Something Extra: Where Are All the Billionaires?
MIAMI (CBS4) - We can all dream of being billionaires. This year, Forbes Magazine says twelve hundred and twenty six people have achieved that dream, about a hundred more than last year, and a whole lot more than the hundred forty Forbes found when it started counting a quarter century ago.
Mexico's Carlos Slim was again the richest man, followed by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
But the mega rich are increasingly spread throughout the world, in fifty eight countries.
If you thought the biggest concentration would be in Manhattan, you'd be wrong. The Big Apple's fifty nine were second to Moscow's seventy nine. That's a big change from communism to capitalism in just two decades.
L-A, at eighth, was the only other American city in the top ten, behind London, Hong Kong, Istanbul (that one surprised me), Sao Paulo and Mumbai, home to Mukesh Ambani, the guy who built a billion dollar skyscraper to live in. It's the world's most expensive residence.
John D. Rockefeller became the world's first billionaire almost a hundred years ago. His wealth was so huge that in today's dollars, he'd be worth at least ten times more than Bill Gates. Despite having many descendants, there's no wonder his grandson is still a billionaire.
