May 16, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Life Is What You Make It
by Peter Buffett
Peter Buffett, a musician, son of the investor Warren Buffett and co-founder of the NoVo Foundation, shares advice and personal experiences on how to pursue meaningful work and philanthropy.
He recalls the “dizzying” effect of his father giving $1-billion to his foundation and describes the thinking that went into creating his own fund.
Mr. Buffett says he wanted to avoid “philanthropic colonialism” or outsiders who determine what local citizens should need and accomplish. He says he has borrowed a page from his father’s philosophy and focused on undervalued assets in his philanthropy. As an example, he cites his foundation’s efforts to help girls.
He emphasizes that charitable giving is not the province of the very wealthy, writing, “Money can help; of course it can. But it is not the essence of philanthropy. The essence is the spirit in which the giving back is practiced. And developing that spirit is within the reach of all of us.”
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group, 1745 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019; (212) 782-9000; http://crownpublishing.com; 259 pages; $23.99; ISBN 978-0-307-46471-2.
