Bankling » GDP http://bankling.com Finance Tips, Savings Calculators, Highest CD Rates and More Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:53:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 The Wealthiest in the World: Chaps, Companies, Colleges, Countries, and Canines http://bankling.com/2009/the-wealthiest-in-the-world-5-lists/ http://bankling.com/2009/the-wealthiest-in-the-world-5-lists/#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:26:57 +0000 Jimmy A http://bankling.com/?p=167 What is it about wealth that fascinates us? Some think of the televisions, jewelry, and Ferraris that great wealth can buy. Perhaps others think of a purchasing a billionaire’s mansion. Still others may find the appeal of money in the women that it can help attract. But here at Bankling (where finance geeks reign supreme), when I think of vast wealth, I have dreams of investing, compound interest, and the Rule of 72. Whatever your ideas come to mind when pondering great wealth, these lists are sure to entertain (and perhaps inspire).

  • What would this dog do with $372 million?Wealthiest Chap: Wikipedia: List of the 100 wealthiest people. You want filthy? Take a look at these guys. The No. 1: Warren Buffet. Net worth: $62 billion. My verdict: Bill Gates, currently at #3 was actually worth over $100 billion for a short while in 1999 before the dot-com bubble burst. Oh well!
  • Wealthiest Company: FT Global 500: Wealthiest Companies as of 31 December 2008 [PDF]. Despite plummeting oil prices, five of the top 15 are oil companies. The No. 1: ExxonMobil. Market cap: $406 billion (as of 12/31/2008). My verdict: Texas tea tastes so sweet when you’re the one selling it.
  • Wealthiest College: Wikipedia: List of colleges and universities in the United States by endowment. An endowment is a donation to an institution with a stipulation that it be invested for the long-term, instead of spent all at once. The No. 1: Harvard University. Endowment: $36.556 billion (2008). My verdict: Harvard, one of only six colleges that tops the $10 billion, mark crushes everyone else on this list. There’s even been some discussion to use the enormous endowment to get rid of tuition fees.
  • Wealthiest Country: CIA World Factbook: Richest Countries by Per Capita GDP. No, the United States is not at the top of the list. The No. 1: Lichtenstein. Per Capita GDP: $117,000 (2007 estimate). My verdict: Good to know that if I started my own country, population me, that my nation would top this list. ;)
  • Wealthiest Canine: PetsDo: 10 Richest Pets in the World. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. The No. 1: Gunther IV, dog. Net worth: $372 million. My verdict: This trend of bequeathing an estate to your pet is quite a disturbing trend. Well, what else are the wealthy dead to do with their money now that poverty and hunger are things of the past? Oh, wait a minute.

Well, if one thing’s for certain, reading these lists all day isn’t making you any wealthier. Seriously, have you read that Rule of 72 article yet?

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