ExcessvsNeed
Excess

Zekelman's $150M Yacht

Barry Zekelman · Bought Steven Spielberg's 282-foot Superyacht for $150 Million

$150 million
Need

Could have given

3.8 million

people clean drinking water

charity: water: about $40 funds clean water for one person, on average, in rural communities. charity: water, How much clean water will my donation provide

Canadian steel billionaire Barry Zekelman bought Spielberg's 282-foot yacht Seven Seas for $150 million.

Or it could have

  1. 27,273

    lives from malariaGiveWell estimates its top charities save a life for $3,000 to $5,500. We use the higher figure: $5,500, the cost through Against Malaria Foundation bed nets. GiveWell, How much does it cost to save a life?

  2. 1.4 million

    hungry kids for a whole yearNo Kid Hungry: $1 can help provide 10 meals for kids. Three meals a day for 365 days is 1,095 meals, about $110 per child per year. No Kid Hungry, What your dollars can do

  3. 3.8 million

    people clean drinking watercharity: water: about $40 funds clean water for one person, on average, in rural communities. charity: water, How much clean water will my donation provide

  4. 8,406

    homeless veteransAt the U.S. median rent of $1,487 a month (Census, 2024), about $17,844 a year. U.S. Census Bureau median gross rent, via USAFacts

  5. 4,203

    families escaping abuse a safe home for two yearsThe federal transitional housing program for survivors pays market rent for up to 24 months. At the U.S. median rent of $1,487 a month (Census, 2024), that is about $35,688 per family. U.S. DOJ Office on Violence Against Women, Transitional housing

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Zekelman's $150M Yacht, $150 million, vs 3.8 million people clean drinking water

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The purchase: Forbes, November 2021. The full story on Rich vs Reality →