Wealth is the main goal of almost every person. How do the richest people live? What is their history? Let's delve into the chronicle of the life of successful people. Everyone wants to be successful in their favorite business and earn a lot of money. What is needed for this? Probably, first of all, to have a head on your shoulders. However, luck and success are important factors. Looking at the lives of billionaires, we always wonder how they got there. Sometimes we are simply tritely jealous and dream of being in their place. Some people simply admire the success of rich people, and some try in every possible way to learn from their experience.
All these people, one way or another, worked very hard and believed in their future. Over the years, they studied the structure of their activities, gained experience and made an invaluable contribution to their development. By tradition, Forbes magazine periodically publishes and updates the list of the richest people, where we will look.
Rich people statistics
The list of "Rich People of the World" for February 2015 has 1827 names. Their total fortune is equal to 7 trillion dollars! It's hard to believe, but it's true. Just think about this number. Compared to last year, statistics show that the total fortune of all the lucky ones has increased by $650 billion. In just one year, 285 new names entered the list of rich people. An interesting fact is that all newcomers are citizens of the Republic of China.
Bill Gates story
His financial condition is about 75 billion dollars. It's no secret that Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft. This is a man with a capital letter who changed the fate of mankind in the direction of computer technology. Bill Gates is a citizen of the United States of America, this is his native country, where he was born, raised and has lived for 59 years.
For many years, Bill has been at the top of the Forbes list of all the billionaires in the world. The creation of new computer technologies and investment continue to enrich the owner of Microsoft. Over the past year, his fortune has increased by 8.5 billion dollars. The continuous victories of the computer genius are confirmed by the fact that he became the leader of the list 15 times!
You can talk a lot about Bill Gates, but the most important thing to note is that he is the main philanthropist of mankind. The richest people also have a sense of humanity, well, at least some of them. Thanks to Gates, a family fund for the needy was created, which has already used over $27 billion. At the moment, the family foundation has risen to the fight against such a disease as polio. Aid is directed mainly to third world countries. 
Media Mogul Carlos Slim
The capital of the owner of a large telecommunications network, Grupo Carso, is $72 billion. Carlos was born in Mexico and is 75 years old. For the past four years, Carlos Slim has been at the top of the Forbes list of the richest people. However, with the depreciation, he shifted and lowered his position. Unfortunately, this is the only person on the list of the top 10 richest people in the world who has lost his fortune by $ 1 billion in the last year.
The Mexican financial corporation encompasses many different companies. Huge flows of money turnover haunt even government officials. Carlos' holdings include such well-known companies as Gruppo Carso, Gruppo Finacieo Inbursa and many others. The name of a Mexican can often be heard on television news, in various reports and statistics. 
Amancio Ortega's secret to success
The Spaniard has a total fortune of $64 billion. Amancio is the main representative and owner of the largest trading platform Inditex. This includes brands such as Zara, Pull and Bear, Bershka and others. The Spanish oligarch is the richest man in Europe!
Over the past year, Amancio has increased his capital by $6.5 billion. This is an incredible figure, but do not forget that the year before last, Ortega managed to earn over $ 20 billion. At the moment he is not the king of Inditex. There is now another manager in his chair, but nevertheless Amancio still controls over 60% of the company's shares.
Ortega is a well-known collector. The subject of his collecting is real estate! The total estimated value of all facilities is about $4 billion. The most significant part of his ownership is a 43-storey skyscraper in Madrid called Torre Picasso. It is in this skyscraper in Madrid that the main branch of Google in Spain is located. In 2013, the billionaire purchased 26 new buildings for about $835 million.
Amancio Ortega grew up in a modest family of a railroad worker. The future businessman began his career in a clothing store. Ortega doesn't even have a high school education! The first production came out in 1972, hence his meteoric career began. 
American dream. Warren Buffett
This man knows a lot about investments. The academic knowledge gained at the university and the difficult life experience helped him to reach a fortune of 58 billion dollars. The 84-year-old American is the second richest person in the United States of America.
Warren is not embarrassed by his advanced age, so he continues to work actively and make new financial transactions, which are discussed with obvious interest on the pages of international media. According to the statistics of the past year, Buffett became richer by 5 billion dollars.
He managed to get such an excellent profit thanks to the purchase of a large holding for the production of Heinz ketchup, as well as a successful investment in the Central Asian oil industry. The American does not forget about charity! His most recent donations to those in need amounted to $3 billion, and all-time over $20 billion.
As the billionaire himself says, his success largely depends on the book he read in his youth. The Smart Investor - This business and investing primer by Benjamin Graham inspired a young businessman to great feats. Buffett has acquired basic investment skills and the right approach to this business. The eternal advice that can be heard from Warren Buffett: "You should not turn your attention to short-term investing, which can be scattered over trifles to smithereens, you should always focus on long-term investments and wait." 
Larry Ellison - America's Information Genius
Born in the USA and has about 48 billion dollars. Larry enters big business as an IT representative. His company is named Oracle. Ellison is already 70, and he is not going to stop his activities. His credo is to always be the first in everything. The tech genius has overstated his fortune by $5 billion over the past year. He often likes to talk about competing companies that fail in his opinion. Similar statements could be heard against companies such as Google and Apple.
Larry Ellison also likes to collect real estate. The largest cluster of his private objects is located in the city of Malibu. In addition, he is the owner of a small island in Hawaii. The cherished dream of a billionaire is to build a house on the island of Lanai, which will combine all the signs of paradise on our planet.
Charles and David
The fortune of the brothers Charles Koch and David Koch totals about 80 billion dollars for two. They share 6th and 7th place in the top "List of World Billionaires". Each has about 40 billion. The American brothers have long passed over 70. Charles is 79 years old, and David is 74 years old.
In 1967, Charles Koch becomes chairman of the board of directors and part-time CEO of Koch Industries. This company ranks second in the United States in terms of profit. Over the past year, the company managed to earn $120 billion, while Koch himself replenished his capital by $6 billion.
The Koch brothers own over 80% of the shares of Koch Industries. Younger brother David Koch is considered the richest Mr. of New York City. Charles and David are involved in charity work and are among the 10 most influential philanthropists in the world.
Sheldon Adelson - the king of the gaming empire
He is an interesting and incredibly talented person. His source of income is the gaming business, namely the Las Vegas Sands casino. At the age of 81, Adelson has $38 billion. In 2013, Sheldon made $33 million overnight. This incident helped the billionaire rise to the top of the World's Billionaires List. The king of the gaming empire got rich in the shortest possible time due to the introduction of his business in the countries of Southeast Asia.
To date, countries such as Macau and Singapore have become very popular. All this thanks to the largest playgrounds where the richest people from all over the world like to gather. In Southeast Asia, $12 billion was earned. 
And Sheldon Adelson does not think to stop there. His plans include opening large casinos in Western Europe. Not far from Madrid, Adelson is developing a new project in which $30 billion has already been invested. Such business strategies are incredibly risky. However, the billionaire achieves his goals, which as a result gives him the growth of all shares up to 3% per month.
Paradoxically, Sheldon Adelson supports the Republican Party of the United States of America. The multi-billionaire invests huge sums for the provision and goals of the party. Recently, thanks to Sheldon, a ban on online casinos in the United States has been made public.
Members of the Walton family
There are 4 billionaires in the Walton family. The fortune of Christy Walton is 37 billion, Jim Walton - 35 billion, Alice Walton - 34.5 billion, Robson Walton - 34 billion. All members of the clan are tied to the Retail company. The age of billionaires is 70, 67, 65, 70 respectively.
A rare case when almost the whole family is on the Forbes list. Christy Walton is the richest female billionaire in the world. The founder of Retail is John Walton (Christie's late husband). Over the past year, the retail chain's shares have risen 6%, generating $460 million in earnings.
The Retail Empire was founded in 1962. At the moment, the company has about 11 thousand different branches and franchises around the world, and the total number of employees of the company is over 2 million people. In addition, the family also owns ArvesBank banks and the Hyatt Hotels chain.
Forbes: list of rich people in Russia
Among the most wealthy in the Forbes list there are also Russians. The number of rich people from Russia has more than 100 people. Each of them is followed by the press, and statistics are kept for the American Forbes magazine. Almost everyone on this list once started working for a penny. They are always talked about on television, in newspapers, and just on the streets.
It is impossible to determine the capital of a billionaire with 100% accuracy. Their financial condition is changing every second. For some it grows, for others it falls. Some people make significant changes, some don't.
Here is a list of the top ten places taken from the 100 richest people in Russia:
- Vladimir Potanin - about $15.4 billion.
- Mikhail Fridman - $14.6 billion
- Alisher Usmanov - approximately $14.4 billion.
- Viktor Vekselberg, his fortune is estimated at $14.2 billion.
- Alexey Mordashov has $13 billion.
- Vagit Alekperov - just over $12.2 billion;
- Leonid Mikhelson - $11.7 billion
- Vladimir Lisin - $11.6 billion
- Gennady Timchenko occupies the penultimate place with a fortune of $10.7 billion.
- Closes the list of billionaires Mikhail Prokhorov. His net worth is $9.9 billion.
Most of the Russian list began to walk up the career ladder in the early 90s. All of them also studied at schools, higher educational institutions, worked and worried about their future. They all believed in the good old saying: "Patience and work will grind everything."
Reading time: 6 min.
In 2017, Bloomberg announced its annual ranking of the 500 richest people in the world. We will focus only on the top ten. So, richest people in the world according to the Big Rating magazine.
Ingvar Kamprad
The Swedish businessman's fortune is estimated at $42.8 billion. Over the past year, Kamprad has become richer by a billion dollars. As you know, he is the founder of IKEA. At the moment, Ingvar is at a pretty decent age - 90 years old. He divorced his first wife back in 1960, after ten years of marriage, married a second time in 1963, but his wife died in 2011. Now he has four children.
Larry Ellison
An American businessman has capital in $45.4 billion. He has risen quite well this year - his fortune has increased by $ 1.8 billion. He is one of the co-owners of the Oracle corporation, which is engaged in the production and release of computer hardware and software. At the moment, Ellison is 72 years old. During his turbulent life, he managed to marry and divorce as many as four times. There are two children left from the second marriage.
David Koch
Today, his condition is estimated at $47.8 billion. David increased his net worth over the past year by $8.2 billion. Now he is 76 years old and he is still married, from which he has three children.
Charles Koch
Brother of David Koch, who is also a co-owner of Koch Industries Corporation. The company has a different range of activities - from oil to polymeric materials. Like his brother, he enriched himself by 8.2 billion dollars in a year. He is married and has two children. His condition is estimated at $47.8 billion.
Carlos Slim
The sixth line of today's rating is occupied by a Mexican businessman, who dropped down from the third place in the rating. Today its budget is estimated at 53.3 billion dollars, because last year he increased his fortune by 3.3 billion dollars.
It should be noted that Slim is very versatile in terms of business projects. He owns various companies, ranging from construction to telecommunications.
At the moment he is 77 years old. He is not married, having been widowed in 1999. Six children remained from the marriage.
Mark Zuckerberg
The fifth line of the ranking is occupied by the youngest billionaire. Despite his young years, compared to his closest competitors (only 32 years old), he managed to earn $59.3 billion in past years. This year, he raised his fortune by $14.7 billion. Surprisingly, the founder of the world's largest social network Facebook leads a very modest lifestyle. He is married and had a daughter in 2015.
Amancio Ortega
The Spanish entrepreneur is steadily moving forward and takes the fourth place in the ranking, with a result of $68.9 billion. This year was successful and brought him 1.9 billion dollars. Ortega has an extensive business and is the owner of Inditex, which owns several large-scale ready-to-wear retail chains. One of them is Zara.
The Spanish billionaire is now 81 years old and has not been very lucky in marriages. His first marriage broke up and in 2001 he married again. Now he has three children (two from his first marriage and one from his second).
Jeff Bezos
The third position was quickly taken by the owner of the largest company Amazon. He is moving towards the top spot at an incredible rate, as his internet company brought him $28.1 billion this year - an incredible result. Bezos was engaged in trade, but recently he has become more actively investing in various projects from the field of new technologies. In general, he is still quite young and is now 53 years old. Has a wife and three children. Today he has $82.1 billion.
It is not surprising that he has been at the top of the rankings for many years. The world-famous owner of Microsoft has made $10.6 billion this year. Bill's general condition is estimated at $85.6 billion. His company is the main supplier of various software all over the world. Now the businessman is 61 years old and he is married, from whom he has three children.
As you know, America is a country of great opportunities for doing or expanding various businesses. It goes without saying that in this case one should have certain skills and human qualities, which in total allow one to reach a fairly high material level. It is no secret that the vast majority of billionaires in the world are precisely the inhabitants of the New World. In this article, we will find out who the richest people in America are, what they own and how they came to their success.
richest family
According to Forbes, the Walton dynasty is the richest in the United States. Her fortune is estimated at a simply unthinkable amount - $ 130 billion. The business was founded in 1962 by brothers James and Sam. Both have long gone to another world, and today their brainchild is being developed by their heirs, of whom there are six people. In fact, the team's activities are based on the total control of the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart.
Koch Industries
Charles Koch is another richest man in America. This entrepreneur and philanthropist was born on November 1, 1935 in the United States. He has a brother named David Koch, with whom they inherited from their dad a very large business based on the production of gasoline. Today, the corporation, which is managed by Charles Koch, in addition to the chemical and oil industries, pays close attention to the production of various polymers, the implementation of many environmental programs, and even cattle breeding. The brothers' business capital is approximately $115 billion, of which David Koch owns $42.9 billion.
Former Mayor of New York
Michael Bloomberg, born on February 14, 1942 in Brighton, today is not only one of the richest people on our planet. From January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2013, he headed the New York City Hall. Like many of the richest people in America, the businessman is a native of a Jewish family and has a prestigious education (he graduated from Harvard Business School). Michael Bloomberg owns one of the world's leading news agencies - Bloomberg. The empire of this eminent American consists of many television channels, radio stations and a worldwide computer network of financial news. At the heart of Michael's success lies his ability to think progressively and quickly. It was he who first came up with the idea of combining the current quotes of exchanges taking place in real time with detailed analytics. Such a service allowed Bloomberg to become, in a way, a monopolist in the information field in the financial sector.
As mayor of New York City, Michael set himself a salary of one dollar a year and completely abandoned public housing, using only his business income. As of 2016, Bloomberg's net worth was approximately $40 billion.
Young billionaire
Relatively recently, the list of billionaires was replenished by a native of the suburbs of New York. This outstanding polyglot and programmer was born in 1984 and already at the age of twelve he created his first ZuckNet program, which made it possible to communicate over a local network to all his relatives and friends. After high school, Mark was educated at the elite Phillips Exeter Academy. Mark Zuckerberg's financial fortune has increased many times after he developed a social network called Facebook. Initially, it was intended to expand communication opportunities for Harvard students, but the network began to grow rapidly, and at a certain stage, the young American realized that it was urgent to invest a lot of money in this promising project in all respects. Therefore, he dropped out of high school and invested all his savings in his offspring. After some time, Mark was able to attract wealthy investors, who contributed to bringing the social network to the international level. As of February 2016, Mark Zuckerberg's fortune was in the range of $50 billion. At the same time, the young man does not lead a party lifestyle, does not flaunt his wealth and lives happily with his wife, whom he has known since his student years, and brings up a little daughter named Max.
Mars dynasty
The Mars Confectionery Company was founded in 1911 by Forrest Mars Sr. In our time, it is managed by three heirs of the founder of the corporation. By the way, today the brand produces not only sweets, but also pet food such as Pedigree and Whiskas. The scale of production of the company's products inspire respect. Only one candy called M&M's in the United States produces about 400 million pieces daily. As for the state of the family, in 2016 it was approximately $ 78 billion.
Owner of the world's largest online store
American Jeff Bezos is another example of the ability to quickly navigate the trends and draw the right conclusions in the struggle for success.
Jeff was born on January 12, 1964 in Albuquerque, USA. After receiving an excellent education at Princeton University, the future billionaire began work at Fitel, which specialized in developing high-quality stock trading software. But already in 1994, Jeff got acquainted with an analytical forecast for an increase in sales via the Internet and realized in which direction he should work. Since 2000, the American has allocated part of his finances to a project called Blue Origin, which is to launch spacecraft into low Earth orbit.
In 2013, the businessman bought out one of the most famous publishing houses - The Washington Post. Jeff spent $250 million on this acquisition.
Today, Jeff Bezos is the founder and owner of what is known as Amazon. The billionaire adheres to the thesis “the client is always right”, and in relation to his subordinates he is demanding, one might even say, picky. As of early 2017, Bezos has a net worth of $71.2 billion.
Head of Oracle Corporation
Lawrence Ellison is a prominent American entrepreneur who is well known for his charisma, impulsiveness and extravagance. At the same time, one cannot fail to note his significant contribution to the development of modern software.
The future billionaire was born in August 1944 in the Bronx. Experiencing adolescence, Lawrence was extremely obstinate and independent, which is why he often argued with his adoptive father, who considered him an absolute loser and a complete fool, incapable of anything in life. After school, Larry became a student at the University of Illinois, which he never graduated from. After some time, he again becomes a student, but at the University of Chicago, where he was expelled already in his first year of study.
But still the guy was destined to become successful. He had the ability to fully absorb new information and quickly became a programmer. And in the 1970s, he became the founder of Oracle, which exists to this day and brings billions in profits to its owner. Even then, the richest people in America understood that computer technology was the future, and therefore Ellison had many competitors, such as SAP and Microsoft. This led to the fact that in the 1990s the American company was on the verge of complete bankruptcy. However, he did not lose heart and took rather radical steps: he fired many of his managers, and he himself took the place of a programmer, improving applications for managing databases.
At the same time, Larry was very demanding of his subordinates. In his corporation, all departments competed with each other, rivalry between staff was encouraged, and the pace of work was such that the vice president of the company married the girl he met, because he clearly understood that he would have no time to look for another lady of the heart if he broke up with this.
Confrontation with competitors
Oracle's main business rival is Microsoft Corporation. Moreover, their confrontation even reached a personal level. So, for example, Larry flew his plane over the Gates house on a strafing flight and often criticized his opponent, accusing him of incompetence. Nevertheless, Ellison was never able to get around Gates in the ranking of rich people, even taking into account the fact that he won a lawsuit against him and received $ 5 billion for this.
The world's largest investor
As of February 2017, his fortune is estimated at 65.5 billion dollars, he is nicknamed the Seer for his ability to perfectly calculate various situations and material investments in advance.
The billionaire was born in Nebraska in 1930 and already at the age of thirteen filed his first tax return. The American's first major financial achievement was $10,000, made possible by installing slot machines in hairdressing salons. Warren's business is based on Berkshire Hathaway, which he acquired in 1965.
Buffett was educated within the walls under the guidance of Benjamin Graham. In his strategy, Warren adheres to the principle of long-term investment, that is, holding a share in a company, in his opinion, should last at least 10 years. The businessman is known for his generosity towards charitable foundations. In the summer of 2010, he donated 50% of his finances to five such institutions. This act is still considered the most generous display of charity on the planet in the entire history of the existence of our human race.
Buffett had some pretty serious health problems. In the spring of 2012, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but the disease was detected at an early stage, and the timely course of radiotherapy saved the billionaire from imminent death.
richest man in the world 2015
Bill Gates (USA) from 1996 to 2007, as well as in 2009 and 2015, was officially recognized as the richest person on earth. This man was born in 1955 and became famous not only for his wealth, but also for calling on other billionaires to give half of their fortunes to charity.
Surprisingly, the future computer genius was expelled from the university literally two years after the start of his studies at it. Gates' main business partner is his friend Paul Allen, who in their tandem initially dealt exclusively with technical issues. Bill himself took over the negotiation processes, communication with clients and signing contracts. In 1976, the now well-known company Microsoft was created by young Americans, in which 64% of the shares belonged to Gates.
By the way, despite the reputation of a very adequate and calm person, during his life Bill was arrested three times for driving without documents and while intoxicated.
Some facts about the billionaire
To date, Gates has completely removed his authority as the head of the corporation, but at the same time is the largest holder of its shares. Also, the billionaire is quite modest in everyday life and dresses very discreetly. However, his dwelling is a high-tech building that impresses visitors with its technical highlights.
Gates loves books and reads 50 of them a year. A fly, Eristalis gatesi, was also named after him. In addition, the American owns the largest island of the Republic of Belize.
Forbes rating
According to the respected print publication Forbes, at the beginning of 2017, the list of billionaires. In it, the main American billionaires are ranked relative to each other in terms of their wealth. The list looks like this:
- Bill Gates.
- Warren Buffett.
- Jeff Bezos.
- Mark Zuckerberg.
- Larry Ellison.
- David Koh.
- Koch Charles.
- Michael Bloomberg.
- Larry Page.
- Jim Walton.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to note that the richest people in America are not only well-educated, but also purposeful, mature, independent individuals in all respects, who were not afraid at the right time to challenge both the society around them and themselves, overcoming the a variety of fears and self-doubt. Many of them are hereditary billionaires thanks to their ancestors, but the ability not only to preserve capital, but also to increase it makes them respect these businessmen and appreciate their business qualities.
The number of billionaires in the world continues to grow. As Forbes magazine notes, the combined wealth of the world's richest people now stands at $6.5 trillion, which is 30% of the total GDP of the United States, which still occupies a leading position in terms of economic volume.
By the way, despite the fact that in recent years not only the number of billionaires has grown, but the geography of their origin has also grown, the basis of the list of rich people is still represented by people from the United States and some European countries, to which now several billionaires from Asia have accumulated their fortune. like Bill Gates.
15. Li Ka-shing, net worth $33.5 billion
The 86-year-old billionaire is one of the richest people in all of Asia and has been Hong Kong's richest man for 17 years. He became famous for his numerous investments in the Internet. In his own words, "A person who invests in technology feels younger." Despite the fact that Li Ka-shing has long been engaged in real estate (his companies built every seventh apartment in Hong Kong) and cargo transportation, in 2007 he without hesitation invested $ 120 million in Facebook, receiving a share of 0.8% in return. Prior to that, in 2005, his company Horizons invested in Skype, which was unprofitable at that time, which was bought by eBay the following year for $2.5 billion, and in 2009 Lee invested $7.5 million in the Siri project, which was also bought by Apple the following year.
14. Jeff Bezos, net worth $34.4 billion
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made his fortune selling goods online. In just five years, he built a factory of virtual hopes with billions of dollars in turnover. Bezos owes his success to ingenuity and speed - Amazon began full-fledged work in 1995, just at the moment when crowds poured into the Internet, and competitors had not yet had time to create full-fledged sites, so speed was more important here than design or technical innovations. And then the company continued to actively develop, based on two things: Bezos' perfectionism and the company's focus on the end consumer. As the Amazon founder liked to say, “I like to take ordinary things and improve them to the point where people think: Wow, this is completely different.” Now among the assets of Jeff Bezos are also the aerospace company Blue Origin and the publishing house The Washington Post.
13. Arnaud Bernard, net worth $36.8 billion
This is the richest Frenchman in the world, who heads Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), a world leader in the production and sale of luxury goods since 1989. Under his company are such well-known brands as Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, Givenchy, Hennessy, Guerlain, Chaumet, Moët & Chandon, TAG Heuer. Now the businessman is actively investing in Internet enterprises, despite the fact that these investments are not yet very profitable for him. He says: “The Internet economy has a great future. Although I can guarantee that in a hundred years people will be drinking Dom Perignon champagne. But what kind of Internet they will use - I don’t know.” Arnault began to build his empire on the idea of concentrating different brands united by belonging to the luxury class. In an increasingly globalized economy, it takes a lot of money to promote and maintain one single brand; the presence of a whole portfolio of brands in the hands of one company helps to significantly reduce costs. Fisted Arno, even trading in luxury goods, wanted to save money.
There are not many politicians in the world who can also boast of the status of a dollar billionaire. One such person is Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York. After Bloomberg was fired from a large company, he decided to start his own business and in 1981, Innovative Market Systems was born, which in the future will be renamed Bloomberg LP. At the same time, the company's starting capital amounted to $10 million. The idea was to provide various business information to companies, including financial information. But doing it not like other companies at that time is chaotic, but structured, highlighting current trends. As Bloomberg himself said: "I would have made a terrible venture capitalist; the cost of any company would be considered by me as overpriced. I never doubted that it was much cheaper to create my own."
11. Samuel Robson Walton, net worth $39.1 billion
What began as a family business in the 1960s with a few stores has grown into a global empire of 6,500 supermarkets. Sam Walton, who started the business, died in 1992, leaving his share of the company to his wife and four children. S. Robson Walton is the current Chairman of the Board of Directors. In general, the heirs of Sam Walton own about forty percent of the shares in Wal-Mart (as the company is now called). Wal-Mart is the world's largest retail chain with approximately 6,782 stores in 14 countries. These are hypermarkets, supermarkets selling food and industrial goods. Wal-Mart's strategy includes such terms as maximum assortment and minimum, tending to wholesale, prices.
10. Alice Walton, net worth $39.6 billion
The widow and daughter of Sam Walton, the founder of the Wal-Mart chain, is one of the corporation's heirs. The Walton family has ancient roots and is one of the most influential families in the United States of America. She has many brothers: Rob Walton, John Walton, Jim Walton. The entire Walton family is engaged in business and has a huge influence in the world. However, the only daughter of Sam Walton did not want to work in the family business for a long time, so for some time she was engaged in brokerage. Now she is a well-known collector of paintings, as well as one of the largest sponsors of contemporary artists. As Alice herself believes: "Each of us builds and destroys his existence in his own rhythm. We age not because time passes, but depending on the energy we consume and partially renewable."
9. Lillian Bettencourt, net worth $40.2 billion
As the daughter of the founder of L "Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics company, Liliane Bettencourt inherited a huge fortune. At the same time, the company was divided into shared ownership: 27.5% went to Liliane Betancourt, 26.4% to Nestle, and 46.1% are put up for public auction, which can be purchased by anyone.Liliane Bettencourt is the second richest person in France after Bernard Arnault.Liliane's bright merits include the creation of a fund to support education and the development of science and culture of the country, as well as financing of conservative politicians, including Nicolas Sarkozy.The favorite phrase of the queen of the beauty empire is the expression "Money still smells good."
8. Jim Walton, net worth $40.6 billion
Jim is the youngest son in the Walton family. He started his career in one of his father's shops. At first, he arranged the goods on the shelves and racks, then he was entrusted with more and more responsible tasks. Having gained experience, he could already lead well. And after the death of his father in 1992, Jim began to manage his company with his brothers, which they inherited. In 2005, after the death of his older brother John, Jim Walton took over the company. As a person, Jim Walton is said by friends to be quiet, level-headed and unassuming. In life, he is content with the necessary and does not spend on luxury. As Jim himself says: "Indeed, to achieve great results, you need dedication."
7. Christy Walton, worth $41.7 billion
Unlike other heads of Walmart, Christie entered the Walton family as the wife, and now widow, of John Walton. While her wealth is mostly tied to Walmart (the chain sells more than $400 billion a year), she also gets a significant portion of her money from investments made in First Solar. Christie's husband, John Walton, died in a plane crash in 2005. Since then, Christie has spared no expense for charity, helping the national workers' association, making donations to the donor association. Christie believes that "family values are above all."
6. Charles and David Koch, net worth $42.1 billion
The Koch brothers inherited Koch Industries from their father, Fred, the founder of the company. It is now one of the largest firms in the US. According to the data, in 2013 the turnover of the company was $ 115 billion. The brothers managed to make enemies in the States, many people called them "pigs" (for example, Chris Matthews, the popular MSNBC channel), and protesters during the election campaign walked with posters of Koch Kills . Not surprisingly, despite huge investments in the last Republican elections, the brothers lost. However, they are not going to give up and will try their hand at the next elections. As Charles Koch said: "The main power of power is the ability to coerce. My brother and I do not have such power."
5. Larry Ellison, net worth $54.3 billion
Larry Ellison is the founder and CEO of the massive software company Oracle. He is known for his impulsive behavior and extravagant entertainment, for example, Allison loves speed, and therefore bought himself an Italian Marchetti fighter. In the early 70s, Ellison worked for a small company - Amtex. When he moved there, he already knew how to develop powerful databases that take into account various types of payments and almost all banking transactions. It is with his developments at Amtex that the history of the Oracle company begins - it was under this name that he created an incredibly convenient, multifunctional and almost perfect database while working at Amtex. Business, according to Larry, is "first of all, reaching the first step on the Victory Pedestal, and in this case, the end always justifies the means."
4. Amancio Ortega, net worth $63.2 billion
Amancio Ortega is the richest man in Spain, fashion designer, founder and president of Industria de Diseno Textil Sociedad Anonima. Inditex Corporation is the largest retail chain in the world, owning brands such as Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe, with about 4,907 stores in 77 countries. The Western press calls Amancio Ortega the Spanish Sphinx. There are other epithets that are also readily replicated: the man-legend, the man-mystery, the uncrowned king of design. And they are all true - none of them can be considered an exaggeration. Not only because the success formula invented by Ortega, which raised him to the global business Olympus, is not only realized, but even completely unraveled by anyone. The capture of world markets by Spanish brands even gave rise to the saying: "Soon we will all look a little bit Spanish."
3. Carlos Slim Elu, net worth $69.5 billion
Carlos Slim Elu is a billionaire, who is otherwise called the "Mexican Rockefeller", the owner of the largest holding in Latin America, the telephone company America Mobil. In addition to telecommunications, Elu has also invested in retail, media and the latest technology. Among his latest biggest acquisitions is a majority stake in Telekom Austria, with which he hopes to expand his reach into Central and Eastern Europe. One of Al's most famous quotes is: "In business, you have to be flexible. Many people want to make the world a better place for their children. I'm trying to change my children for the better so that they serve the world."
2. Warren Buffett, worth $73.5 billion
Starting investing at the age of 11, Buffett became famous as a major investor and financial expert. As Buffett said, "Never invest in a business you don't understand." Most of the wealth came to him during his chairmanship of Berkshire Hathaway. One of his last major purchases was Hainz, which he acquired in 2013 for $28 billion. Over the course of his career, Buffett has acquired nicknames such as "The Seer", "The Wizard of Omaha", "The Oracle of Omaha" and "The Biggest Philanthropist in History". humanity." He made the bulk of his donations through the Bill Gates Charitable Foundation.
1. Bill Gates, net worth $79.3 billion
The founder of Microsoft again took first place in the ranking of the richest people in the world. Everyone knows that Gates' billions were accumulated during the technological boom, when he was programming and developing computers. He also became famous as an investor and philanthropist - together with his wife Melinda, they created a large fund, where they have invested more than $ 28 billion. He believes that the future belongs to technologically advanced companies: "In the future, there will be two types of companies on the market: those who and those who have gone out of business."
A "pretend" prince in a white limousine - how do you like this modern interpretation of a fabulous image? In addition, this prince is not just not bad-looking, but is also a real sex symbol, the object of adoration for millions of women and just the same safe full of gold. Every woman dreams of such a man, and I must say that sometimes her dreams become a reality, and she is the owner of a tidbit in all respects.
Recently, the eminent edition of Forbes has prepared another ranking of the richest people in the world. In it, we singled out those who shine not only with the size of their wallet, but also with their face, figure, intelligence and diligence. So, who are they, these handsome princes?
Mikhail Prokhorov
44 years old, single.
Status - $ 18 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he ranks 32nd.
This man is famous for being one of the richest suitors in Russia, and also the tallest - since his height is a little over 2 meters! He made his fortune in metallurgy. The man is fond of basketball, heads the Russian Biathlon Union, likes to relax in expensive resorts in the world and chat on LiveJournal.
Roman Abramovich
44 years old, divorced, has six children.
Status - $ 13.4 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he ranks 53rd.
Romana knows the whole world as the owner of the most expensive yachts in the world and a football club. In his arsenal, he has the English football club Chelsea, as well as business in Chukotka. And although Abramovich now lives with gallery owner Daria Zhukova and has a child in common with her, he has not yet officially married her. So, girls, you have every chance!
Yuri Milner
49 years old, married, has two children.
His fortune is $ 1 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he occupies 1139th place.
The Jewish boy Yura made his fortune thanks to investments in the social networks Odnoklassniki and VKontakte, as well as heading the Mail.ru Group. The businessman keeps his personal life a secret, it is only known that his wife is a fashionable photo artist and former model Yulia Milner.
Bill Gates
55 years old, married with three children.
Status - $ 56 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he takes 2nd place.
The billionaire founder of Microsoft, whose name is heard by millions of people around the globe, has ceased to be considered the richest uncle in the world: he now has an honorable second place. The fact is that he donated $ 30 billion to fight tuberculosis and malaria to his own charitable foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It is noteworthy that in his posthumous will, he promised to donate most of his fortune to charity and not leave a penny to his children - they must take care of themselves.
Mark Zuckerberg
26 years old, single.
Status - $ 13.5 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he ranks 52nd.
Mark is the youngest billionaire in the world. The young genius who founded the social network Facebook does not boast of his wealth, on the contrary, he ridicules luxury in every possible way. Often he appears in public in the same flip flops and is ready to live in a one-room apartment without furniture - with one mattress on the floor. Remember the cases when Zuckerberg refused to meet with Microsoft agents just because they made an appointment for him at 8 in the morning - well, he was not used to waking up so early? And when he broke off negotiations with Yahoo! because of the arrival in America of his Asian girlfriend Priscilla Chen? Conclusion: he is the navel of the earth and can afford anything!
Larry Ellison
66 years old, divorced, has two children.
Status - $ 39.5 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he ranks 5th.
For many years, an American businessman, the owner of Oracle, has been competing with Bill Gates and trying to get around him in the list of the richest and most famous. Well, he only has a few spots left! In the meantime, he enjoys surfing, collects cars and planes. But his main weakness is, of course, women: Ellison had four legal wives and a lot of hobbies.
Sergey Brin
37 years old, married with a child.
Status - $ 19.8 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he ranks 24th.
Sergey is none other than the founder of Google. In life, he is very modest: he dresses inconspicuously, drives an environmentally friendly car, donates a lot of money to charity.
Stefan Quandt
44 years old, married with a child.
Status - $ 10.7 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he ranks 72nd.
Stefan is the heir to the German automotive giant, BMW. Quandt keeps his personal life sealed and avoids publicity.
Ernesto Bertarelli
45 years old, married with three children.
Status - $ 10 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he occupies 81st place.
Ernesto succeeded his father at the helm of Europe's largest pharmaceutical company, Serono. In addition to business, Bertarelli is fond of sailing, and as a result, his team became the winner of the America's Cup twice. As his wife, he took a real queen - the beauty queen of Britain Christie.
Peter Kellner
46 years old, married with four children.
Status - $ 9.2 billion. In the list of the richest people on the planet, he ranks 98th.
If you have never heard the name of the Czech Petr Kellner before, then you probably had the opportunity to visit his Eldorado household appliance stores and use the services of Home Credit bank. The man avoids the public and journalists in particular. But he donates huge sums to charity and education in the Czech Republic.
