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Apr 19, 2007

"Let your capital be simplicity and contentment." --Henry David Thoreau

The Generous Un-Millionaire

The one suit Hal Taussig owns was purchased from a thrift shop for $14. At age 81, he rides a bike to work and lives in a modest home. At first glance, no one would guess that this man has given away millions. Taussig works three jobs: He cares for Norma, his wife of 61 years, who was crippled by a stroke, he helps run Untours a unique travel service that enables vacationers to experience foreign places deeply, and he directs the Untours Foundation, into which he pours all his profits -- $5 million since 1992. The money is loaned to the needy and jobless, from a craft store in Hanoi to a home-health-care cooperative in Philadelphia. "This is my way of finding meaning. This is how I get joy out of life," says Taussig.