Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Still in the money

The Forbes 400 tracks the net worth of America's wealthiest people.

Microsoft's founder Bill Gates topped the list for the 21st consecutive year with a net worth of $81 billion — up $9 billion from 2013.

Warren Buffett, who recently helped finance the Burger King & Tim Hortons deal- came in second at $67 billion.

Larry Ellison, who stepped down as Oracle's chief executive earlier this month landed third with a net worth of $50 billion. Ellison's pay package has come under scrutiny from shareholders who argued he was making too much money despite Oracle's lacklustre results

Brothers Charles and David Koch, the co-owners of Koch Industries known for their generous donations to right-wing causes, tied in fourth position with $42 billion each.

The biggest gainer was Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, whose net worth grew $15 billion to $34 billion, ranking eleventh on the list.

Overall, the combined wealth of America's 400 wealthiest people rose $270 billion to hit a record-breaking $2.29 trillion. The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member now stands at $5.7 billion, up from $5 billion last year, according to Forbes.

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