Economic conditions might be difficult for a large segment of the population, but America’s wealthiest continue to improve their already massive personal fortunes.
The Forbes 400, a ranking of the richest individuals in the United States, includes 400 men and women with a combined net worth of $1.53 trillion. This figure is 12% higher than the combined worth of the Forbes 400 last year and it represents an improvement significantly greater than the overall net worth gain for the average U.S. household.
At the top of the list, once again, is Microsoft founder Bill Gates with a net worth of $59 billion. Warren Buffet is still in second place, but Buffet witnessed a large decline in his overall net worth. Buffet’s personal wealth fell to $39 billion, widening the gap between himself and Gates. Buffet’s drop in net worth is partly due to declines in Berkshire Hathaway stock and partly due to giving away several billion dollars to different causes.
Here is a recap of the ten richest Americans and their individual net worth:
- Bill Gates, $59 billion
- Warren Buffett, $39 billion
- Larry Ellision, $33 billion
- Charles Koch, $25 billion
- David Koch, $25 billion
- Christy Walton, $24.5 billion
- George Soros, $22 billion
- Sheldon Adelson, $21.5 billion
- Jim Walton, $21.1 billion
- Alice Walton, $20.9 billion
Very close to the top ten- and this years’ largest gainer- is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. His personal fortune is now $17.5 billion- a figure $10.6 billion higher than it was one year ago. This increase pushed Zuckerberg to #14 on the list. Zuckerberg has several Facebook partners on the list this year, including Jim Breyer, Sean Parker, and Dustin Moskovitz. Dustin Moskovitz was born eight days after Zuckerberg, making him the youngest billionaire in the Forbes 400. At the age of 27, Moskovitz has amassed a Facebook fortune of $3.5 billion, placing him 91st in this year’s ranking.
Here in the Houston, our wealthiest resident is Richard Kinder, with $6.4 billion in wealth- enough to place him at number 46. The Houston area has twelve individuals in this year’s Forbes 400. They include:
#46, Richard Kinder, $6.4 billion
#59, Jeffrey Hildebrand, $5.3 billion
#91, John Arnold, $3.5 billion
#96, Dannine Avara, $3.4 billion
#96, Randa Williams, $3.4 billion
#96, Scott Duncan, $3.4 billion
#96, Milane Frantz, $3.4 billion
#188, George Mitchell, $2.2 billion
#273, Thomas Friedkin, $1.6 billion
#293, Robert McNair, $1.5 billion
#293, Joe Jamail $1.5 billion
#375 Kenneth Adams, $1.1 billion
All 400 of the Forbes 400 are billionaires- the first time in the history of the Forbes ranking that everyone on the list was worth more than one billion dollars. The #400 individual this year has a net worth of $1.05 billion and this figure will only increase in the coming years.
They say money isn’t everything, but for the members of this year’s Forbes 400, personal wealth continues its upward movement and continues to impact their daily lives, for better or worse. The past year hasn’t been good for the overall economy, but the nation’s richest individuals continue to enjoy increases in wealth and continue to prosper like never before.
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