Forbes magazine is a big help here, as it regularly lists the richest people in the world. The magazine goes beyond the top 10, too, keeping tabs on all billionaires and prominently listing the top 500. Let's see what Forbes' data shows us.
The top 10 richest people in the worldFirst off, here are the top 10:
Rank | Name | Net Worth | Source of Wealth |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Bill Gates | $79.2 billion | Microsoft |
2 | Carlos Slim Helu & family | $77.1 billion | telecommunications |
3 | Warren Buffett | $72.7 billion | Berkshire Hathaway |
4 | Amancio Ortega | $64.5 billion | Zara |
5 | Larry Ellison | $54.3 billion | Oracle |
6 | Charles Koch | $42.9 billion | diversified |
6 | David Koch | $42.9 billion | diversified |
8 | Christy Walton & family | $41.7 billion | Wal-Mart |
9 | Jim Walton | $40.6 billion | Wal-Mart |
10 | Liliane Bettencourt & family | $40.1 billion | L'Oreal |
- Anyone thinking that the U.S. has the vast majority of the world's richest people will find gobs of non-Americans on the list. Mexico's Carlos Slim Helu, for example, is ranked No. 2, while Spain's Amancio Ortega is in 4th place, with Liliane Bettencourt of France in 10th. Forbes' 2015 list of more than 1,800 billionaires includes 71additions to the list from China.
- There are a record number of billionaires under age 40 on the big Forbes list, at 46. Still, that's not a lot, reflecting the fact that it's not easy to become a billionaire quickly. Some noteworthy names on the list include Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, which develops faster, inexpensive blood tests, among other things, along with founders of companies such as Airbnb, Snapchat, and Uber.
- As you might expect, not all of the billionaires are self-made ones. Many, such as Walton family members, inherited their wealth. Others, such as the famous right-wing supporters Charles and David Koch, inherited great wealth and then increased that wealth significantly. Almost 1,200 on the overall list are self-made, with about 230 having inherited their wealth. (Some 400 are like the Kochs.)
- Many of these billionaires have signed on to the Giving Pledge campaign created by Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett, promising to give away at least half of their fortune. Some of the pledgers include Netflix founder Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin, Dan Gilbert of Quicken Loans, and Spanx founder Sara Blakely.
- The people tied for last place on the list of 500 are still rather wealthy, with a net worth of about $3.5 billion. Steven Spielberg, with a net worth of about $3.6 billion, is near them, in 481st place.
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It's good to have goals. If you're aiming to be among the top 10
richest people in the world, you might be interested in learning who you
might have to displace. It can be instructive to review a list of the
top 10 richest people in the world for other reasons, too, such as
learning how they achieved their wealth and just how wealthy they are.
Longtime Fool specialist Selena Maranjian, whom you can follow on Twitter, owns
shares of Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, and Netflix. The Motley Fool
recommends Berkshire Hathaway and Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares
of Berkshire Hathaway, Netflix, and Oracle. Try any of our Foolish
newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.I don't know about you, but I always pay attention when one of the best growth investors in the world gives me a stock tip. Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner (whose growth-stock newsletter was the best performing in the world as reported by The Wall Street Journal)* and his brother, Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner, are going to reveal their next stock recommendations this Friday. Together, they've tripled the stock market's return over 12+ years. And while timing isn't everything, the history of Tom and David's stock picks shows that it pays to get in early on their ideas.
Click here to be among the first people to hear about David and Tom's newest stock recommendations.
*"Look Who's on Top Now" appeared in The Wall Street Journal which references Hulbert's rankings of the best performing stock picking newsletters over a 5-year period from 2008-2013.
Informatively excellent hitesh....
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