlie Chuck Finley (89), who achieved great success in the airport duty-free business, donated all the remaining funds of his charitable foundation, 'Atlantic Philanthropies,' and dissolved the foundation on the 14th (local time).
The donations will be used for $3.7 billion in education, including $1 billion to Cornell University where Finley studied; $870 million for human rights and social change, including $76 million for the abolition of the death penalty; $700 million for healthcare; and $76 million supporting ObamaCare.
The healthcare sector includes $270 million for healthcare projects in Vietnam and $176 million to support the Brain Health Institute at the University of California.
Finley also plans to support the establishment of an engineering campus on Roosevelt Island, a rundown area of New York City, by investing $350 million in Cornell University.
Finley had publicly declared that he would donate all his assets to society during his lifetime.
With this final donation on the day, his lifetime donations have reached $8 billion.
He stated in 2012 that he would set aside $2 million (2.4 billion KRW) for retirement life with his wife and donate the rest.
Finley said, "I am broke, but I have never been happier," adding, "I am very satisfied and pleased to have achieved my goal during my lifetime. I want to thank the companions on this journey and tell those who wondered if I would really donate my entire fortune while alive, 'Try it, it’s really great.'"
His usual beliefs have also famously influenced Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft (MS), and Warren Buffett, who leads the investment company Berkshire Hathaway.
Buffett said, "Chuck is a monumental figure who has greatly inspired philanthropic activities. He is a symbol for all of us, and his lifetime achievements are so great that it would take 12 more years after my death to match them."
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