Recently I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the article you published about me last year (“Investor grabs bit of change with Bitcoin,” Sept. 27).
In it, I made a promise to give back to the community but I never really specified how I was planning on doing that. Honestly, at the time I really had no idea what I was going to do, but I’ve had almost a year to think about it and I’m finally ready to put my money where my mouth is.
Last year I watched myself transition from a casual investor with a few modest holdings into a full-time day trader with a large portfolio of stocks and other financial assets.
When this happened, I made a promise to my fellow citizens that I would give back to my community and make sure that as many people as possible could benefit from my good fortune.
I’m making good on that promise and I want to share my intentions on how I plan to distribute my contributions.
Overall, I plan on following in the footsteps of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates by pledging to consistently donate at least half of my money to charitable causes over the course of my life.
While I may not be a billionaire, I do have a significant net worth that is already worth several times what it was last year, and I believe I would truly be remiss if not even selfish to keep so much for myself.
I believe there are so many worthy causes that deserve as much funding as they can possibly get, and I feel honored to have a chance to help contribute to all the good they do.
One of these organizations that I am very excited to contribute to is of course, the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy. The NOHLC is a non-profit dedicated to preserving our natural environment, and I plan on donating both time and money to help them establish more easements and expand the amount of protected land in Oakland County.
I think our many parks and woodlands are a huge part of what makes our area such a great place to live, and I believe we have a responsibility to protect these lands and keep them pristine. Future generations deserve the right to inherit the natural wonders of our forests, marshlands, and natural bodies of water, and I will do everything I can to help keep them safe and secure for all to enjoy.
In addition to the NOHLC, I also plan on endowing large sums to Oakland University over the course of the next 5-10 years.
These endowments will mostly take the form of donations to many of Oakland’s existing funds such as The College Enrichment Fund and the Oakland University Scholarship fund.
I also have intentions to meet with the school’s leadership in due time to discuss further ways to contribute, such as potentially setting up additional scholarships or contributing to future building projects.
Oakland University has become a very special place to me over the past few years and I can’t think of a more fitting institution to give to. It’s a university that many of my friends and loved ones have attended and one that I hope my future children have the opportunity of attending as well.
There are several other organizations in both Oakland and Wayne County such as the animal shelter, the AFG, Lighthouse, Habitat for Humanity, and Forgotten Harvest that I believe do wonderful work and which I plan on contributing heavily to.
Over time, I hope to expand this list and continue to grow the number of causes and charities than I can support, but for now I’m very excited to get started with these local groups and institutions that directly impact the lives of many people in both Clarkston and Oakland County as a whole.
Contact Christian Bodenmiller at 248-210-9308 or email chrisbodenmiller@gmail.com.