Warren Buffett's estate is worth tens of billions.

Most of the Buffett estate is already earmarked for charity. The famous investor plans to donate at least $37 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the advancement of health and educational causes around the world. Buffett has left considerably less for his children, reflecting his expressed interest in promoting self-sufficiency and strong work ethics among his family. The bequests to them include a small amount of Berkshire Hathaway stock and some real estate properties.

Buffett is a proponent of a bigger estate tax on wealthy individuals. Alongside George Soros, he has called for a dramatic increase in that tax rate. His decision to contribute the majority of his investments to charity is a reflection of his personal beliefs about wealth and taxes.

On the subject of how his estate should be managed after his death, Buffett hopes to contribute his stock to charitable causes and have remaining cash portion invested in passively managed index funds that are relatively safe. Having gained his wealth from stocks, Buffett has said he believes the value of his estate would be best maintained using the stock indexes – specifically, those mirroring the S&P 500.