If you have Billions of dollars, what will you do?

 

The World's Billionaires
#4 Ingvar Kamprad & family
03.08.07, 6:00 PM ET

Age: 80

Fortune: self made

Source: Ikea

Net Worth: $33.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: Sweden

Residence: Lausanne , Switzerland, Europe & Russia

Industry: Retailing

Marital Status: married, 4 children

Education:

Peddled matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager. Started selling furniture in 1947. Now his company Ikea, which sells hip designs for the cost conscious, is one of the most beloved retailers in the world, with an almost cultlike following. Ikea, which has stores in 34 countries, continues to expand into new markets such as Chengdu, China and opened its first store in Japan last April. As egalitarian as his brand, Kamprad avoids wearing suits, flies economy class and frequents cheap restaurants. Has been quoted as saying that his luxuries are the occasional nice cravat and Swedish fish roe. Says his home is furnished mostly with his own Ikea products.

 

World's No.3 Ranked Mexican Billionaire

Donate close to $4 billion to education and health projects, and to the revitalization of downtown Mexico City's historical district.

The World's Billionaires
#3 Carlos Slim Helu
03.08.07, 6:00 PM ET

Age: 67

Fortune: self made

Source: telecom

Net Worth: $49.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: Mexico

Residence: Mexico City , Mexico, Latin America

Industry: Communications

Marital Status: widowed, 6 children

Education:

The world's third-richest man is $19 billion richer this year and catching up with Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett thanks to a strong Mexican equities market and the performance of his wireless telephone company, America Movil. The son of a Lebanese immigrant, Slim made his first fortune in 1990 when he bought fixed line operator Teléfonos de México (Telmex) in a privatization. Last year he spent $3.7 billion to buy the Latin American operations of Verizon Communications, expanding his empire into Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. A widower and father of 6, Slim is a baseball fan and art collector. He keeps his art collection in Mexico City's Museo Soumaya, which he named after his late wife. In recent years he has donated close to $4 billion to education and health projects, and to the revitalization of downtown Mexico City's historical district.

 

The World's No.5 Ranked Indian Billionaire

Employ 330,000 world over and branch out to 60 countries, account for 10% of world's Steel production and think on expansion

#5 Lakshmi Mittal
03.08.07, 6:00 PM ET

Age: 56

Fortune: inherited and growing

Source: steel

Net Worth: $32.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: India

Residence: London , United Kingdom, Europe & Russia

Industry: Manufacturing

Marital Status: married, 2 children

Education: St Xavier's College Calcutta, Bachelor of Arts / Science

Steel titan known for his dealmaking won six-month battle for rival Arcelor. The $34 billion merger created an industry behemoth that now accounts for 10% of world's production, putting it well ahead of Japan's Nippon Steel. Mittal owns 44% of combined $80 billion (sales) Arcelor-Mittal and is its chief executive. Mittal began his career working in the family's steelmaking business in India. Today Arcelor-Mittal operations span more than 60 countries and employ 330,000. Not content to dominate the steel industry, Mittal is branching out. Among his latest deals: spent $980 million for a 50% stake in Kazakh oil firm Caspian Investment Resources, a subsidiary of Russia's Lukoil. This Londoner is the UK's richest resident.

 

The World's Billionaires
#2 Warren Buffett
03.08.07, 6:00 PM ET

Age: 76

Fortune: self made

Source: Berkshire Hathaway

Net Worth: $52.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: United States

Residence: Omaha, Nebraska , United States, North America

Industry: Investments

Marital Status: married, 3 children

Education: University of Nebraska Lincoln, Bachelor of Arts / Science
Columbia University, Master of Science

Nation's most beloved investor married longtime girlfriend Astrid Menks on his 76th birthday last August. Had long promised to give away his fortune posthumously. Then last June announced he had irrevocably earmarked the majority of his Berkshire Hathaway shares to charity. At the time the gift was worth $31 billion; believed to be the largest gift in history, it will go mostly to the Gates Foundation. Son of Nebraska politician delivered newspapers as a boy. Filed first tax return at age 13; claimed $35 deduction for bicycle. Studied under value-investing guru Benjamin Graham at Columbia, learned to hunt for undervalued stocks. Bought control of textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965; added insurance underwriting for the investable float. Today holding company has insurance (Geico, General Re), apparel (Fruit of the Loom), utilities (MidAmerican Energy), home furnishings (R.C. Willey). Also has noncontrolling stakes in Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo. Despite gifts, the Oracle of Omaha is $10 billion richer than last year: Berkshire stock up 22% in past 12 months.