In the last decade, the total number of billionaires and their respective net worth has reduced significantly. sign There were around 2,153 billionaires worldwide last year. New ones emerged as some dropped out of the ranks.
A significant percentage of them are self-made billionaires from various sectors such as sports, fashion, and technology. One common trait among most of them is that they are committed to charitable causes.Â
This gesture has helped a lot of individuals and communities in different ways. Let’s check out the 7 richest people in the world for 2020.
1. Bill Gates
In 1975, Bill Gates founded Microsoft with Paul Allen and he’s still a board member. He has invested in assets over the years with a net worth of $110bn.
Close to $35.8bn of his Microsoft shares has gone into the Gates Foundation and he currently owns 1% shares of the company. He runs the charitable foundation with his wife, Melinda Gates which is focused on saving and enhancing lives worldwide.
They’re collaborating with Rotary International to eradicate polio.
2. Jeff Bezos
He founded Amazon, a leading online marketplace in his garage in 1994. The company went public in 1997 and now offers a wide range of products apart from books. In 2018, Amazon raked in $230bn in revenue with a $10bn net profit.
Jeff is still the CEO of the company and owns a 16% stake. His net worth is currently around $103.9bn. He’s the owner of the Washington Post and Blue Origin, an aerospace company.
3. Bernard Arnault& Family
He runs LVMP, a luxury goods group that consists of 70 brands. Some of these brands include Marc Jacobs, Sephora, Christain Dior, Hennessey, and Louis Vuitton.
Bernard is a lover of artwork. With a net worth of around $102.7bn, he promised to donate $220m for the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris after a serious fire incident last April.
4. Warren Buffet
Warren went to Columbia after being rejected at Harvard Business School. He’s unarguably the most successful investor to date. It’s not surprising that he’s dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha.”
He’s an expert at value investing with a net worth of $82.7bn and in charge of Berkshire Hathaway which consists of over 60 companies. Most of his principles are still applicable to discovering interesting stocks in this era.
He filed for tax and bought his first stock at 14 and 11 respectively. Over 90% of his money has gone into charitable causes.
5. Mark Zukerberg
At 19 years old, Mark created Facebook in 2004 before dropping out of Harvard. His net worth is estimated at around $67.3bn.Â
Mark and his wife, Priscilla Chan has pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook stake throughout their lifetime. They also have plans to put an end to all diseases by 2100.
After facing backlash for false news on Facebook, Mark vowed to address social issues last year.
6. Amancio Ortega
He is currently the wealthiest retailer globally and among the richest man in Europe with a net worth of $77.3bn. He started the fast fashion movement and founded Inditex with his late ex-wife Rosalia Mera.
This company owns 7,500 stores and 8 brands that include Zara and Oysho worldwide. His gains in form of dividends each year is over $400m. 60% of Inditex belongs to him. Armanio’s major investment is in real estate in Chicago, Miami, Madrid, Barcelona, and other cities.
7. Larry Ellison
Larry co-founded oracle in 1977 and provided a customer relationship management database for the CIA. He has a net worth of over $67bn. He’s no longer the CEO but remains the chairman of the board and chief technology officer.
Oracle purchased Netsuite in 2016 and acquired $3m of Tesla shares in Dec 2018.
