Top 10 richest people in the world (and the source of their wealth)

A list of the biggest fortunes in the world, and their sources of income.

On more than one occasion we have heard that money does not bring happiness. And the truth is that as long as we have satisfied our basic needs and we consider that there is equity between what we do and what we get, having more or less money does not necessarily imply being more or less happy. Moreover, although the concept of wealth was born linked to money, nowadays it is increasingly taken into account that there are many other types of wealth.

However, having a good economic capacity makes it easier to live experiences or simply to obtain more goods and services, something for which the vast majority of people would like to have more capital. That is why we are often curious to know who the richest people are. who are the richest people in the world. and how they have reached this position, something that has led to the creation of lists such as those made every year by Forbes.

Throughout this article we are going to see which are the ten largest fortunes in the world at an economic level.

The 10 richest people in the world

Below we will see who are the people who have the greatest economic wealth in the world, extracted from the data obtained from the list prepared by Forbes on the greatest fortunes in the world in 2018.

1. Jeff Bezos

Although his name may not be as well known as others who follow him on this list, Jezz Bezos is at 54 years old the person who in 2018 has counted the largest fortune in the world: Approximately has 112 billion in wealth. This amount not only makes him the richest on the 2018 list, but also makes him the richest person in history (that is known).

This immense amount does not come from nothing: Jeff Bezos is founder and CEO of Amazon (in addition to owning 16% of the company), the well-known e-commerce website (among other things, since it is gradually expanding and adding services such as the recent Amazon Prime Video). And while this is his main source of wealth, is also a majority shareholder of "The Washington Post" and the aerospace company Blue Origin.. Curiously, he has been elected as one of the worst bosses in the world by the unions in 2014.

2. Bill Gates

Until recently the richest man in the world (being surpassed by Jeff Bezzos in the last year), Bill Gates is, at 62 years old, one of the two founding members of Microsoftthe company from which most of his immense fortune comes from. This fortune is estimated at 91.3 billion dollars.

However, his stake in Microsoft is currently minimal: although he remains a member of the company's board, he holds less than 1% of the company's shares, having sold or given away most of them. He has also made multiple investments, and is highly recognized for the creation with his wife of the largest private charitable foundation: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition, he has also starred in several campaigns seeking that other great fortunes contribute to generate a better world and to participate in charitable works.

Warren Buffett

At 87 years of age, the also called Oracle of Omaha has around 87 billion dollars. He is one of the most successful businessmen and investors with a keen eye for business, and one of the He is one of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors with the greatest eye for business, and is the owner of a large number of companies, including Duracell. Along with Bill Gates, he is one of the businessmen who has also decided to carry out large charity and charitable works. He is one of the owners of the Berkshire Hathaway holding.

4. Bernard Arnault

The fourth position among the richest in the world goes to a citizen of French origin. At 69 years of age, Bernard Arnault has a fortune of 75 billion dollars (approximately 72 billion euros). He is the chairman of the conglomerate Louis Vuiton Moët Hennessy or LVMHa multinational group that owns such well-known brands as Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Christian Dior, Sephora and Bulgari.

5. Mark Zuckerberg

The fifth richest person in the world and the youngest on this list is none other than the creator of the most widely used social network in the world: Facebook. He owns about 17% of the company's shares.which he founded even before finishing his Harvard degree, and enjoys a fortune of 73.2 billion dollars. He has also been giving away a large part of his shares and contributes to different research and charity works.

6. Amancio Ortega

The sixth position in this list made up mainly of U.S. citizens is for one of the best-known Spanish businessmen: Amancio Ortega, 81 years old. He is the founder of Inditexwhich includes brands such as Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti and Bershka. He has also participated in other businesses such as real estate. His net worth amounts to approximately 71,000 million dollars.

7. Carlos Slim

With 67.1 billion dollars in his possession, Carlos Slim is the sixth richest man in the world. This 78-year-old Mexican has made his fortune over the years, leading companies such as Grupo Carsowhich controls companies such as the telephone operator Telmex and the mining and chemical company Frisco. He also owns companies such as Prodigy and a large part of the shares of The New York Times.

8 y 9. Charles and David Koch

At 82 and 77 years of age respectively, these two American brothers maintain an equivalent fortune (which is why they appear together on this list), estimated at around 60 billion dollars. This comes from their role as directors and co-owners of the Koch Industries group, which owns companies such as Invista, S.A. and Invista, Inc.which owns companies such as Invista and Koch Minerals. This group is mainly engaged in the extraction and preparation of oil and minerals and the manufacture of chemical products such as fertilizers and chemical equipment, among others.

10. Larry Ellison

The tenth largest fortune in the world is that of Larry Ellison, who has 58.5 billion dollars in assets at 73 years of age. This is the founder of Oracle Corporation, one of the most important technology companies and the first in terms of working with databases and in the cloud. This company has taken over systems such as Siebel. However he retired from the management of the company in 2014, although he remained as executive chairman.

Elements in common

While each of the members of this list has their own life, personality traits, beliefs and opinions about different areas of life, it is possible to visualize how many of them have elements in common.

All of them have expressed throughout their lives the fact of having a vision not only of entrepreneurship and business but also of the existence of social needs that may need to be addressed.

Also have been characterized by their perseverance and for knowing how to face risks, going out of their comfort zone and taking the risk of losing.They have been characterized by their perseverance and for knowing how to face risks, leaving their comfort zone and taking the risk of losing. On the other hand, they have demonstrated the ability to be flexible and adapt to change in a liquid society such as ours, and to compete with multiple competitors by offering a differentiated product or service that is sufficiently different and original to be easily recognizable to the consumer.

Although some great fortunes are the product of inheritance, it is important to point out that most of the wealthiest people started from the bottom, and some even began working as teenagers. In terms of education, all of them went on to start university education, although some of them eventually dropped out.. In any case, other people who have achieved great fortunes have done so regardless of their academic training.

However, despite these similarities, other personal attitudes may vary greatly: while some are known and controversial for their attitudes towards the environment, their lack of empathy for their employees or their extreme political ideologies, others have starred in major charity campaigns, helped to fight diseases and tried to use or even give away part of their fortune in order to try to improve the situation of the rest of the world.

Also in some cases they try to lead a normalized and austere life regardless of their economic power, while others flaunt rather more eccentric behaviors and ways of being.

Bibliographical references:

• Forbes List.