What is Effective Altruism? At its core, Effective Altruism is about giving your money to the cause that will do the most good. It also can include, in order of aggressiveness, the following ideas: If you have the capability, skills, etc. to earn more, and thus give more, then you are morally compelled to do […]
Two of the most challenging things about giving are determining how much you should give and how much you can afford to give. Sure, Warren Buffet is giving away 99% of his wealth, but he has a crazy amount to begin with! You and I need to eat. (Note that there are some great letters […]
I’ve been following personal finance blogs for over ten years. I have layered strategy upon strategy to make more money, save more money and invest more money. I have also chosen to give a portion of my treasure pile to charity. Why do I choose to do this when others don’t? High income giving – […]
The proof is in the refund I realize this title sounds like click bait. I promise that it isn’t. This is a real, grow-your-hoard strategy that can result in an effective tax reduction of 6% and an increase of every dollar you give by a factor of 11. It’s possible that you could tweak the […]
Although this is the third most popular type of giving, this is still a giant category. Human services encompasses all types of assistance that go directly towards helping people. Some of these services are visible to all of us on a daily basis, some are more “behind the scenes”. A new development in this area, […]
Religious Organizations By far the easiest gift, from the perspective of mental time associated with decision making, is to give to your religious organization. They ask you for money regularly, and presumably you are invested in their cause if you are a member of their congregation. Sweet! Depending upon your church, money that you give […]
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to giving is finding a cause that is important to you (See number 6 in Why Don’t we Give?). And it’s not just about finding any random non-profit – it’s about finding one that will use your money or time wisely in a way that YOU feel is important. […]
This is one of my favorite topics. Why? Because it makes me feel a little rant-y and I love a good discussion. Not giving is a great way to NOT maximize your life! It’s a great way to feel smug about your hoard. And it’s a great way to keep yourself in a small mental […]
This is a fundamental question in psychology. What compels us to give our resources to others? Is it an innate behavior? Or a learned behavior? Why do we give to individuals outside of our “tribe”? Ultimately, the answers to those questions may have no bearing on the reality of your day to day life. I […]
If I were to ask 20 people in my social circle “do you spend your money according to your values?” I guarantee that 19 of them would say yes. One (and I have a particular person in mind here) would likely hesitate, think for a few minutes, and then say “mostly”. In reality, I think […]
The Altruistic Dragon 