Ever wonder who the richest person in the world is? It's not Bill Gates (although his Microsoft fortune is nothing to sneeze at - unless, perhaps, your name is Warren Buffet). Here are the current top 5:
Warren Buffet - #1
The world’s richest person is currently Warren Buffet, worth $62 billion at age 77. His made his fortunes at Berkshire Hathaway by investing in Geico, See’s Candies, and Coca-Cola, amongst other major companies. Warren studied at the University of Nebraska and Columbia University, where his studies helped him to become a better investor. He has long been known for his conservative lifestyle, and he still lives in the same Nebraska house where he lived before he earned his large fortune.
Despite the fact that he has a wife and 3 children, Buffet plans to give the majority of his billions to charity. Much of this money has already been promised to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Carlos Slim Helu - #2
Worth $60 billion, Carlos Slim Helu isn't far behind Warren Buffet on Forbes’ billionaire list. The 68 year old made his billions in the Latin American telecommunications industry. Carlos is a widower with 6 children and lives in Mexico City.
Bill Gates - #3
Bill Gates was the richest man in the world for many years but currently holds the #3 spot due to the recently poorer performance of Microsoft stock. Bill famously dropped out of Harvard undergrad to start Microsoft, the company that has long dominated the PC world. A recent failed merger attempt with Yahoo marked the beginning of Microsoft’s stock downturn. Microsoft alternatives and non-PC products, like Apple computers and software, are also becoming more mainstream. Currently, Gates is worth about $58 billion.
Bill and his wife, Melinda, are very involved in sponsoring charitable projects through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. AIDS research and vaccination and public education in the United States are two of the foundation’s main focuses. Now 52 years old, Bill and wife Melinda have three children and live in a small city not far from Seattle, Washington.
Lakshimi Mittal - #4
Unlike the prior three men on the list of the world’s billionaires, Lakshimi Mittal inherited his steel fortune. He is 57 years old, married, and has two children. He is still of Indian citizenship but lives in London. He is worth $45 billion.
Mukesh Ambani - #5
The final billionaire on the top 5 list, Mukesh Ambani inherited his $53 billion dollar fortune from his father, Dhirubhai Ambani. His father’s business was split in two due to the quarrel between Mukesh and his brother, Anil, who is currently the 6th richest person in the world. Mukesh is the head of Reliance Industries and is in the manufacturing and petrochemicals business. He was briefly the richest man in the world in 2007, momentarily seizing the title from its usual place in the hands of a United States billionaire. He currently resides in Mumbai, but has pursued his chemical and business studies both in India and in the United States, at Stanford University. Mukesh Ambani and his wife and three children enjoy a lavish lifestyle, epitomized by his soon to be 27-story private residence in downtown Mumbai, said to cost over $2 billion.
To learn more about the world's billionaires, read the companion article, World's Richest Women.
Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_The-Worlds-Billionaires_Rank.html
http://www.stockmarketsview.com/mukesh-ambani-becomes-worlds-richest-man/22/
http://www.kottke.org/remainder/08/05/15584.html
