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Biographies & Primers |
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The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Made and Gave Away a Fortune Without Anyone Knowing
written by Conor O'Clery
Studio : PublicAffairs
by PublicAffairs
Publisher : PublicAffairs
Released : 2007-09-24
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781586483913
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 12 reviews)
List Price : $26.95
Our Price : $4.74
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Product Description |
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In 1988 Forbes Magazine hailed Chuck Feeney as the twenty-third richest American alive. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to a blue-collar Irish-American family during the Depression, a veteran of the Korean War, he had made a fortune as co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers, the world's largest duty-free retail chain. But secretly, Feeney had already transferred all his wealth to his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies. Only in 1997, when he sold his duty free interests, was he "outed" as one of the greatest and most mysterious American philanthropists in modern times. A frugal man who travels economy class and does not own a house or a car, Feeney then went "underground" again, until he decided in 2005 to cooperate in a biography to promote giving-while-living. Now in his mid-seventies, he is determined his foundation should spend the remaining $4 billion in his lifetime. The Billionaire Who Wasn't is a tale of one of the greatest untold retail triumphs of the twentieth century, and of what happens to a unique man and his family when confronted with wealth beyond imagining. |
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simply fascinating...an excellent biography |
An excellent business biography of a fascinating figure. Easily the best light reading on a business topic I have done in years.
This is the biography and arc of success of Chuck Feeney, a man with hustle who invented Duty Free shopping as it is known today. The interviews are thorough, the detail is helpful, and the subject matter is fascinating.
The prose and narrative style is fine, a clear journalist's telling and voice. Perhaps the only disappointment with the book is that the subject is so fascinating while the narrative style is fine, but simply not as excellent as the subject. I was so riveted a book double the size would still have held my fascination, this is that strange of a story.
Highly recommended. |
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Facinating, inspiring, but I have some reservations! |
I have been in small business for over 20 years, and when I saw this book advertised, I was hooked. I'm now halfway through the book, and I'm starting to wonder at some points. Why is no one noticing that Chuck Feeney used illegal and unethical methods to start and build his business--from violating security laws to find out when and where ships would dock, to talking his way onto those ships, using personal charm and connections? Why is no one concerned that for the first few years, his business was run as an illegal Ponzi scheme? Are we really to believe that he got through Hotel Management School at Cornell and didn't know basic accounting practices? While a very inspiring story, there are a lot of sugar coated and glossed over details that I would have like to see illuminated.
Don't get me wrong, this is a very inspiring story. But it just seems too good to be true. How was the book publishing funded? The publisher, Public Affairs, and the distributor,Perseus Group, are openly funded by outside organizations. I find it significant that there is a review of the book on the Atlantic Philanthropies website, with only passing reference to the connection between them. Is there a covert connection?
Finally, from a purely editorial perspective, I find the book rather dull. The writing style lacks color and verve, and the concatenation of multiple incidents does little to hold my enthusiasm. |
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If you want to make a difference in the world start here. |
What a beautiful person chuck Feeney is.
This is the most inspiring book I have read so far. This book was more motivating and inspirational to me than books such as the `Secret' by Rhonda Byrne. Here's a real `existing' role model we can all look up to. He did it, and so can we. He is a living proof that helping others in unselfish ways is possible. He is living proof that that there is good on Earth, and being good is not only possible but feasible.
This is the story of Chuck Feeney, born into a poor family. Not having enough funds to pay for his college education, Feeney joins the Air Force, and is stationed in Japan. There he realizes the profit making potential of duty-free sales. He starts selling duty-free goods to soldiers, such as tobacco and alcohol, and to make the story short, ends up owning duty-free shops across the world. Within a few years he becomes a billionaire. He is ranked as the 23rd richest man in the United States by Forbes magazine.
Feeney was not happy with his billions. He did not like the life of excess lived by the rich. `How many shoes do you need?' he would often ask. He did not like the competition between the rich in owning luxury goods. For example, a yacht is never big enough; someone else will have a bigger one. Someone else will have a bigger mansion.
Feeney was also worried for his children. Kidnapping was prevalent at the time, and Feeney did not want to live his life surrounded by bodyguards and in fear for his family. So one day, he secretly flies to the Bahamas and donates all his profits to his newly established charity organization.
Many find it hard to part from a few dollars. Feeney parted with billions. All the proceeds from Feeney's company went straight to his charity foundation. Unlike Bill Gates (whom I also admire for his philanthropy), Feeney gave away his whole fortune without announcing it. No one ever knew of Feeney's philanthropy, not even his partners. His name is not on any library, University, or building. Feeney gave secretly. He believed that your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing when it comes to charitable donations. Feeney is a man who gives not for selfish reasons such as recognition and fame, but to help make a change in people's lives.
Feeney did not feel guilty about making money, but he felt guilty keeping it. He felt his money should not be for the sole purpose of giving him and his family pleasure, but for giving pleasure to the world.
Feeney also helped solve the IRA (Irish Republican Army) problem together with Bill Clinton, and opposed the war in Iraq. He did not vote for Bush in 2004, and marched against the war of Iraq in the streets of London in 2004. He also felt that the US was unfair to Vietnam, and flew several times to Vietnam offering anonymous help.
Chuck Feeney is a great man, and his story should be an inspiration to all of us. This book should be read by everyone, and should be required reading in schools and universities. If one man can make such a difference, how much can we all do together? For one thing, we would end world hunger and poverty!
This book made me realize that ending world poverty is not such a farfetched dream: all it takes is a humble heart, like the one Chuck Feeney has!
Money can be the root of all evil. Money does corrupt, and in excess corrupts absolutely. But money can also end all of the world's suffering. It is a two edged sword. One edge will bleed the world to death; the other edge will bring an end to suffering.
I have chosen how I want to hold my sword. Have you? |
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Prosperity Classic |
In 1988, Forbes magazine's annual list of America's most wealthy listed Charles F Feeney as the 23rd richest American alive, whose personal worth of $1.3 billion was greater than Rupert Murdoch or Donald Trump. In fact, four years earlier Feeney had secretly given away almost his entire fortune to a philanthropic trust. He had enough to live on for the rest of his life, but no longer even owned a house or a car. He was, as Irish journalist Conor O'Clery phrases it in this powerful biography, `the billionaire who wasn't'.
This is two books in one: the remarkable story of duty free retailing and its leading company, DFS, whose extraordinary growth and profits paralleled the rise of jet travel; and that of Feeney himself, a slightly shambolic businessman, linguist and traveller, who took the needs of the world on his shoulders and became a model philanthropist.
It is nicely written and pulls you in like a novel. As a business biography alone, O'Clery's book is valuable, showing that huge money can be made from very simple business models. DFS's success could be put down to `four men in a room' working out what they would bid for airport duty-free concessions, and winning them. Once established, profits came easily. Feeney insisted that luck played a big role in the company's fortunes, that they reaped the benefits of being the first trusted brand in a fast-growing new field. Yet the book is also peppered with Feeney's advice to other to always `think big' (in both business and philanthropy), and in his restless desire to build a great business even the other partners admitted that Feeney had been its driving force.
I liked this book so much I included it as one of the classics of philanthropy in my own book "50 Prosperity Classics: Attract It, Create It, Manage It, Share It - Wisdom from the best books on wealth building and abundance".
50 Prosperity Classics: Attract It, Create It, Manage It, Share It (50 Classics)
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Great man, great story, ok author |
Very interesting story. I know the subject as I worked for his company (DFS) for about four years. This is a really good story, about an exceptional individual. Unfortunately the author is uninspiring. It gets boring in spots.
Chuck Feeney is a very unique individual. We need many more like him in the business world, instead of the Nardelli's and that ilk.
This should be required reading for any wealthy person. The Feeney way of living and giving is spectacular in its simplicity and heart. |
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