|
|
$50.0 billion - iconic investor crowned the world's richest man in march as berkshire hathaway shares ran up 25% between july 2007 and february 2008. berkshire stock has fallen 15% since, erasing $12 billion from oracle of omaha's fortune in 6 months and forcing him to cede the title back to friend and bridge partner bill gates. son of nebraska politician delivered newspapers as a boy. filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction for bicycle. studied under value investing guru benjamin graham at columbia. took over textile firm berkshire hathaway 1965. today holding company invested in insurance (geico, general re), jewelry (borsheim's), utilities (midamerican energy (other-otc: mdpwl.pk - news - people )), food (dairy queen, see's candies). also has noncontrolling stak
|
|
|
|
|
|
$19.0 billion - with brother david, transformed family refining business into america's largest private company. father, fred c. koch (d. 1967), invented method of turning heavy oil into gasoline. sons charles, david, frederick and william inherited koch industries after father's death. charles and david bought out william and frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983- fraternal fight over deal settled in 2001. today koch industries has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, forest and consumer products, chemical technology. brothers each own 42%- collective fortune up $4 billion as oil and fertilizer prices soar. sales last year: $98 billion. employs 80,000 workers in 60 countries. purchased invista, maker of lycra and coolmax fabric, in 2004 for $4.2 billion. droppe
|
|
$19.0 billion - with brother charles, transformed family refining business into america's largest private company. father, fred c. koch (d. 1967), invented method of turning heavy oil into gasoline. sons charles, david, frederick and william inherited koch industries after father's death. charles and david bought out william and frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983- fraternal fight over deal settled in 2001. today koch industries has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, forest and consumer products, chemical technology. brothers each own 42%- collective fortune up $4 billion as oil and fertilizer prices soar. david is executive vice president. sales last year: $98 billion. employs 80,000 workers in 60 countries. purchased invista, maker of lycra and coolmax fab
|
|
$23.4 billion - son of wal-mart pioneer sam walton (d. 1992) and siblings, sister-in-law reclaim spot in forbes 400 top 10 after falling off last year. wal-mart shares up 45% since last september, as cash-strapped consumers head to discount-driven superstores in droves. also profiting from stake in solar-paneling outfit first solar- shares up 120% in past 12 months. sam started as j.c. penney (nyse: jcp - news - people ) clerk in 1940- opened newport, ark. five-and-dime store benjamin franklin 5 years later. lost lease in 1950. with brother james started general-store chain in bentonville, ark., 1962. today wal-mart is world's largest retailer: 7,300 stores, 2 million employees serve 200 million customers. sales: $378 billion. jim chairs arvest bank group, community publishers.
|
|
$23.2 billion - daughter of wal-mart pioneer sam walton (d. 1992) and siblings, sister-in-law reclaim spot in forbes 400 top 10 after falling off last year. wal-mart shares up 45% since last september, as cash-strapped consumers head to discount-driven superstores in droves. also profiting from stake in solar-paneling outfit first solar- shares up 120% in past 12 months. sam started as j.c. penney clerk in 1940- opened newport, ark. five-and-dime store benjamin franklin 5 years later. lost lease in 1950. with brother james started general-store chain in bentonville, ark., 1962. today wal-mart is world's largest retailer: 7,300 stores, 2 million employees serve 200 million customers. sales: $378 billion. alice is building crystal bridges art museum in bentonville.
|
|
|
|
$20.0 billion - mayor mike has become america's 8th-richest citizen after a transaction put a solid valuation on bloomberg lp: he borrowed to buy a 20% stake in his company from merrill lynch (nyse: mer - news - people ) in july for $4.5 billion. today he owns 88% of the financial data and news outfit he founded in 1982. boston-born son of accountant got engineering degree from johns hopkins, m.b.a. from harvard. became a trader at salomon brothers 1970s, quit with $10 million in stock after merger. created financial information services firm innovative market systems to sell financial data, analytic tools to wall street. renamed bloomberg lp 1987- added news service, magazine, cable network, radio station. spent $74 million to become mayor of new york city in 2001 and $85 million on
|
|