Bill Gates with Matthew Bishop:

The Business of Giving

In a rare special appearance at 92Y, Bill Gates discusses his extraordinary career in business and philanthropy with Matthew Bishop of The Economist as part of his “The Business of Giving” series.

Save 25% on tickets with code EM25.

www.92Y.org/BillGates

(If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you’ll LOVE this: http://www.lifebeyondcelebrity.com/giving-why-to-make-it-public/ ~Rebecca )

Michael Jackson’s memorial service ended a few minutes ago and besides the tears and the laughter that I am grateful to have been able to share with everyone else who was watching it on TV or present in the Staples Center in LA, I was reminded, in such a poignant way, why I do what I do for a living… (more…)

Charitable giving must be in the air. Last night, a colleague and I were talking about one of the main benefits of earning lots and lots of money was how fun it would be to give a whole lot of it away. Then, this morning, I received an article about an award a friend received for her extensive charitable giving in the town where she lives. (more…)

Do you find yourself saying “Mmmmm!” to a mouthful of beluga when the truth is, you think little bumps of salty water exploding in your mouth are kind of gross? Playing golf or watching polo when you still can’t figure out why people seem to like the sports so much?

One of the biggest challenges some people face when they’re thrust into the world of money, power, and prestige is the social pressure (real or perceived) to act and look “Affluent.” You know, you’re invited to the big charity event and everyone is going on and on about the expensive wines and you haven’t the vaguest idea what the big deal is, yet, you find yourself sipping it and nodding in agreement with them so they don’t think you’re stupid? (more…)

For many, one of the incredible perks of fame can be the fast and vast accumulation of lots of money. At the outset, this can look like a really great thing. After all, wouldn’t life be suddenly so much more fun and so much simpler with lots of money? Wouldn’t anybody’s life be improved with millions or billions of dollars?

Yes.

And, amazingly, no… (more…)