Forbes has been listing the names, net worth, and industries of billionaires for twenty-five years and this year Mexican Carlos Slim Helu tops the list. You can read the article here or pick up a copy of Forbes to get the in-depth version, but there are a few tidbits I wanted to make sure you saw:
In 1987 there were 140 billionaires
In 2012 there are 1.226 billionaires
Out of the 1,226 billionaires on the list, 840 of them are self-made.
The United States has the most billionaires of any listed country with 425.
Reading the stories of so many people is fascinating. Many of the stories begin with poverty. Many of thee stories talk about failure. All of the stories end in triumph. And we’re just talking about the billionaires.
According to CNN Money, there were 10.5 MILLION millionaires in the world and they expect that number to double by 2020. Becoming a millionaire or billionaire from nothing is hard…. but it’s not impossible. What would happen if you strove to be a millionaire and failed? What if you only ended up with a net worth of $800,000? Would you be mad? What about if you failed, but you helped your children learn the skills that would make them wealthy? What if you were only able to leave your children a small inheritance of a few hundred thousand dollars?
Whatever your financial goals are, there’s no time to start like the present. If those goals include leaving your heirs an inheritance, download my free eBook “You Can’t Take It With You”.
Shay Olivarria is the most dynamic financial education speaker working today. She speaks at high schools, colleges, and companies across the country. She has written three books on personal finance, including Amazon Best Seller “Money Matters: The Get It Done in 1 Minute Workbook”. Shay has been quoted on Bankrate.com, FoxBusiness.com, and The Credit Union Times, among others. To schedule Shay to speak at your event visit www.BiggerThanYourBlock.com.
Bigger Than Your Block 