Okay, so it’s probably a little sad that the impetus for this is a catastrophe on a developed country (hey, I was broke c. Katrina; well wishes to all in Japan), but I’ve been thinking a little, and believe that I am in a fortunate enough financial situation to start giving 1% of my (post-tax) income to charities/nonprofits/etc., with the hope that when I have true financial security (i.e. house with white picket fence) I could probably give more. It’s so ingrained in me that I should save money for the future, but I think that it’s justifiable to spend a little in the present to help out now. One percent certainly isn’t much — I think it will be roughly $500 per year — but (1) I was an economics major, (2) I still have student loans, (3) rent here is kind of expensive, and (4) so is ballet.
Anyway, this isn’t some self-congratulatory post. All this will probably be done anonymously. I would like to get some suggestions about where to donate. Currently, I’m thinking that maybe it will be something like 1/2 disaster relief and 1/2 local stuff. We’ll see. I think the only requirement is that the organization does not ever try to call me.