Just as an interesting digression from the usual serious money making posts I usually make, I decided to put together a list of the youngest billionaires. I found this on Forbe’s website and I thought you may be curious to know a bit about these exemplars of youth and wealth.
Mark Zuckerberg, U.S.
Age 23
$1.5 billion, self-made
Tech’s newest golden boy founded addictive social-networking site Facebook in February 2004 from his Harvard dorm room. He left school for Silicon Valley that year. Microsoft paid $240 million last October for a 1.6% stake, giving the company an implied valuation of $15 billion. Some analysts and a few Facebook investors think that’s high. We think Zuckerberg’s stake is worth $1.5 billion. Regardless, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire on earth and possibly the youngest self-made billionaire ever
John Arnold, U.S.
Age 34
$1.5 billion, self-made
Raised by a lawyer dad and accountant mom, Arnold whizzed through Vanderbilt University in three years. He became an oil trader for Enron, supposedly earning $750 million for the company in 2001, when he was just 27. He went into business for himself after Enron collapsed a year later. Today he runs hedge fund Centaurus Energy.
Xiaofeng Peng, China
Age 33
$2.5 billion, self-made
It’s easy being green for Peng. The relative youngster got into solar energy only in 2005. Two years later, he took his company, LDK Solar, which makes silicon wafers used in solar panels, public on NYSE Euronext.
Shivinder Singh, India
Age: 32
$2.5 billion, inherited
Singh and his older brother Malvinder, 35, both Duke University grads, inherited control of generic drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories. Malvinder heads Ranbaxy, while Shivinder runs hospital chain Fortis Healthcare, which went public in 2007.
Begumhan Dogan Faralyali, Turkey
Age: 31
$1 billion, inherited
A daughter of billionaires, Dogan Faralyali began her career as an Arthur Andersen consultant in New York and later advised Europe’s leading media and technology companies. She joined the family media business in Turkey by establishing the corporate communications department of Dogan Holding and became its president.
Aymin Hariri, Saudi Arabia
Age 29
$2.3 billion, inherited
The son of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Aymin is now based in Riyadh and helps watch over family construction and investment company Saudi Oger for older brother Saad, the Lebanese parliamentary majority leader. Plus, he has hands in U.S. government contracting: co-founded and chairs identity management software company Epok, based outside Washington, D.C., which sells to federal and state customers.
Fahd Hariri, Lebanon
Age 27
$2.3 billion, inherited
Aymin’s younger brother, Fahd, serves on board of Beirut’s Future Television Network, a terrestrial and satellite TV network. He also runs a fledgling design studio for furniture and other wares in Paris, where sister Hind, also a billionaire, and mother live.
Yang Huiyan, China
Age 26
$7.4 billion, inherited
China’s richest person is also one of the world’s youngest billionaires and a daddy’s girl. Yang earned her degree from Ohio State University in 2005, the same year her father, Yeung Kwok Keung, the media-shy chief of real estate outfit Country Garden, transferred his stake in the company to her (not a bad graduation gift). Gold-diggers, beware: She’s already married; her wedding video is posted on YouTube
Albert von Thurn und Taxis, Germany
Age: 24
$2.3 billion, inherited
The German prince appeared briefly on our billionaires list at age 8, but he officially inherited his fortune on his 18th birthday. Lives in a family castle with his mother and older sister. Race car driver, tours with a German auto-racing league.
Hind Hariri, Lebanon
Age 24
$1.1 billion, inherited
Sister of Aymin and Fahd, Hariri inherited a stake in family’s construction, media and banking holdings. First debuted on our billionaires list two years ago at age 22. Fell off and now returns, making her the world’s youngest female billionaire. Hariri is a fashionista who recently attended Paris fashion shows and reportedly favors the designer Chanel
I certainly have more respect for the self-made billionaires on this list, but nonetheless it still must be pretty nice to have billions in your bank account. And here I was thinking having just one million would be good enough for me. Well, that about does it for this posting. I hope you found it an entertaining diversion.
Best of luck to all those of you who are trying to make this list! lol
Cheers,
Alan