Unsung fortune: A rich man's secret

[modrepub]

Untours' founder lives abundantly on little as his wealth aids world.

By Art Carey
Inquirer Staff Writer

Hal Taussig wears baggy jeans and fraying work shirts that Goodwill might reject. His shoes have been resoled three times. He bought his one suit from a thrift shop for $14.

At age 81, he doesn't own a car. He performs errands and commutes to the office by bicycle.

He lives on the outskirts of Media in a narrow wood-frame house that was built for mill and factory workers.

And he has given away millions.

Given the fortune that Taussig has made through Untours, his unique travel business, and has given away through the Untours Foundation, you could call him the Un-millionaire. If he so chose, he could be living in a Main Line mansion and driving a Mercedes. But he considers money and what he calls "stuff," beyond what he needs to survive, a burden, an embarrassment.

"He really walks the talk," says Judy Wicks, owner of the White Dog Cafe and a fellow member of the Social Venture Network, which applies capital to enterprises that reduce poverty and advance social justice.

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"If capitalism is good, it should be good for the poor," Taussig declares. "I invest in entrepreneurial efforts to help poor people leverage themselves out of poverty."

link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20070326_Unsung_fortune__A_rich_mans_secret.html


Every so often I see something in the paper like this. The world could use a few more people like this.