It's Forbes 400 Time Again

Buffett bumps Gates in redrawn rankings of world's wealthiest

(NEWSER) - The mortgage meltdown has certainly hit middle-class Americans hard but hasn't spared the uber-wealthy, Bloomberg reports. Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson’s net worth shed $4 billion between Aug. 29 and Oct. 1, for instance, while Warren Buffett overtook Bill Gates, whose net worth declined $1.5 billion, as the richest American. Other losers and their losses: More»

The Forbes rich list is bigger—and even wealthier—than ever

(NEWSER) - The rich are getting richer, younger, and more geographically diverse, Forbes reports, with the number of billionaires up a whopping 19 percent, and their total worth up 35 percent to $3.5 trillion. Not only have billionaires been galloping away from the pack, they've been doing it earlier, bringing the average age down two years to 60. More»

Forbes counts a record 1,226 billionaires

(NEWSER) - There are more billionaires than ever in Forbes' annual list , but no surprises at the top. Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim heads up the list for the third year in a row, with an estimated net worth of $69 billion. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and French luxury-goods magnate Bernard Arnault have the same places in the top four as last year. Forbes counted 1,226 billionaires from 58 countries worth a record $4.6 trillion. More»

Most just ignored the question from Salon

(NEWSER) - Salon sent queries to every single billionaire on the Forbes 400 asking whether they would be willing to pay more taxes. The results: Eight said yes (including Buffett), one said no (Charles Koch), and a few offered qualified answers somewhere in between. The other 390 or so—including Oprah, Mayor Bloomberg, and Steven Spielberg—didn't answer. Samples from those who did respond: More»

His $59B tops Warren Buffett's $39B

(NEWSER) - Forbes is out with its annual ranking of the richest Americans, with some familiar names up top. Highlights from the magazine and MSNBC :

1. Bill Gates, $59 billion
2. Warren Buffett, $39 billion
3. Larry Ellison (Oracle), $33 billion
4. (tie) Charles Koch, $25 billion
5. (tie) David Koch, $25 billion