The ten Richest Americans
Even though these Americans lost a total of $300 billion between the 10 of them this year, these moguls are still sitting pretty. Check the specs on these billionaires who make some of Hollywood's highest salaries look like couch change.
10. Charles and his brother David are tied for the 9th spot on the list of richest Americans. The brothers both rule over Koch Industries. The 73-year-old is worth $16 billion and is one of the founders of the libertarian thinktank, the Cato Institute.
9. David Koch
David Koch and his brother Charles own America's second largest privately owned company, Koch Industries, which makes everything from farming products to paper towels. Their company employs 70,000 in 60 countries. He is second in line for richest person in New York, right behind Michael Bloomberg, with $16 billion to his name.
8. Michael Bloomberg
He has been the mayor of New York City since 2001. He not only has money, he knows about it too. He founded Bloomberg LP, a financial news and data service that is worth over $20 billion. Mayor Bloomberg is also a huge philanthropist and has given $800 million to charity over the last 5 years. With $17.5 billion, he is the richest person in NYC.
7. S. Robson Walton
The 64-year-old has been the chairman of Wal-Mart since 1992. He is the eldest of Sam Walton's children. Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer, and this man's got the bankroll to back that up. He's worth $19 billion. We can't even picture how much money that is, let alone how you'd spend it
6. Alice Walton
Alice Walton is the the late Sam Walton's only daughter. With $19.3 billion to her name, the 60-year-old is one of the richest women in the world. The four direct Walton heirs have a combined worth of about $80 billion. For some people, money really does grow on trees.
5. Jim C. Walton
Jim is the youngest of Sam Walton's children. The 61-year-old lives in Arkansas with his wife and 4 children and their $19.6 billion.
4. Christy Walton And Family
Christy Walton is the wife of the late John Walton (son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton), who died in a plane crash in 2005. She inherited her husband's fortune and is worth $21.5 billion today. The discount store does $401 billion in annual sales, and has 2 million employees.
3. Larry Ellison
Larry is worth a cool $27 billion. This 64-year-old college drop-out went on to found Oracle in 1977. He made his fortune in software and continues to buy up his competition -- he has purchased 40 companies in 4 years so he stays on top.
2. Warren Buffet
Warren is worth $40 billion, but that's a $10 billion drop from last year. He is a shrewd investor and is CEO of holdings firm Berkshire Hathaway. He became a millionaire way back in 1962, and switches back-and-forth between 1st and 2nd richest American. The 78-year-old has given $6 billion in shares away to charity and has been named on Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list.
1. Bill Gates
Bill's massive fortune fell $7 billion over the last year, leaving him with $50 billion. Still not too shabby. The 52-year-old is the founder of Microsoft, but is said to hold half of his fortune outside of the company. He and his wife Melinda are also amazing do-gooders; it is said if they hadn't donated so much money to charity, he would be worth $90 billion.
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