> Wouldn't putting your fortune into a charitable trust (like the Gates foundation - iirc a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization) basically count as a way to evade p

> Wouldn't putting your fortune into a charitable trust (like the Gates foundation - iirc a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization) basically count as a way to evade paying full tax on it (estate taxes, etc)? This may appear to be true at first glance, but compare using capital to set up a foundation versus using the same capital to grow one's fortune in equities and other investments. The latter choice is better overall when a combination of growth and tax issues are taken into account. This means that people who set up foundations do it because they want to change the world, not because they want to avoid taxes.