Forbes releases its annual ranking of world's billionaires
Listmaking is big business for the magazine industry: Time uses one issue each year to tell us who the world's most influential leaders and thinkers are; U.S. News & World Reports stirs panic in college administrators everywhere with its annual ranking of the nation's best colleges; and People and other celebrity mags give us yearly assessments of who Hollywood's hottest heartthrobs are.
And with today's publication of Forbes's annual ranking of the world's billionaires, the business community gets its equivalent to those other much-pored-over lists.
Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim, last year's top-ranked billionaire, nabbed the No. 1 spot again with an estimated net worth of $74 billion. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investing guru Warren Buffett also held their positions from last year's list, coming in at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.
Despite the lack of change at the top, Forbes notes that the list was noteworthy nonetheless: It was its largest list ever, with more than 1,200 billionaires included, and their total net worth added up to the largest amount ever, $4.5 trillion.
There is plenty of interesting trivia to be culled from the list, but here are some highlights:
- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is almost the world's youngest billionaire, but not quite. That honor goes to Dustin Moskovitz, who is six days younger than Zuckerberg. Moskovitz was Zuckerberg's roommate and used to work at Facebook before leaving to start his own company. Still, Zuckerberg's estimated $13.5 billion dwarfs Moskovitz's estimated $2.7 billion.
- Moscow is now home to more billionaires than any other city.
- The only woman to crack the top 20 on the list is Christy Walton, whose fortune primarily comes from the retailer Wal-Mart, founded by her late father-in-law.
You view the full list on Forbes site as well as check out brief profiles of each member.
By
Sarah Halzack
| March 9, 2011; 10:44 PM ET
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The Republican vision for the future of America is simple: tax cuts for the rich, and service cuts for the poor
The problem is that while most Republicans are not super wealthy , they've bought the "Sales Pitch" that if we give tax cuts for the wealthy the economy will improve for ALL.
Is it true?
We'll we know that Americans are going through some tough times. Right now more Americans are unemployed than every before...almost ten percent of Americans are out of work. And we know that many of those who still have jobs are being asked by their Republican lawmakers to take pay cuts and benefit reductions. We also know that more homeowners than ever before have lost their homes, and we know that more Americans than ever before are falling below the poverty line.
So we assume that the wealthy are having an equally hard time in troubling economic times...... Or are they?
Well, Forbes magazine came out with it's annual report on the wealthiest Americans and ......surprise...they are doing just GREAT!!!
Forbes Magazine reports that in even in these tough economic times There are 413 billionaires in the United States with a net worth of $1.5 trillion. This is UP from 403 in 2010 and a value of $1.3 trillion..a 9% increase!!!
So if there are more billionaires and together they've increased their wealth....why isn't our economy just humming along and all Americans back to work??
I guess we'll just wait for something to trickle down from those overflowing bank accounts of those super rich billionaires who got big tax breaks. It's got to happen sooner or later. You think it will take another 8 years and another massive tax cut for the rich before anything starts to "trickle". I'm sure that's what they are recommending
Posted by: Anonymous | March 10, 2011 2:22 AM | Report abuse
Look at 7th place! Amancio Ortega, who has made his fortune by his own! He started with a little shop in the north of Spain...and nowdays he probably runs the most important clothesmaker company. I have just read that his company (Inditex, also knows as Zara) has bougth a commercial building in the fifth avenue in NY. I am very impressed by him.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 10, 2011 3:28 AM | Report abuse
Maybe they will fund a political party they would look after the people of this country.......
We certainly do NOT have one now!!
Whatever happened to that government by the people for the people?
It seems to have vanished........
We now have a Cashrarocy, instead of a Democracy in this country.
The best government that the moneyed can buy!!
Posted by: bkarpus | March 10, 2011 8:45 AM | Report abuse
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