Millionaire Is Giving Away His Entire Fortune

Millionaire Is Giving Away His Entire Fortune

(Feb. 14) – If money can't buy you happiness, what do you do? If you're Austrian millionaire Karl Rabeder, you give it all away, right down to the last penny, or, in his case, euro. "My idea is to have nothing left. Absolutely nothing," Rabeder, 47, told The Daily Telegraph of London. "Money is counterproductive – it prevents happiness to come."

I have a question, Does money really bring you happiness? apparently, this guy had an Epiphany when he went on a vacation with his wife.

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"For a long time I believed that more wealth and luxury automatically meant more happiness," Rabeder said. "I come from a very poor family where the rules were to work more to achieve more material things, and I applied this for many years." After a while, however, he felt he was working "as a slave for things I did not wish for or need," adding, "I have the feeling that there are a lot of people out there doing the same thing."

What brought him to his current conclusion? A three-week vacation with his wife in Hawaii, plus gliding trips to South America and Africa left him with feelings of guilt, he said, and the sense that there was a connection between his wealth and the poverty of the people he saw. "It was the biggest shock of in my life, when I realized how horrible, soulless and without feeling the five-star lifestyle is," he was quoted as telling the Telegraph.

All his money will go to the non-profit Mymicrocharity, which Rabeder says he has set up to offer small loans to needy people in Central and South America, and to encourage development and self-employment in the region.

Source

I applaud this guy, he is donating all his money/earnings from this raffle to Mymicrocharity. There is still good out there i guess. But who here would give up their fortune if they had one?

I always thought, if i ever hit it big, that i would try and help the less fortunate, with my fortune, but this guy is taking it one step further, and selling it all.

EDIT: Source

[edit on 2/14/2010 by ugie1028]

I too would help the less fortunate if I had a lot of money. It doesn't take much to make me happy and many things that do are free. I could never take expensive trips or spend a fortune on things knowing so many people are in need. This guy has the right idea and I commend him for his compassion.

Now if famous people would stop buying clothes that cost thousands just for one item, imagine how many people could be helped with that money.
It's nice to own your own home, but to own one that is so huge you could fill it with a great number of people is extreme. Woman who spend thousands on shoes and purses etc. give me a break!

Originally posted by ugie1028

Millionaire Is Giving Away His Entire Fortune

I have a question, Does money really bring you happiness? apparently, this guy had an Epiphany when he went on a vacation with his wife.

Money may not bring happiness but neither does poverty.

I applaud this guy, he is donating all his money/earnings from this raffle to Mymicrocharity. There is still good out there i guess. But who here would give up their fortune if they had one?

Now that he is poor it won't be long before he is living off the public dime. Maybe we should all do that, why work for a living? Let the taxpayers take care of us!

I applaud the guy for what he is doing but he should atleast leave some for himself so he doesn't starve.

There is something I don't understand, he says money doesn't bring happiness and is counterproductive but plans to use that very same money to help others?

Originally posted by Night Star

Now if famous people would stop buying clothes that cost thousands just for one item, imagine how many people could be helped with that money.

Imagine how many people are employed to make those fancy clothes, they would then be unemployed and live off welfare. Great idea!

It's nice to own your own home, but to own one that is so huge you could fill it with a great number of people is extreme.

Yeah, carpenters, electricians sheetrockers and the hundreds of skilled laborers it takes to build those homes they too could collect unemployment, why should they have good paying jobs building large expensive houses.

Woman who spend thousands on shoes and purses etc. give me a break!

Again who needs a shoes and purses industry, those people complain about long hours and little pay, they too should be out of a job and collecting unemploment.

[edit on 14-2-2010 by gdeed]

Money magnifies who you are. if your miserable, then your going to be exceptionally miserable...and if your a generally happy person, then your bound to be a happy person with cool stuff.

He is going to lose all his money and find out that after its all said and done, he is still who he is to begin with.

As long as he doesn't become a burden to anyone, it's okay. He has a right to choose his way of life. Especially since he used to live in poverty, so he knows precisely what he's doing. Besides, the money goes to charity that encourages development, right? That's definitely a good thing.

reply to post by ugie1028

I have a question, Does money really bring you happiness? apparently, this guy had an Epiphany when he went on a vacation with his wife.

What's the bets she files for divorce before the mad bastard gives it away.

I for one would take it no problemo certainly would add a great deal more happiness to my life.

reply to post by moocowman


that thought passed my mind. If she does, then its his loss. he had a thought that money didn't make him happy, and in the end losing it all and he is happy, then good on him! if it backfires and he is still miserable he should kick himself in the ass for not keeping enough to survive.

reply to post by ugie1028


Agreed, If all the cash is making you miserable then the simple answer is to stop spending it. The dude gotta be off his trolley if money can speak to him from the bank.

When wealthy people do this sort of thing it's known as eccentricity but when poor people do it they need locking up ( I know, poor people couldn't do this lol)

Originally posted by Foranki
I applaud the guy for what he is doing but he should atleast leave some for himself so he doesn't starve.

I have a feeling he is going to buy a cabin or farm or something and find happiness in the simple life.

reply to post by Foranki

There is something I don't understand, he says money doesn't bring happiness and is counterproductive but plans to use that very same money to help others?

There is a big difference between helping people and making people happy

I Hope he finds his happiness

reply to post by Pockets


he'll either find happiness, or realize will never be happy.

to each is own. I hope this guy finds out what he really wants out of life.

money can bring happiness if you dont fall prey to greed and become enslaved to it.

so he felt guilt and now thinks this will make it go away? isnt that a bit selfish and naive? all i see from "aid" and "charity" is the creation of dependence on it and perpetual poverty, slavery with a new face; created with good intention then perverted by the elite to control nations and people.

Originally posted by gdeed


Imagine how many people are employed to make those fancy clothes, they would then be unemployed and live off welfare. Great idea!

You think people are making that much money making clothes? I doubt it. Go talk to the people in third world countries making your clothes and see how much they get paid. They make no money, the sellers are the ones making money, or the brand names.

Yeah, carpenters, electricians sheetrockers and the hundreds of skilled laborers it takes to build those homes they too could collect unemployment, why should they have good paying jobs building large expensive houses.

That's not the only way for these skilled trades to be making money. The government could spend some money making school, science labs, universities, colleges etc. Plenty of money to go around not building 10,000 square foot mansions.

Again who needs a shoes and purses industry, those people complain about long hours and little pay, they too should be out of a job and collecting unemploment.

Why all this talk about unemployment? There are a ton of people on it right now as we speak. The unemployment rate is not going down they are just getting kicked off because it has been over a year.

I agree with the millionaires idea, it does not take money to make people happy. It also does not take money to make the world go around. We have been living in craziness thinking that money means something. It does not.

What I think is crazy is that we have to pay to trade our labor for goods. We in essence have to pay to live. A living tax? Now thats crazy.

The more people that realized this the more the world would become happy.

Pred...

[edit on 14-2-2010 by predator0187]

reply to post by gdeed


If the price of houses weren't so high, then people wouldn't need high paying jobs in the first place. What you're suggesting is that it's better for the consumer to go into debt, than to have people lose their high paying jobs.

Basically, your philosophy is dependent on foreign countries to be stupid enough to allow the US consumers to continue to live on borrowed money, and not pay it back.

reply to post by ugie1028

All his money will go to the non-profit Mymicrocharity, which Rabeder says he has set up to offer small loans to needy people in Central and South America

Loans? Correct me if I'm wrong. but don't "loans" have to be paid back, and more often than not, with interest?

Would stand to reason that this is just his clever way to increase his fortune.

Now if it were grants, then the story would hold prevalence. Not sure if this is just a misinformation reported by the writer of the story, if not, to me it's just another wool over the eyes way of how the rich get richer.

Hard question. I think everyone would love being rich. I think we all fantasize about what to spend our money on, but when you suddenly have it all what's left to dream of? more?

Anything above 300,000 is kinda over the top - it would get you some nice roof over your head, a decent car, and remove all your debt.

What he did was epic, but maybe a bit over the top

reply to post by UberL33t


When he gets the money back, he can loan it out again. Microloans to the 3. world is a pretty good investment. Better than spending it on something stupid imo

I was born into poverty - my mom married a millionaire when I was 16.

I can tell you the only thing Money gives you is CHOICE.

The main thing my stepfather taught me is "KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WANT AND NEED".

With CHOICE - you can live in a low crime area. You can choose the best health care. You can get the best formal education. Etc etc.

You can also CHOOSE who you are as a person. And that is the most important.

I have learned when you have nothing - - LIFE IS ABOUT LIFE and LOVE. That's why often those who have little are the happiest.

As soon as you begin to acquire Material Possessions - - - your life changes and becomes about protecting those possessions.

I admire that this man's charity "teaches man to fish".