Jeff Bezos’ Estate Plan: What Is He Going To Do With All That Money?

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is one of the richest people in history with a fortune that will outlast him and his heirs. Bezos has stated that he will donate most of his fortune during his lifetime or after his death. He has expressed his intent to use his wealth to address important global issues, particularly climate change and inequality.

While most of us don’t share Bezos’ level of wealth, adopting some of his ideas alongside traditional estate planning strategies can help influence how we shape a legacy that benefits our heirs and, perhaps, the world.

Key Takeaways

• Jeff Bezos plans to donate most of his fortune to organizations that tackle global issues like climate change and inequality and even exploring space for humanity’s future.
• His $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund, started in 2020, is focused on fighting climate change and supporting sustainable practices through 2030.
• While most of us won’t have Bezos’s billions, we can still adopt estate planning strategies like trusts, charitable giving, and clear beneficiary designations to leave a meaningful legacy.

Bezos’ Plan for His Wealth and Legacy

Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, have four children: Preston, George, Henry, and Emmy. Both Bezos and Scott have indicated they plan to donate most of their fortune, and Scott has donated billions since signing the “Giving Pledge” in 2019. The Giving Pledge is a promise from a group of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda Gates, who pledge to donate half their fortunes to charity.

Bezos has not signed the pledge, but he has made it clear that he’s not interested in hoarding his wealth. He plans to give much of it away to causes that interest him and that he believes are vital for humanity in the future. These include fighting climate change, tackling human inequality, and exploring space to preserve Earth.

Bezos Earth Fund

A portion of his wealth and legacy is tied to the Bezos Earth Fund, which he founded in 2020 with a $10 billion commitment to fighting climate change. The $10 billion will be distributed by 2030, the year by which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved.

The fund works on initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, protect wildlife and nature, help disadvantaged communities, transform food delivery, and develop sustainable practices globally.

Blue Origin

With his space-focused company, Blue Origin, Bezos has taken an even broader view of the future. He founded the company with the belief that humanity must expand into space to ensure its long-term survival.

The company’s goal is to make space travel more accessible and enable millions of people to live and work in space. He believes in a future where damaging industries can operate off-planet, preserving Earth, the “blue origin.”

$254 Billion

The approximate net worth of Jeff Bezos in January 2025.

And those aren’t the only trust funds and charitable organizations or groups the Bezos family gives to. For instance, there’s also the Bezos Day One Families Fund and the Bezos Family Foundation. If Bezos does give away half his large fortune, that still leaves billions to be inherited by his heirs.

The family is more tight-lipped about the structure of the family’s inheritance; if reports of a now-deleted YouTube video by Income Focus are true, the children were set to inherit $50 billion from their father.

Estate Planning Strategies

While, unlike Jeff Bezos, most of us won’t have to worry about the management of billions of dollars after our deaths, we can take solid financial planning steps now for the benefit of our own estates, beneficiaries, and legacies.

Here are a few key estate planning strategies to consider.

Understand Estate and Inheritance Taxes

In the U.S., the IRS imposes an estate tax on large inheritances. For tax year 2024, estates valued above $13.61 million ($13.99 million in tax year 2025) are subject to federal estate tax, with rates up to 40%.

This threshold is high and most people won’t owe estate taxes because their estate values won’t reach it. However, many states have their own inheritance and estate taxes, which may apply at lower levels.

Even if you don’t have billions to pass on to your heirs, understanding how taxes can affect your estate is important. Tools like trusts can minimize your tax burdens and ensure that more of your assets are passed to your heirs or chosen causes.

Set Up a Will or Trust

A will is the foundation of any well-organized estate plan. It makes certain that your wishes are honored and your assets are distributed as you intended.

For individuals with more complex financial profiles, a trust may be a better tool. Trusts allow your beneficiaries to avoid probate court, reduce estate taxes, and protect privacy.

Utilize Charitable Giving

One of the best tax-efficient ways to leave a legacy is through charitable contributions. In addition to helping a cause you care about, charitable donations can reduce estate tax liabilities.

Options like donor-advised funds or charitable remainder trusts make it easier to direct money to charity while still maintaining some control over how it’s used.

Name Beneficiaries and Update Them

Estate planning includes designating your beneficiaries. It’s important to review beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, investment accounts, and other assets regularly.

This is especially important after major life events, such as marriage, the birth of a child, or the death of a beneficiary.

Communicate Your Plan

Carefully communicating your estate plan to loved ones can help to prevent confusion and conflict.

While you don’t need to share every detail with them, you can make sure that your family understands your wishes. That will make the process smoother for everyone after you’re gone.

Bezos’ Strategic Estate Planning

Understanding estate taxes and using tax-efficient strategies will benefit anyone looking to manage their wealth efficiently. Even billionaires like Bezos use some of the strategies discussed above.

While Bezos’ charitable contributions will benefit a variety of causes, “his charitable gift giving is often viewed as a strategic tool in his broader estate planning efforts,” stated Russel Morgan, Esq., a founding member of the Morgan Legal Group, who spoke to Investopedia via email.

According to Morgan, “By making significant philanthropic contributions, particularly through initiatives like the Bezos Earth Fund and his donations to various environmental and social causes, Bezos can reduce the taxable value of his estate.”

“Charitable gifts, when made during a person’s lifetime, are generally deducted from the estate’s value, potentially lowering estate taxes due upon death.”

According to Morgan, this can be done through “charitable remainder trusts or other estate planning vehicles designed to maximize both charitable impact and tax efficiency.”

The Bottom Line

Estate planning is about more than distributing assets; it’s about creating a legacy that reflects your values.

Jeff Bezos is using his fortune to address global challenges. Your estate planning could focus on ensuring your family’s financial security, supporting a local charity, or preserving family heirlooms.

Regardless of your net worth, with thoughtful financial planning, you can control how your wealth provides for others to make a difference.