Paul Davidson USA TODAY
While the COVID-19 pandemic ratcheted up the financial pain for millions of low-wage workers, the roaring stock market was feathering the nests of the world’s richest people.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos held on to his top spot on Forbes magazine’s 2021 list of the globe’s wealthiest individuals with a net worth of $177 billion, up $64 billion from a year ago as a result of soaring Amazon shares, the financial magazine reported Tuesday.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk vaulted to the No. 2 ranking from his 31st position last year with a $151 billion fortune, $126.4 billion more than last year owing to a 705% leap in Tesla’s stock, according to Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s most affluent.
Bernard Arnault, the French billionaire, art collector and CEO of LVMH, retained his No. 3 spot as his fortune nearly doubled to $150 billion amid an 86% rise in shares of the world’s largest luxury goods company, which houses brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates clocked in at No. 4 with $124 billion due largely to his shares in Microsoft, and Deere & Company. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg rounded out the top five at $97 billion, $42.3 billion more than a year ago thanks to an 80% surge in Facebook shares.
All told, the number of billionaires on the list swelled by 660 to 2,755 and they’re worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion on the 2020 list, the magazine said.
Read more HERE.
TRUMP’S AILING EMPIRE
His Fortune Slips to $2.3 Billion as Covid and Riot Take a Toll
Donald Trump upended the American presidency after stepping away from the company that made him rich and famous. Four years later, returning to his empire after losing the White House, what he finds may upend him.
Trump’s net worth is down to $2.3 billion from $3 billion when he became president, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The pandemic he promised would disappear is walloping his company, and the riot that got him impeached for a second time is wounding his brand. Read HERE.
The Richest Black People In America 2021
By Amy Lamare on March 29, 2021
Black American billionaires have seen their net worths surge over the past year of the COVID pandemic. All seven black American billionaires are self-made. Their fortunes range from finance to sports to media to music and fashion. Many of them are very famous with well-known names and careers. They are all trailblazers in their industries. The five wealthiest black billionaires in the U.S. have a combined net worth of $22.7 billion. The two wealthiest, Robert F. Smith and Kanye West, both have net worths north of $6 billion. In fact, Kanye West recently became the wealthiest black American billionaire of all time. Let’s take a look at the five wealthiest black people in the U.S. Read list HERE.