Investing pioneer Sir John Templeton has passed away at the age of 95-years old.  He is the creator of the ‘Templeton Formula’ and gave away many millions of dollars to help spread the word of Christianity.

Templeton boasted one of the longest and most successful track records on Wall Street. From its foundation in 1954, his Templeton Growth Fund grew at an astonishing rate of nearly 16 per cent a year until Templeton’s retirement in 1992, making it the top performing growth fund in the second half of the 20th century.

A $100,000 stake invested in 1954 would, with distributions reinvested, would have grown to $55 million in 1999.

Templeton was born in the small town of Winchester in Tennessee.  He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 1968 to avoid paying federal income taxes.  He was a billionaire and maintained duel citizenship in Britan and the Bahamas.  His religious affiliation was Presbyterian.

He outlived both of his wives.  He had three children with Judith Folk before her death in 1951.  He then was married to Irene Reynolds Butler from 1958 until her death in 1993.