One of them still works like his mother taught him, one owns a kind of Taj Mahal, one is famous by statement that wealthy people pay too less taxes. They are Forbes's ten billionaires, Forbes's soldier with black belt of richness.
Article continues below
Warren Edward Buffett, Forbes No. 1, born 1930, USA, is the CEO and largest individual shareholder of his investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, often called the "Oracle of Omaha". Buffet filled his first tax return at the age of 13. Those who invested 10.000 dollars in his company in 1956 today has in a pocket astronomic 350 million dollars. Buffett lives in a house which bought in the age of 28. He likes to eat hamburgers, cookies and soft drink. He is known by the statement that wealthy people pay too less taxes. In one interview he stated that he will not leave his whole wealth to his children because he didn't see a reason why will someone by birth - the profit on "lottery" of ovary and uterus - should live next 50 years in leisure.
William Henry Gates III, born 1955, USA. With Paul Allen he formed a venture called Traf-O-Dat to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor, at age 14. Business slowed when people discovered his age. He said that he received more than 4 millions e-mails, most of which were spam that "offers to help him to get out of debt or get rich quick", which "would be funny if it weren't so irritating".
Lakshmi Mittal was born in 1950 in India. He graduated from St. Xavier's College in Calcutta with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business and Accounting in 1969. He began his career working in the family's steel making business in India. Today, Mittal family owns 44 percent of Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel company. Mittal bought his residence at 18-19 Kensington Palace Gardens from Bernie Ecclestone boss of Formula 1 in 2004 for 128 million dollars, making it the world's most expensive house. His Kensington house is decorated with marble taken from the same quarry that supplied the Taj Mahal. People call the house "Taj Mittal".
Mukesh Ambani, Forbes No. 5, is the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector enterprise and a Fortune 500 company. He was born in 1957, in India. He holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from the University Department of Chemical Technology and an MBA from Stanford Business School. He is known by the statement: "People will remember you after you are gone not for your money or your power, but because of what you have left behind." Since splitting with younger brother Anil, in 2005 he became second richest Indian in the world.
Anil D. Ambani was born in 1959 in India. Ambani holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mumbai and an MBA degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. While Mukesh got Reliance Industries and Reliance Petroleum, Anil took over family's telecom, finance and power interests. He is married with a former Bollywood actress, he run marathons, and he is patron of contemporary Indian art.
Ingvar Feodor Kamprad was born in 1926 in Sweden. Father of famous IKEA started business by sailing matches as a boy. Then followed selling of fish, Christmas tree decorations, and pan and pencils. His father gave him a reward for success in studies. With that money Kamprad establish IKEA. Kamprad drives 15 years old Volvo and flies only in economy class. His employees have instruction to write on both sides of paper. His home is furnished mostly with his IKEA products.
Kushal Pal Singh, the world's richest real estate developer, was born in 1931 in India. He served for 9 years in a renowned cavalry regiment of the Indian Army, The Deccan Horse. He left the Indian Army in 1960 to join a family joint venture. Today he is the president of DLF Universal Limited, India’s largest real estate developer.
Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska is on the ninth place on Forbes list of billionaires, and only Russian among the first ten billionaires. Deripaska was born in 1968 in Russia. Deripaska is the owner of the Basic Element investment firm, which owns En+ Group, an energy and aluminium business, the controlling shareholder of United Company RUSAL. Deripaska has a London home at 6 Belgrave Square, which was originally the town residence of the Dukes of Bedford and he is married into the family of former President Yeltsin. At the age of 35 he was the youngest Russian billionaire.
Karl Hans Albrecht, born 1920, Germany, founded the discount supermarket chain, Aldi, with his brother Theo. ALDI, short for "ALbrecht DIscount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany and one of the largest retail chains worldwide. The chain is made up of two separate groups, ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd ("South"). He still follows his mother's advice: "The worse off the people are, the better off we are."
Although they all are rich beyond comprehension, two things connect them all. They earned their money by their hands and they are spending millions of dollars for charity. ■
Warren Edward Buffett, Forbes No. 1, born 1930, USA, is the CEO and largest individual shareholder of his investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, often called the "Oracle of Omaha". Buffet filled his first tax return at the age of 13. Those who invested 10.000 dollars in his company in 1956 today has in a pocket astronomic 350 million dollars. Buffett lives in a house which bought in the age of 28. He likes to eat hamburgers, cookies and soft drink. He is known by the statement that wealthy people pay too less taxes. In one interview he stated that he will not leave his whole wealth to his children because he didn't see a reason why will someone by birth - the profit on "lottery" of ovary and uterus - should live next 50 years in leisure. 
The second on the Forbes list is Carlos Slim Helú, born 1940, Mexico. His father gave him first business lessons when he gave Carlos a saving book with his usual allowance. Helú opened his first checking account when he was 12. He studied Civil Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico School of Engineering, and Algebra and Linear Programming. He bought fixed line operator Teléfonos de México (Telmex) in a privatisation in 1990. Slim is a baseball fan and an art collector. 
William Henry Gates III, born 1955, USA. With Paul Allen he formed a venture called Traf-O-Dat to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor, at age 14. Business slowed when people discovered his age. He said that he received more than 4 millions e-mails, most of which were spam that "offers to help him to get out of debt or get rich quick", which "would be funny if it weren't so irritating". 
Lakshmi Mittal was born in 1950 in India. He graduated from St. Xavier's College in Calcutta with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business and Accounting in 1969. He began his career working in the family's steel making business in India. Today, Mittal family owns 44 percent of Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel company. Mittal bought his residence at 18-19 Kensington Palace Gardens from Bernie Ecclestone boss of Formula 1 in 2004 for 128 million dollars, making it the world's most expensive house. His Kensington house is decorated with marble taken from the same quarry that supplied the Taj Mahal. People call the house "Taj Mittal". 
Mukesh Ambani, Forbes No. 5, is the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector enterprise and a Fortune 500 company. He was born in 1957, in India. He holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from the University Department of Chemical Technology and an MBA from Stanford Business School. He is known by the statement: "People will remember you after you are gone not for your money or your power, but because of what you have left behind." Since splitting with younger brother Anil, in 2005 he became second richest Indian in the world. 
Anil D. Ambani was born in 1959 in India. Ambani holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mumbai and an MBA degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. While Mukesh got Reliance Industries and Reliance Petroleum, Anil took over family's telecom, finance and power interests. He is married with a former Bollywood actress, he run marathons, and he is patron of contemporary Indian art. 
Ingvar Feodor Kamprad was born in 1926 in Sweden. Father of famous IKEA started business by sailing matches as a boy. Then followed selling of fish, Christmas tree decorations, and pan and pencils. His father gave him a reward for success in studies. With that money Kamprad establish IKEA. Kamprad drives 15 years old Volvo and flies only in economy class. His employees have instruction to write on both sides of paper. His home is furnished mostly with his IKEA products. 
Kushal Pal Singh, the world's richest real estate developer, was born in 1931 in India. He served for 9 years in a renowned cavalry regiment of the Indian Army, The Deccan Horse. He left the Indian Army in 1960 to join a family joint venture. Today he is the president of DLF Universal Limited, India’s largest real estate developer. 
Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska is on the ninth place on Forbes list of billionaires, and only Russian among the first ten billionaires. Deripaska was born in 1968 in Russia. Deripaska is the owner of the Basic Element investment firm, which owns En+ Group, an energy and aluminium business, the controlling shareholder of United Company RUSAL. Deripaska has a London home at 6 Belgrave Square, which was originally the town residence of the Dukes of Bedford and he is married into the family of former President Yeltsin. At the age of 35 he was the youngest Russian billionaire. 
Karl Hans Albrecht, born 1920, Germany, founded the discount supermarket chain, Aldi, with his brother Theo. ALDI, short for "ALbrecht DIscount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany and one of the largest retail chains worldwide. The chain is made up of two separate groups, ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd ("South"). He still follows his mother's advice: "The worse off the people are, the better off we are."