Chuck Feeney
Chuck Feeney
Charles Francis "Chuck" Feeney is an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist and the founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies, one of the largest private foundations in the world. He made his fortune as a co-founder, with Robert Warren Miller, of the Duty Free Shoppers Group. The concept of "duty-free shopping"—offering high-end concessions to travelers, free of import taxes—was in its infancy when, along with Miller, Feeney founded DFS on November 7, 1960. DFS began operations in Hong Kong, later expanding to Europe...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth23 April 1931
CountryUnited States of America
I'd be the last guy to tell a wealthy person what to do with their money. They're entitled to do whatever they want.
People used to ask me how I got my jollies, and I guess I'm happy when what I'm doing is helping people and unhappy when what I'm doing isn't helping people.
I believe that people of substantial wealth potentially create problems for future generations unless they themselves accept responsibility to use their wealth during their lifetime to help worthwhile causes.
I became convinced that there was greater satisfaction from giving my money away and seeing something come out of the ground, like a hospital or a university.
When you are 81 years old, you don't really need a lot of the trappings of wealth.
People who have money have an obligation. I wouldn't say I'm entitled to tell them what to do with it but to use it wisely.
Most large companies structure their affairs so that they minimize their tax payments. As long as you do it within the law, it's OK.
I'm a competitive type of person, whether it's playing a game of basketball or playing business games.
I was raised as a Catholic, but I got up to go to church because I thought I'd be hit by a bolt of lightning if I didn't.
I happen to enjoy grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.
I don't dislike money, but there's only so much money you can use.
A lot of wealthy people, they don't realize they have the alternatives of spending the money for good.
I suppose in the back of my mind I was always one of those guys who had a disdain for money. It had a value if you wanted to buy something, but if you didn't want to buy something, you didn't need it.
I always tried to live my life as though nothing changed. People would say, 'You can have a Rolls-Royce'. I'd say to that, 'What do I want with a Rolls-Royce when I can have a Volkswagen or a bike?' Some people get carried away with the juice.