Posted on 07/19/2005 2:18:28 AM PDT by ChristianDefender
Looking over our list of the top ten richest people in the world, a few similarities jump out. Perhaps by looking at these similarities, we can create some kind of formula for how to get rich in the modern world. The main criterion seems to be that one has to be male - sadly, there is not a woman in the bunch. The other two secret ingredients for wealth are, in no particular order, working for Microsoft and/or being an oil baron. Oh, so that's all! Go out, become a high-ranking executive at Microsoft, buy a bunch of oil wells, and you'll be in the money. Please keep in mind that these numbers, while insanely high, can rise and fall with incredible ease, so these figures are accurate as of February 9, 2000.
10. Michael Dell
Age: 34 Nationality: American Marital Status: Married Children: 4 Education: U. Texas Worth: $16.5 Billion
Just barely squeaking in at number ten is the youngest of all of our billionaires, the young pup who founded Dell Computers. Mike dropped out of U. Texas at 19, put up his BMW to get a business loan, and started selling people PCs by mail order. The day his former classmates were graduating, his sales had already hit $70 million a year. Today, of course, he sells $2 million a day, and the company revenues are about $7.8 billion a year. He has passed IBM in annual sales, and is closing in on industry leader Compaq. The bastard.
9. Phillip F. Anschutz
Age: 59 Nationality: American Marital Status: Married Children: 3 Education: Kansas Worth: $16.5 Billion
Phil is the kind of guy whose father was a rich oil billionaire, but decided he didn't like the family business. Phil preferred real estate and railroads, and he still made a bundle. Rather than just being born lucky (although we're sure that didn't hurt), Anschutz is a savvy businessman. He has interests in fiber optics companies such as Qwest Communications International, LA sporting interests, huge cattle ranches in Wyoming, and lots of downtown Denver real estate interests. But let's face it: the biggest chunk was inherited.
8. Amir Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Alsabah
Age: 77 Nationality: Kuwaiti Worth: $17 Billion
The man's money is in oil, investments, property, and the sweat of his people. And this is just what's left over since we kicked Saddam Hussein out of the neighborhood. Imagine the filthy stinkin' riches that he had prior to the burning of thousands of his oil wells. This is why we recommend Microsoft or oil baron as the best way to becoming a billionaire. You're born, you inherit oil fields, you live the easy life in the Middle East… you just can't beat it.
7. Steven Anthony Ballmer
Age: 43 Nationality: American Marital Status: Married Children: 2 Education: Stanford and Harvard Worth: $19.5 Billion
The first of the Microsoft Billionaires on our list, Steve actually lived down the hall from Bill Gates at Harvard, and is now the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mr. Bill's little venture. Many revere/blame him for the supposed monopoly Microsoft Corp. now holds, because of his tenacity and amazing business know-how.
He joined the company in 1980 and has held a number of positions, starting as Bill's personal towel boy, and leading up to VP of Sales and Support before becoming the Prez in '98. Ballmer was appointed CEO of Microsoft on January 13, 2000. Not a bad little gig.
6. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Age: 66 Nationality: Abu Dhabian Worth: $20 Billion
Sheikh Zayed's home country of Abu Dhabi has grown over the last half century into one of the richest in the United Arab Emirates. Educated by local clerics and later by wandering Bedouin tribesmen in the desert, the Sheikh's defining achievement has been the management of supply and distribution of water. This is an important thing in the desert, so you can imagine he is quite popular there.
All of his money is in oil, investments, vast property, and the sweat of his people. And water. For the love of God, don't forget the water.
5. King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud
Age: 77 Nationality: Saudi Arabian Marital Status: Married Children: 1 Worth: $28 Billion Born in Riyadh in 1923, the King has spent his life on one diplomatic mission after another. He has also held such posts as Minister of Education, Minister of the Interior, and, of course, the King. He was present at the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945, the coronation of Queen Liz the second in 1953, and a meeting with Richard Nixon in the U.S. in 1974 (taped recordings of this meeting still exist to this day, but no one knows where).
He came to power in 1982, and all of his money is in oil, investments, property, and the sweat of his people (sound familiar?). All because of the great defining factor of birth. Yes, birth and dumb luck. Ya gotta love it.
4. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Age: 53 Nationality: Bruneian Marital Status: Married Children: 10 Education: Sandhurst Royal Military Academy Worth: $30 Billion
The 29th Sultan of Brunei was educated in his early years by tutors and private institutions before winging his way north to Britain. There, he entered Sandhurst Royal Military Academy as an officer cadet. The training seems to have paid off, as he is now Sultan and Ruler of Brunei, as well as Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Finance Minister, Religious Figurehead, and Grand High Poobah. All elected offices. Kidding! This guy can go to the bathroom and still have a cabinet meeting.
All of his money is in, say it with me now, oil, gas, investments, and yes, the ever-popular sweat of his people. Especially that oil thing, which has made so many billionaires in the Middle East. The illustrious Sultan also has two wives and ten kids. So lets see… 6 jobs, 2 wives, 10 kids, 2 turtledoves, 1 dictatorship, and he's an avid polo player. So much accomplished, and a mere 53 years old.
3. Paul Gardner Allen
Age: 46 Nationality: American Marital Status: Single Children: 0 Education: WSU dropout Worth: $30 Billion
Another Microsoft billionaire, Paul Allen is the buddy who dropped out with Bill Gates to build the software company that now holds a monopolistic stranglehold on the world. Paul dropped out of Microsoft some time ago to spend his time privately investing his money and sipping piña coladas, but he still holds a stake in the company. His current baby is Vulcan Ventures, with which he pursues his dream of a "wired world" by buying up cable operators and other technology-related companies.
It's not all boring tech stuff, though. Paul was also smart enough to invest in sports teams like the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks. Single guy, 30 billion, owns a couple sports teams, knows Bill Gates personally… poor baby.
2. Warren Edward Buffet
Age: 68 Nationality: American Marital Status: Married Children: 3 Education: Columbia Worth: $36 Billion
A distant second, Warren Buffet also has a quarter century on Mr. Gates, so he's had lots of time to build up his not-too-shabby cache of $36 billion. Frankly, we don't know what he's been doing with his time… apart from heading up investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, that is. Warren took over 30 years ago, and the company has averaged a 25% annual rate of return since.
Strangely enough, Buffet's investment style is conservative, leaning more to the long-term buy. Warren owns about 40 percent of the company, and at over $47,000 a share, it will be a while before anyone buys him out. Much better to try to get in at Microsoft, or strike oil, where you don't need money up front.
1. William H. Gates III
Age: 43 Nationality: American Martial Status: Married Children: 2 Education: Harvard dropout Worth: $90 Billion
We should all just face the fact that Bill Gates will one day rule the world. By the time Windows 2015 comes out, all will fear Bill's wrath. But you gotta admit that it doesn't look like it went to his head; the richest human on Earth, and he has the dorkiest haircut money could buy.
The son of a lawyer father and teacher mother, Gates dropped out of preschool to devote all of his time to inventing Microsoft with chum Paul Allen, then just 3 years old. After drooling all over the HVAC tubes, Bill decided to go back to school for a few more years, eventually dropping out of Harvard University to work on Microsoft.
The rest, as they all too frequently say, is history. Microsoft became this huge international corporate behemoth, and is currently fighting off anti-trust investigations and accusations that it holds a monopoly. When Bill rules the world, he's going to come down and fire those federal court judges with extreme prejudice. They'll never work on his planet again!
Gates relinquished his role as President of Microsoft in 1998, and as CEO on January 13, 2000; both posts are now held by Steve Ballmer. However, Bill remains Chairman and "chief software architect" of the company, as well as its largest shareholder. So they still let him come to board meetings.
Mr. Bill once gave $17 Billion to charity, which makes Ted Turner's paltry offering of $1 billion to the UN look like chump change. He's also written a couple of books and is heavily invested in biotechnology and cellular and satellite technology. Investors, call your brokers.
Must be an older list as they didn't include the CEO of Ikea - who recently passed up Bill Gates as the richest...
Yep this is an old list... strange though that i posted it now... but knowing how much these folks worth is quite interesting...
ppffffffffffftttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!....(we're a tough crowd here)
p
,,, someone sent me a POWERPOINT file via eMAIL a few months back, showing several shots of Paul Allen's monster yacht. I think if I cashed everything up I could afford to run that sucker for forty minutes.
Michael Dell is in his 40's now. Still young, but he's not 34.
So his years are 3900 days long?
Darn. I was really hoping I'd make the list this year.
He forgot the third option, which is by far the best solution. Get to know the Creator's Son. Get your name in the Book of Life. This qualifies you to inherit a new Heaven and Earth, were you can enjoy eternal living (to quote the Moody Blues) "beyond your wildest dreams".
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
/.....what does this have to do with BP Colonial gas prices in the U.S.A. of Empire Britain?
I must've come in at #11.
I'll get on the list next time.
Shouldn't the pope be on that list, since he's the sole shareholder of the world's largest corporation?
I almost made the list! I'm short only almost 16.5 billion!
Agencies | April 06, 2004 11:32 IST
Last Updated: April 06, 2004 11:44 IST
Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Swedish furniture giant IKEA, has denied reports that he has surpassed Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates as the world's richest man, said a USA Today report.
The upcoming issue of Swedish business weekly Veckans Affarer has estimated Kamprad's wealth at 400 billion kronor ($53 billion), while Forbes magazine puts Bill Gates' fortune at $40.7 billion. The magazine said that the furniture magnate had thus overtaken Gates.
However, the furniture giant said it is incorrect to say that Ingvar Kamprad owns the entire company, along with all its stores. IKEA said this mistake was made very often.
The USA Today report quoted a company spokesperson as saying that 'Ingvar Kamprad does not own IKEA as he has donated the concern to the Dutch Stichting INGKA Foundation in 1982.'
Kamprad, 77, who now lives in Switzerland, no longer participates in the daily management of IKEA. Media reports said the dollar's slide against other currencies is the main reason why Kamprad has overtaken Gates.
In February, Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the world's billionaires had put Kamprad at No. 13, with an estimated fortune of $18.5 billion, with Bill Gates at No. 1. Forbes ranked investment guru Warren Buffett as the second richest man in the world after Gates.
I've seen such photos. Yowza. I think maybe I could afford to look at it being run for forty minutes.
Jimminy!! Either you've got this all figgered out...
Or, I'm just as whacked-out as you are :o)???????
/.....foreign oil refineries British-tea tax
/sarcasm
4CJ, maestro is being cryptic and esoteric--LOL! "On the sly"--but, he's got this pegged!! So simple, it even escaped me. ;o)
maestro you "slyed" me, bro.
/.....foreign oil refineries British-tea tax
This is revelation, 4CJ--this is what is.
Amen, maestro!
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