Defying last year’s calamity and a stubbornly weak economy, the collective wealth of Japan’s 40 richest has risen 13%, to $93 billion, since FORBES ASIA last published its Japan list in January 2010.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tatianaserafin/2012/03/28/japans-40-richest/

The fortunes of self-made billionaires are growing at a faster rate than the wealth of those who inherited their wealth. That’s according to research by Societe Generale Private Banking and Forbes Insights, which found that, between 2008 and 2011, self-made billionaires saw their fortunes increase by 9%.

http://www.campdenfb.com/article/individual-wealth-grows-faster-family-fortunes#.T3M7h5EfLvg.twitter

Charitable giving to nonprofit hospitals and health systems increased in fiscal year 2010 as the economy continued its gradual recovery. However, a dampening of pledges for future money attributed to ongoing uncertainty and expected decreases in payments from public and private payers means that physicians may not have funding for research projects and newer facilities.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/03/26/bisf0328.htm

Nearly half of China's wealthiest families are planning to emigrate or are in the process of emigrating, according to a recent report.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/leaving-03152012140312.html

In a January speech at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, laying out his policy for higher education, President Obama opened by noting his agenda: "How can we make sure that everybody is getting the kind of education they need to personally succeed but also to build up this nation - because in this economy, there is no greater predictor of individual success than a good education."...At Ann Arbor, President Obama captured the spirit of the megafoundation program for higher education. Should we be worried about that confluence?

http://chronicle.com/article/Big-Philanthropys-Role-in/131275/?sid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en

Felix Salmon, the finance blogger at Reuters, has some questions about how philanthropic billionaires calculate their net worth.

http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/philanthropy/20008-bloomberg-billionaires-index-doesnt-account-for-philanthropy.html

As Chinese students flood private American high schools, aided by high-priced "consultants," they are changing concepts of success and security back home, and leading ambitious schools to seek out more of the eager (and often full-paying) mainlanders.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/how-chinas-new-love-affair-with-us-private-schools-is-changing-them-both/255154/

Capitalism in pursuit of social justice.

The notion is becoming more common in Israel as a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators in the fields of high-tech, industry and real estate is delving into philanthropy.

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/03/26/3092333/increasing-number-of-israeli-entrepreneurs-focusing-on-social-justice

America’s millionaire population is still growing – though not by much.

The number of millionaires in America grew by 200,000 in 2011, ccording to a new report from Chicago-based Spectrem Group. That sounds like a lot, especially with so many Americans still losing jobs and homes. But it represents a growth rate of only 2% – much slower than the growth in 2009 and 2010.

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2012/03/21/millionaire-population-grows-by-200000/?mod=wsj_share_twitter

The U.K.’s new budget has ignited all manner of class warfare. Retirees say it’s a gift to the rich at the expense of the poor. The wealthy say it’s another attack on success and job creators. But one piece has gone largely unnoticed: the limit on philanthropic giving. The measure would cap the tax relief for wealthy givers at 25% of their annual income, or £50,000, whichever is higher. It takes effect next year.

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2012/03/27/will-the-british-rich-stop-giving/?mod=wsj_share_twitter