On December 2, Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, gave $6.25 billion (€5.57 billion) – as well as a lesson in capitalism to American children. The founder of Dell Technologies, an IT giant, announced that 25 million children under the age of 10 would each receive $250. The initiative is tied to the creation of “Trump accounts,” one of the main measures in the One Big Beautiful Act, the major budget law passed in July. The measure provides for the opening of retirement savings accounts for all American citizens born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, funded by the federal government with $1,000. The program is expected to cost the federal government $15 billion by 2034.

The Dell funds will be distributed to children born before January 1, 2025 – who are therefore not eligible for the $1,000 government-funded accounts. Priority will go to children living in areas where the median annual salary is below $150,000, excluding the wealthiest counties.

Generosity rarely comes without self-interest

This is one of the largest direct donations to private individuals. American-style capitalism is inseparable from its philanthropic side, but it usually takes the form of funding charities or restoring buildings. The Dells, whose fortune is estimated at around $150 billion, are hardly left wanting, but the gesture remains historic and has been widely praised.

Michael Dell told the Wall Street Journal that when he was eight years old, he had a savings account with $8 in it, which he watched grow over the years: “I became fascinated with compounded interest and learned about that at a very young age.” The billionaire believes that by giving the younger generation a head start, a wave of investors will emerge in years to come.

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