People are very much inclined to admire the rich. There is something about rich people that gives them a certain allure. Non-wealthy people are constantly marred by the thought on how they can achieve such a state of greatness whereby they can live in a financially sustainable fashion and avoid worrying about life’s petty expenses. In this article, we will discuss the top five richest people in the world and their key achievements which contribute to their astounding net worth. Forbes’ 2018 list of richest people highlights the below five as the wealthiest in the world
Jeff Bezos
He is Amazon’s Chief and is the first person to exceed 100 billion dollars as number one on the Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires. One of the key admiring facts about Jeff Bezos is that he started the company Amazon in a garage in Seattle in 1994. He did not inherit such a profitable money-making machine, starting it off on his own. He quit working at a hedge fund so that he could pursue a more exciting avenue of selling books online and attended Princeton University. He has also ventured in the space travel scene where his next objective is to prepare a rocket which will carry passengers throughout space. In addition to this, he also acquired the Washington Post a few years ago, in 2013, for 250 million dollars.
Bill Gates
The Microsoft legend Bill Gates is well renowned and has long been admired by many across the world. Although he built quite a reputation at Microsoft, his involvement there is less than it was, being a board member with just over one per cent of shares. He has also recently announced the launch of a Breakthrough Energy investment fund with around twenty other people. The fund is valued at one billion dollars. Apart from this, together with his wife Melinda, he chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charity foundation.
Warren Buffet
He is renowned as one of the world’s best investors of all time. He bought his first stock at the age of eleven and first filed taxes when he was thirteen. He runs Berkshire Hathaway which is the owner of over sixty companies. He is also a keen charity contributor, committing to donate more than 99% of his wealth. Recently, it has been published that he has given nearly 32 billion dollars to charity. As part of his extended commitment to charity, together with Bill Gates, he launched The Giving Pledge in 2010, with the objective of enticing billionaires to donate half of their wealth.
Bernard Arnault and family
He is responsible for over seventy brands which include Louis Vuitton and Sephora. In one great year including record results at LVMH and a mega deal to buy out most of Christian Dior boosted his fortune by 30.5 billion dollars in one year.
Mark Zuckerberg
Sure you have heard of this man! The Facebook CEO saw his net worth’s strong upward incline as Facebook’s value skyrocketed. He founded the company at the age of 19 and led the life of a Harvard dropout. Initially, the project was aimed for Harvard students, then extending to practically the whole world. The idea is to give away 99% of his Facebook stake over his lifetime, together with his wife.
Want to know more about the rich? Leave us a comment!
