The Forbes 400 Was Released Today And Any Accomplishment You Have Ever Made Will Seem Irrelevant
11 years ago

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The Forbes 400, which ranks the richest people in America, has been released for 2014, and once again, Bill Gates reigns supreme. This is his twenty-first straight year claiming the number one spot, with a net worth of $81 billion. Billy is like the Tim Duncan of the corporate world: the combination of success and longevity is unmatched by anyone in the game.

Warren Buffet is just a mere $14 billion away from Gates, locking up the second spot for a thirteenth consecutive year with a modest $67 billion.

Here are the top 25:

1. Bill Gates – $81B – Microsoft
2. Warren Buffet – $67B – Berkshire Hathaway
3. Larry Ellison – $50B – Oracle
4. Charles Koch – $42B – Koch Industries
4. David Koch – $42B – Koch Industries
6. Christy Walton – $38B – Wal-Mart
7. Jim Walton – $36B – Wal-Mart
8. Michael Bloomberg – $35B – Bloomberg LP
9. Alice Walton – $34.9B – Wal-Mart
10. S. Robson Walton – $34.8B – Wal-Mart
11. Mark Zuckerberg – $34B – Facebook
12. Sheldon Adelson – $32B – Las Vegas Sands and other casinos
13. Larry Page – $31.5B – Google
14. Sergey Brin – $31B – Google
15. Jeff Bezos – $30.5B – Amazon
16. Carl Icahn – $26B – Icahn Enterprises
17. George Soros – $24B – Hedge funds
18. Steve Ballmer – $22.5B – Microsoft
19. Forrest Mars, Jr. – $22B – Mars
19. Jacqueline Mars – $22B – Mars
19. John Mars – $22B – Mars
22. Len Blavatnik – $21.5B
23. Phil Knight – $19.9B – Nike
24. Harold Hamm – $18.7B – Oil
25. Michael Dell – $17.7B – Dell

There are plenty of familiar faces on the list, including Zuckerberg, the Los Angeles Clippers’ new owner Steve Ballmer, cofounder of Nike and avid University of Oregon booster Phil Knight, and the powerhouse family of Walmart, the Waltons.

The highest net worth jumper in terms of percentage of the 400 is Nick Woodman, founder of GoPro, with a 200 percent increase since last year. He’s now worth $3.9 billion.

From Forbes:

The average net worth of list members is $5.7 billion, $700 million more than last year and a record high. An impressive 303 of the 400 saw the value of their fortunes rise compared to a year ago. Only 36 people from last year’s list had lower net worths this year. Twenty-six people fell off the list; another six people died, including businessman and Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer.

Altogether, the individuals on the Forbes 400 are worth an astronomical $2.29 trillion and they make up to $270 billion a year, which is roughly the gross domestic product of Brazil, a population of 200 million people.

The majority of the top 25 were self-made men, proving that the American dream is alive and well. Time to get to work, fellas.

[via Forbes]

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