THERE are more than seven billion people in the world, but only 1,826 are included in this year’s Forbes magazine list. Of the top billionaires, 11 of them are Filipinos.
“Despite plunging oil prices and a weakened euro, the ranks of the world’s wealthiest defied global economic turmoil and expanded yet again,” Forbes staff Kerry Dolan wrote. “The total includes 290 newcomers, 71 of whom hail from China. Youth are on the rise: A record 46 among the ranks are under age 40,” Dolan added.
Leading the pack in this elite club are Bill Gates ($79.2B), Carlos Slim ($77.1B), Warren Buffet ($72.7B), Amancio Ortega ($64.5), Larry Ellison ($54.3), Charles Koch ($42.9B), David Koch ($42.9B), Christy Walton ($41.7B), Jim Walton ($40.6B) and Liliane Bettencourt ($40.1B).
Forbes also noted that “1,191 members of the list are self-made billionaires, while just 230 inherited their wealth. Another 405 inherited at least a portion but are still working to increase their fortunes.”
SM Malls magnate Henry Sy, who grabbed the 73rd spot, remains the Philippines’ richest with $14.2 billion net worth. Other Filipinos who made it to the exclusive list are John Gokongwei Jr. ($5.8B), Enrique Razon Jr. ($5.2B), Andrew Tan ($4.8B), Lucio Tan ($4.4B), George Ty ($4.4B), David Consunji ($4.1B), Tony Tan Caktiong ($2.7B), Lucio and Susan Co ($2.3B), Robert Coyiuto Jr. ($1.8B) and Manuel Villar ($1.6B).
In a separate article, Forbes revealed that fortune expanded for the Philippines’ richest after riding high on the country’s economic prosperity. The two driving forces of the Philippine economy are construction and consumption.
Hurun Report, a China-based luxury magazine, said in its own annual list of that the number of billionaires in the world has surpassed 2000 for the first time, with at least 67 countries now home to at least one person valued at more than $1,000,000,000. The list cited real estate, telecommunications, media and technology and retail as the most common sources of wealth.
The 2015 Hurun Global Rich List revealed that the United States has the most billionaires with 537. Completing the top five are: China (430 billionaires), India (97 billionaires), Russia (93 billionaires) and UK (80 billionaires).
There might be more billionaires that what Forbes and Hurun Report listed. According to Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report, the world’s billionaires could be three times higher.
“Some people deliberately make their wealth a secret because… they gained it through illegal ways. Some others simply prefer to keep a low profile,” Hoogewerf said.
No matter how they got there or how they amassed their wealth, these billionaires earned their spots. There is no precise lesson/business plan to success. It can never be taught, not even by the self-made billionaires who made the list. If these billionaires are to give an advice on how to become one of them, the common answer would probably be: to take risks.
Although not all risks are guaranteed to pay off, you will only need one to make a difference. Who knows, that crisp one dollar bill in your wallet right now, might be your next step to pocketing billions.
(AJPress)
