The richest family in the world. Rating of the richest families on the planet

First place on the list was taken by the Waltons, heirs of the founder of the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart, Sam Walton. The Waltons' fortune is estimated at $130 billion, a year earlier it was estimated at $149 billion, and in 2014 at $152 billion.

Ranked second on the list Koch family, which controls Koch Industries Corporation, the second largest private company in the United States. The four Koch brothers own a fortune that Forbes estimated at $82 billion (in 2015 - $86 billion). The business was founded by their father and at first specialized in oil refining, but over the years the company has grown into a truly diversified holding. Charles and David are among the top 10 richest people in America and are actively involved in lobbying activities, sponsoring Republicans.

In third place is the Mars family - owners of the world's largest confectionery company Mars, which makes M&Ms and Snickers. As the magazine calculated, the grandchildren of the founder of Mars Inc. Franklin Clarence Mars - Jacqueline, John and Forrest Mars Jr. have a combined fortune of $78 billion (in 2015 - $80 billion). All three heirs are on the board of directors of the corporation, but are not responsible for operational management. The Mars company was founded in 1911 by the grandfather of the current Mars, Frank Mars, in Tacoma, Washington. Their father, Forrest Sr., entered family business in 1929, around the same time, the company patented a unique recipe for nougat, which is used to make Milky Way and Snickers bars.

Fourth place was taken by the Cargill-McMillan family ($49 billion), which owns an 88% stake in Cargill, one of the largest private companies in the United States, an agricultural business empire engaged in food production, trading raw materials and providing Financial services. The dynasty was founded by William Wallace Cargill, the son of a Scottish captain. He created his first business in 1865, making his fortune from the railroad boom of the late 19th century. In 1909, his son-in-law John MacMillan took over the company. Cargill remained a family business until 1995, when John's grandson, Whitney McMillan, left his post. general director. Today, representatives of the dynasty remain committed to a non-public lifestyle; very little is known about them.

In fifth place is the Cox family with a fortune of $41 billion. James M. Cox bought the Dayton Evening News newspaper in 1898. Today, the company he founded has grown into a family of assets that includes Cox Communications (cable television, broadband), Cox Media Group (newspapers, television, radio), Manheim (car sales) and AutoTrader Group (online car sales, Kelley Blue Book).

Sixth place was taken by the Johnson family ($30 billion), owners of SC Johnson, which produces cleaning products, including Mr. Muscle; in seventh place is the Pritzker family ($29 billion), engaged in hotel business and investments; in eighth place is the family of Edward Johnson ($28.5 billion), the founder of the asset management company Fidelity, which grew up in transnational corporation Fidelity Investments; in ninth place is the Hearst family ($28 billion), heirs of publisher William Randolph Hearst, founder of the Hearst media concern. Rounding out the top ten is the Duncan family, the heirs of Dan Duncan, the founder energy company Enterprise Products Partners LP, with a net worth of $21.5 billion.

The combined wealth of members of the richest American families dropped by $11 billion over the year, to $722 billion, Forbes writes. Ten dynasties managed to increase their wealth. The threshold for inclusion in the rating was $10.7 billion. This year there was one newcomer to the list - the Goldman family, the heirs of developer Saul Goldman. Their fortune is estimated at $13.7 billion.

What name comes to mind when you hear the words “richest families”? Rockefeller? You guessed wrong! Trump? Again - by! Gates? You are confusing, we are not asking about the richest people, but about families, dynasties, especially since Bill Gates signed the “giving pledge”, his billions will go to philanthropic purposes, and his descendants will get nothing. Participants in our rating prefer to preserve and increase capital in order to pass it on from generation to generation. These numbers may change, but only slightly.

From L'Oreal owners to generous philanthropists: the richest families on the planet

Bettencourt: the French “beauty factory”

To paint a picture of the origins of the Bettencourt family's billions, you only need one word: "L'Oreal." Back in 1907, this legendary business was started by the chemist Eugene Schullet, and the Frenchman registered his own company two years later. The company began producing hair and skin care products. When Eugene died, his daughter Liliane Bettencourt took over the reins. She is now a very old woman and suffers from senile dementia, so her only daughter and grandson take care of the family company. Betancourt's capital is $36 billion.

The Lous Vuitton brand and more: Arnault and his children

The second participant in our top richest families is also from France. The dynasty's founding father, Bernard Arnault, has his own luxury brand, Lous Vuitton (he is the company's chairman and CEO), but his interests extend much further. Arnault also owns other companies, including Dom Perignon, Cartier and Bulgari. Should I continue? 67-year-old Francois greatly appreciates art and owns $39 billion. The businessman has five children from two wives.

Cokes: American media moguls

In 1898, James M. Cox bought the Dayton Evening News newspaper, and this began the “ascent” of the American media magnate. Today, James' grandchildren have taken over the family business, with a $41 billion fortune divided among the five of them. Now the empire includes radio stations, companies cable television and another company (acquired 11 years ago for $4 billion) - to create software for car dealers.

The Cargill-McMillan family has the most billionaires

According to Forbes, one of the richest families, Cargill-McMillan, includes the most billionaires compared to other participants in this rating: there are 14 of them, the total capital of the clan is $49 billion. Members of this family own the largest private company involved in the bio-industry, agriculture, energy, food and pharmaceutical industries. However, most of the income (about $108 billion) came to the Cargills from agribusiness. W. W. Cargill opened his own business back in 1865, the business developed as construction progressed railways. In 1909, the owner’s son-in-law John MacMillan took over the family company, after which the company received the double name “Cargill-MacMillan”. The family has not run the corporation since 1995, but they still own 88% of its shares, and six members of the clan hold various positions on the board.

Slim Helu: Mexico's Dominant Clan

Carlos Slim Helu - richest man in Mexico, he was ranked fourth on Forbes' list of billionaires this year. He owns a huge amount of money - $47.8 billion, and the Slim Helu family capital is $52 billion. Economic downturn in South America (and the market cellular communication) caused irreparable damage to this dynasty - just a year ago their fortune was 2 times greater. Even despite this, the clan confidently ranks 6th in the top richest families.

Sweet tooth favorites: owners of the Mars company

We're sure you've all bought Mars family candy at least a few times! After all, Milky Way, Snickers and M&M's are popular not only in the homeland of their manufacturers, in America, but throughout the world. Frank Mars began selling candy in 1911, 18 years later his son joined him Forrest: This was the era of the invention of flavored nougat - it became the basis for the best-selling candy Snickers. Today, Mars is not only a manufacturer. confectionery products, but also food for dogs (Royal Canin) and cats (Whiskas), and also delicious sauces. Mars's capital is $78 billion.

Unsinkable Kochs

Oil and gasoline are a win-win option! People need fuel always and everywhere, which is why the Koch family and their private American company Koch Industries own $82 billion. The family business's origins date back to the 1920s when Fred C. Koch developed a new method for converting heavy crude oil into gasoline. Now the company has launched its “tentacles” into many areas: housing, transport, food and fuel production, and even... the production of towel holders with motion sensors.

Wiltons bet on retail

While most of the richest families are scattered and investing in different kinds business, the Walton clan is focused only on its mega-project. This is the largest network retail in the USA, Walmart supermarkets. The income from them is approaching 483 billion dollars, and the family capital has exceeded 130 billion dollars. It all started with Sam Walton and his brother James (“Bud”), who founded retail business in 1962. After the brothers died, the company passed to Sam's two sons and daughter and Bud's two daughters. Today, the third generation of Waltons is in charge of the business.

Royal dynasty of Saudi Arabia: Al Sauds

The Al Sauds (or House of Saud) have long ruled Saudi Arabia. The legendary family member Muhammad ibn Saud was the founder of the First Saudi State (this was in the 18th century). Now the family has thousands of members, whose capital is not even in billions: the Al-Sauds’ money is 1.4 trillion. dollars. Some members of the ruling royal dynasty are included in the Forbes list of billionaires: for example, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal ranks 41st with a fortune of $19.5 billion. He is the owner of palaces, luxury yachts, works of art, many resorts and the Four Seasons hotel chain.

The Discreet Charm of the Rothschild Trillionaires

If you want 1 trillion. dollars (in hundred bills) were laid out on the ground in piles as tall as you were, you would need an area of ​​almost 2 acres. Imagine how much money that is! Now imagine 10 trillion. dollars is the approximate total capital of the ancient Rothschild family. Even Forbes does not risk calculating the fortune of these bankers, so official lists The world's richest families, the Rothschilds, do not appear. The empire of the Rothschilds, Jews who once lived in Germany, dates back to the 1760s, when Mayer Amschel Rothschild founded his first bank. Decades later, he sent his son to England to expand the family business. Now there are three branches of the banking dynasty: French, English and Austrian (only through the female line). They are known for their philanthropy: once possessing the most extensive collection of world art masterpieces, the Rothschilds made donations to museums, always anonymously.

Forbes ratings are compiled every year, and every year they include the richest, most influential people on this planet. 2013 was no exception, and Forbes Once again published their famous rating, which included the 12 most influential businessmen who control billions of dollars in financial flows, huge corporations and concerns. It is characteristic that every year the first places are occupied more and more firmly not only by those who have sums with tens of zeros, but also by those who, through their activities, influence hundreds of millions of minds throughout the earth. So this year the most influential businessman was Bill Gates, who is also the richest person on the planet, followed by the founders of the company, as well as the creator of Facebook. Most of the most influential businessmen of 2013 live in the USA or Asia, and represent a business sector that is closely related to IT and high technology.

In this article, we will introduce you in detail to each of the 12 most influential businessmen of 2013, and briefly talk about their biography and path to success. We are sure that you already know some, such as Mark Zuckerberg, but you will definitely not be familiar with a couple of names. Therefore, read, learn, educate yourself.

The richest people and most influential businessmen in the world: who, how and why

1. Bill Gates
On this moment Bill Gates' fortune is estimated at $72 billion, and after a 2-year absence, he again rose to first place in the ranking of the richest people in the world. Prior to this, the ranking was topped by Mexican media tycoon Carlos Slim for two years in a row.

Along with regaining the title of the richest, Bill Gates also continued to strengthen his title as the world's largest philanthropist. In total, his foundation has already donated more than $28 billion to various needs of humanity. In April, the foundation launched a $335 million program to combat polio, and was later joined by six more businessmen of the caliber of Slim and Michael Bloomberg. Together with Warren Buffett, Gates continues to recruit large entrepreneurs to participate in the Giving Pledge initiative.
Although Steve Ballmer, who served as CEO of Microsoft, left the company, stock markets the company's stock prices continue to grow confidently, which in turn brings Bill Gates another tens of millions.

2. Larry Page and Sergey Brin
Earlier, in our series of articles “Business Rules: Tips from Millionaires,” we already wrote about founders Google, and also specifically looked at the advice and recommendations of Sergey Brin. These are two brilliant entrepreneurs who rightfully occupy such a high place in the ranking of the richest and most influential businessmen of 2013.
Page and Brin are currently worth $24.9 billion and $24.4 billion, respectively. The founding fathers of the most popular search engine in the world successfully continue, as it is fashionable to say now, to work in tandem. While Paige is studying operational management and the company's image, Brin is preparing Google for a new technological breakthrough. On the basis of the company, a division called Google X was created, dealing with potentially revolutionary inventions - an unmanned flying car, and innovation system augmented reality, Google Glas glasses. Like Bill Gates, the founders of Google are also very large philanthropists, and have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to various causes over the past year.

3. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is known for being the founder of the largest and most popular social network in the world - Facebook. At 29 years old, he easily manages a huge corporation that has united more than a billion people around the world. Mark is remembered by the world not only for his achievements on the financial Olympus, but also for the fact that he made the largest one-time donation in history, transferring 18 million Facebook shares, which is approximately $500 million, into the ownership of charitable foundation Silicon Valley.
Currently, Zuckerberg's fortune is estimated at $19 billion.

Michael Bloomberg is the mayor of New York, and for several years now he has been among the TOP of the most famous, rich and influential people on our planet. In the series of articles “Rules of Business: Advice from Millionaires,” we have already written to Michael and talked about his recommendations for young entrepreneurs.

For 12 years, Bloomberg ruled New York, but in December 2013 his term is coming to an end, and, most likely, Michael will not run for a new position. During his tenure as mayor, he became famous, on the one hand, for being able to significantly reduce crime and create additional jobs in the city, and on the other hand, for carrying out unpopular reforms to raise taxes and introducing a smoking ban in restaurants, clubs and bars

During his time as mayor, Bloomberg's fortune increased by $6 billion. The basis of capital is the empire - Bloomberg LD. This is a financial information agency that last year brought in 7.9 billion in net profit. It is worth noting that Michael Bloomberg owns 88% of this company.
Like other Forbes TOP participants, Bloomberg is a well-known philanthropist. Most recently, he donated $100 million to the Bill Gates Foundation, thereby joining the international campaign against polio.

5. Masayoshi San
I am sure that many of you have no idea who Masayoshi San is, but this man ranks fifth in the ranking of the most influential and richest people in the world. Masayoshi Sun is the founder and chairman of SoftBank, one of Asia's most innovative Internet companies, which ended last year with revenue of $39 billion. SoftBank does not stop only in the Asian market, but successfully continues its expansion around the world, buying shares large companies, or a whole controlling interest, paying billions of dollars for them. I am sure that Masayoshi San and his SoftBank are the future of the IT industry, which the whole world will soon be talking about.

6. Elon Musk
At the moment, Elon is 42 years old, but he earned his first money at the age of 12. That's when a guy from South Africa sold his first program for $500. Max moves to the USA when he turns 17. He made his fortune thanks to PayPal.
But it is noteworthy that over the past year, Elon Max’s capital has increased slightly more than 2 times and amounted to $6.9 billion. Not a bad result for one year. The thing is that Musk invested money in new industries, which undoubtedly have a great future. This includes rocket science, mechanical engineering (he has a stake in Tesla Motors, which produces new generation electric cars), and also develops several companies involved in solar energy. The American space agency NASA uses the services of Elon's company to deliver various cargo to the ISS.
In August, Musk presented another project - Hyperloop - a high-speed pipeline passenger transport that will cover the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco (which is just over 600 km) in 35 minutes.

7. Terry Gu

If you use equipment from Apple, then we owe a lot to Terry Gu, because he is the owner of one of the largest companies in the world that supplies contact electronics to Apple factories. Gu's net worth is estimated at $4.8 billion, making him the richest man in Taiwan.
But Gu’s company is known not only for its huge contracts with Apple. IN last years information about violations is increasingly appearing in the press labor legislation in production factories under the control of a businessman, as well as a number of suicides among employees.

8. Larry Ellison
Larry, 69, is worth $41 billion. Many can say that he is already a pensioner, that it is time to rest at this age, because his condition allows it. But Larry doesn’t even want to think about retiring. He is full of determination, ambition and desire to move forward. In August, the co-founder of the world's largest software developer Oracle said that better days Apple is behind, and Google, which Oracle accuses of using Oracle Java patents for development operating system Android, "does evil."
Not long ago, Larry Ellison donated almost half a billion dollars to one research institute, who deals with issues of aging and age-related diseases.

9. Robin Lee
Each of you has heard about Google and Yandex, Yahoo and Bing, but do you know anything about a search engine like Baidu? I am sure that some of you have heard about it, and some of you may have used it. Robin Lee is the founder of the search engine Baidu, and has amassed quite a fortune from this, which is currently estimated at $11.1 billion. The fact that many of you have not heard of Baidu is not surprising, because this search engine is focused exclusively on Chinese market, and is the leader among all others search engines China.

10. Aliko Dangote
Aliko is not only the richest man in Africa (his net worth is estimated at $16.1 billion), but also a well-rounded businessman who works in various fields business. His business interests include cement, sugar, flour, salt and, more recently, oil and petrochemicals. In May, the billionaire announced his intention to enter Nigeria's most profitable industry, oil, and build the continent's largest oil refinery.
Inspired by the philanthropic examples of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and others famous entrepreneurs, Dangote also decided to give part of his money to good causes. He donates millions of dollars to education, health, and development in various regions of Africa.

11. Reed Hoffman
Reed is one of those entrepreneurs who has connections everywhere and with everyone. If you study his life in detail, you can understand that he knows almost every entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and has good partnerships with everyone. Hoffman is behind dozens of major companies in the valley. It was he who first invested in Zuckerberg and Facebook, and also allocated money for the development of the young company PayPal. One of the most successful companies Silicon Valley LinkedIn also developed with the participation of Hoffman, who is the co-founder of this social network.

12. Mohammed Ibrahim
A British billionaire with Sudanese roots made his fortune with Celtel, one of the first... mobile operators in Africa. The company operates in the markets of 23 countries on the continent and in the Middle East. In 2005, Ibrahim sold Celtel for $3.4 billion, earning $1.4 billion for his share. Now the billionaire’s interests have gone beyond business: his Mo Ibrahim Foundation is engaged in the fight against corruption in African countries. Ibrahim provides a $5 million award over 10 years for leaders of countries who, during their reign, improve the welfare of the population and uphold the principles of economic transparency. In October of this year, the foundation, however, did not find a worthy laureate.

Everyone knows that history is made by the most influential people of their era, and often by entire families. Each generation, brought up in the best traditions of such clans, increases the family fortune and increases their influence not only on a separate sector of the economy, but also on entire states. They have power over the legal, political and financial systems, which gives them the opportunity to determine the development of nations and all of humanity for decades to come.

For thousands of years, royal dynasties have fulfilled this role, taking advantage of their privileges. With the beginning of the scientific and technological revolution, people from the people who previously did not have such a chance were able to break into the “powers of this world”. They developed their projects, passing them on by inheritance, thereby forming entire families of entrepreneurs.

5th place - Walton family - fortune 100 billion dollars

Walton family

Descendants of one of the most successful entrepreneurs USA of the 20th century: Stefan, Jim, Christy and Alice Walton - form another clan of rich people, taking 5th place in our ranking. Their total wealth is estimated at almost $100 billion.

Relatives own largest network Wal-Mart supermarkets with an annual turnover of more than $400 billion (2010).

The founder of Wal-Mart (Walton's Market) - Sam Walton was born in 1918 into a simple farming family. According to experts, his entrepreneurial talent was influenced by the Great American Depression, which he witnessed. It was the general decline of the population that pushed Sam to look for ways to develop. Starting at the age of 7, the boy took an active part in his father’s business, helping to sell dairy products. Having saved some money, he began to raise birds and rabbits for sale himself. “He knows how to make money out of thin air,” his school friends said about him.

It took Sam Walton 34 years to make his first billion. Before that, he organized a number of projects that did not bring him such fame, but gave him the opportunity to accumulate invaluable experience in entrepreneurship. Having bequeathed the Wal-Mart corporation to his 4 children after his death, he made no mistake in choosing his heirs. They enthusiastically continued their father's work, bringing him to new level.

By the way, the heiress to her husband Walton’s billions is currently the woman in the world with a fortune of twenty-eight billion, and owns part of his network.

4th place - Oppenheimer family - $200 billion

Harry Frederick Oppenheimer - current owner of the property and head of the family

The family controls the lion's share of the diamond market worldwide.

Ernest Oppenheimer(b. 1880), a native of Germany, became the head of the De Beers diamond mining corporation in South Africa in 1920. There, under his leadership, Anglo American, the largest gold mining company at that time, was born. Oppenheimer did not stop there and decided to subjugate not only the prey precious metals and diamonds, but also to control their sales. The world soon saw the Central Selling Organization (CSO), better known as the "Syndicate", capturing more than 90% of all diamond sales in the world.

Thus, De Beers extracted raw materials and transported them to different countries of the world, where CSO got to work, sorted and released finished products to the market.

After his father's death, his son Harry Frederick Oppenheimer inherited his syndicate and the presidency of De Beers.
It was only in 2011 that the family exited the diamond business, selling its stake in De Beers for more than $5 billion. Now they are more interested in the field of high technology and innovation. Most recently, the Oppenheimers bought a 10% stake in Yandex. The future plans of the clan representatives are not reported.

3rd place - Rockefeller family - annual income - $1 trillion

John Rockefeller's extended family

For more than a century, people around the world have associated the name Rockefeller with dazzling wealth and luxury. The history of this family goes back to the distant forties of the 19th century, when he was born John Rockefeller. From his childhood distinctive feature I had the ability to calculate my actions several steps ahead at once.

Having got a job as an assistant in an accounting office at the age of 16, he very quickly absorbed business skills, tenacity and the ability to quickly respond to market demands. And when an oil field was discovered in his city, the future tycoon invested all his savings in black gold, adding to them a substantial loan.

He, unlike other businessmen of that time, was confident that the future lay in long-term projects. If a business is not profitable now, this does not mean at all that it will not enrich the owner in the future. When he first began his journey into the world of petroleum products with the Standard Oil company, many were giddy when they learned about his idea. But the future billionaire (and the first in the world) clearly saw the success of the enterprise in the near future. Very soon (in 1879), the Rockefeller company controlled 90 percent of the oil market in America, dictating the rules of behavior in this sector of the economy.

And thanks to the preservation of family traditions, Rockefeller’s descendants were able to multiply the family’s fortune many times over, reliably securing it in the ranking of the richest in the world.

Today the clan owns more than 40 American companies with a total annual income of about 1 trillion dollars (almost 10% of US GDP).

Perhaps, if Mavrodi did not live in our time and not in our country, today we would see the name of his family on the list. But for now, we can only read about the story of its success and failure.

2nd place - Morgan family - annual income - $1.5 trillion

John Pierpont Morgan

One of the largest financial dynasties in the United States controls about 20% of US GDP, producing a total of more than $1.5 trillion in goods and services. They own about a hundred American companies, including General Electric and General Motors, the world's largest electrical and automotive concerns. Moreover, the latter’s activities are not limited to the production of cars and engines for them alone; nuclear reactors, rocket engines and tanks.

The ancestor of the richest family in the world was John Pierpont Morgan, a talented American businessman who built the first financial empire in the United States.

He founded a number of industrial giants, including:

• "Western Union"
• American Telephone and Telegraph
• "General Electric"
• United States Steel Corporation, etc.

It was not for nothing that his contemporaries nicknamed John Morgan Jupiter - in honor of the greatest of the great rulers of the heavens. He worked with incredible dedication, and managed to pass it on to his heirs, who continued the work of one of the most outstanding entrepreneurs in history.

1st place - Rothschild clan - fortune from 350 billion to 2.5 trillion dollars

The Rothschild family is considered the richest in the world. According to official sources, the dynasty's total wealth exceeds US$350 billion. According to other sources, it exceeds 2.5 trillion.

But it is not only the fabulous fortune of the Rothschilds that makes us pay attention to them. It also excites the imagination that in just some fifty years they, Jewish emigrants, turned into the most influential lords and barons, in whose power the entire planet was. The founder of the dynasty was Amschel Mayer Rothschild, born in 1744. At the age of 16, having worked for 4 years at Oppenheimer's bank, he mastered the intricacies of finance, saved up money and opened his own antique shop. In it it was possible to exchange coins of some principalities of Germany for others. Later the shop grew into the first Rothschild bank.

Years passed, and when Amschel's 5 sons grew up, he sent them to the largest capitals of the world to continue and expand the family enterprise. This allowed the family’s influence to spread not only beyond Germany, but also across Europe. The Rothschild Bank distinguished itself by what it received leadership position Only family members could enter it. Soon this closed institution was able to issue loans not only to individuals, but also to entire states.

So, in 1818, Prussia received a loan of 5 million pounds from the Rothschilds, and a little later, a branch of the bank in London allocated a round sum to the National Bank of England. And in the New World, the influence of the Rothschilds is difficult to overestimate. They were one of the initiators of the creation of the US Federal Reserve System, and, after its creation, they were able to control the volume of dollars issued. Incredible dexterity and resourcefulness, with the help of which representatives of this family were able to accumulate wealth and gain limitless influence in different countries, amaze experts and ordinary people to this day.

Although the total wealth of the clan is estimated at $350 billion (according to other sources, it reaches 2.5 trillion), none of the Rothschilds has a capital of more than $1 billion.

But even David Rockefeller and David de Rothschild are not considered the richest people on our planet. And if you thought, “Oh, it’s Bill Gates!”, you were wrong. Look and find out who owns it the largest number money.

It's no secret that world economy and the sphere of finance is tightly controlled by the richest and most influential people, and sometimes entire families. Each generation of such clans increases the family fortune, thereby increasing their influence on the development of states and the situation in the world. It will be interesting for everyone to learn about the richest and most successful dynasties.

Walton family - net worth $100 billion

Stefan, Jim, Alice and Christy Walton own the world's largest supermarket chain, Wal-Mart, with sales exceeding $400 billion a year. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, was born into an ordinary farmer's family in 1918. Many believe that his entrepreneurial talent emerged during the Great American Depression, as it was then that he had to look for ways to survive. When Sam was 7 years old, he began actively helping his father in business, selling dairy products. Having collected some money, he himself began to raise rabbits and birds for sale.

Sam Walton made his first billion in 34 years. During this time, he organized many projects, which still did not bring him great fame, but gave him invaluable experience in the field of entrepreneurship. After his death, he bequeathed the Wal-Mart Corporation to his 4 children, who actively continue their father’s work and take the business to a new level.

Oppenheimer family - net worth $200 billion

This dynasty controls a significant part of the world diamond market. Ernest Oppenheimer became the head of the diamond mining corporation De Beers in 1920 and a leading gold mining company Anglo American. However, this was not enough for Oppenheimer, and he decided to also control the sale of diamonds and precious metals. Thus came the Central Selling Organization, known as the “Syndicate,” which captured over 90% of world diamond sales.

After the death of Ernest Oppenheimer, his son Harry Frederick inherited his business. In 2011, the family moved away from the diamond business, selling its stake in De Beers for $5 billion. Today they are engaged in the high technology sector. Thus, the Oppenheimers have already bought 10% of Yandex shares.

Rockefeller family - net worth $1 trillion

This surname is heard throughout the world and is associated with untold wealth and luxury. The history of the Rockefeller family began in the forties of the 19th century, with the birth of John Rockefeller, who from an early age was distinguished by his ability to calculate all his actions in advance.

At the age of 16, he got a job in an accounting office and quickly absorbed business skills. Therefore, when an oil field was discovered in his city, John invested all his savings in “black gold” and added a considerable loan to them. At that time, few people believed in the success of Rockefeller himself and the oil business. However, soon, in 1879, Rockefeller's company already controlled 90% of the US oil market. Rockefeller's descendants managed not only to preserve the family's fortune, but also to increase it. Today, this dynasty owns more than 40 American companies with annual revenues of $1 trillion.

Morgan family - net worth $1.5 trillion

This dynasty controls approximately 20% of the United States' GDP, producing a total of $1.5 trillion in goods and services. They own hundreds of American companies, including General Motors and General Electric. The founder of the richest family in the world, John Pierpont Morgan, is an American businessman who built the first financial empire in the United States.

Rothschild family – net worth $2.5 trillion

What is attractive about this family is not only its fabulous fortune, but also the fact that in just 50 years these Jewish emigrants managed to reach unreal heights, taking control of world states.

The founder of the dynasty, Amschel Mayer Rothschild, at the age of 16, had already worked for 4 years at Oppenheimer's bank, mastering finance, saving money and opening his own antique shop. This very shop later grew into the first Rothschild bank. When Amschel's 5 sons grew up, he sent them to world capitals to expand the family business. The Rothschild Bank was distinguished by the fact that only family members could become managers in it. Later, this closed financial institution issued loans not only to individuals, but also to states.

We bring to your attention the regular column ““