Tujuh Jutawan Terkemuka Dunia 2009

Memandangkan keadaan ekonomi dunia yang tak begitu menentu ini, beberapa orang yang dikenali sebagai orang terkaya di dunia turut merasa tempiasnya. Kebanyakannya secara purata hasil kekayaan mereka ini jatuh 23% dalam masa 12 bulan. Buat masa ini jumlah jutawan yang masih berada dalam tahta kekayaan adalah seramai 793 orang berbanding 1,125 orang tahun lepas. Bagaimana pun Amerika Syarikat masih mendominasi tahta kekayaan dunia sebanyak 44% dari sumber pendapatan dunia. Mari kita lihat dengan jelas profil mereka yang terkaya di dunia.

Nombor 1: (William Gates III).

Jumlah Harta: USD 40 Bilion.
Kekayaan: Hasil usaha sendiri.
Sumber: Microsoft.
Umur: 53
Asal: Amerika Syarikat.
Kediaman: Medina, Washington.
Industri: Software.
Pendidikan: Harvard (gugur).
Perkahwinan: Berkahwin, 3 orang anak.

Software visionary regains title as the world's richest man despite losing $18 billion in the past 12 months. Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft last summer to devote his talents and riches to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Organization's assets were $30 billion in January; annual letter lauds endowment manager Michael Larson for limiting last year's losses to 20%. Gates decided to increase donations in 2009 to $3.8 billion, up 15% from 2008. Dedicated to fighting hunger in developing countries, improving education in America's high schools and developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Appointed Microsoft Office veteran Jeffrey Raikes chief exec of Gates Foundation in September. Gates remains Microsoft chairman. Sells shares each quarter, redeploys proceeds via investment vehicle Cascade; more than half of fortune invested outside Microsoft. Stock down 45% in past 12 months. "Creative capitalist" wants companies to match profitmaking with doing good.

Nombor 2: (Warren Buffett).

Jumlah Harta: USD 37 Bilion.

Kekayaan: Hasil usaha sendiri.
Sumber: Berkshire Hathaway.
Umur: 78
Asal: Amerika Syarikat.
Kediaman: Omaha, Nebraska.
Industri: Pelaburan.
Pendidikan: University of Nebraska Lincoln, Bachelor of Arts / Science, Columbia University, Master of Science
Perkahwinan: Duda, Berkahwin semula, 3 orang anak.

Last year America's most beloved investor was the world's richest man. This year he has to settle for second place after losing $25 billion in 12 months. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway down 45% since last March. Injected billions of dollars into Goldman Sachs, GE in exchange for preferred stock last fall; propped up insurance firm Swiss Re in February with $2.6 billion infusion. Admits he made some "dumb" investment mistakes in 2008. Upbeat about America's future: "Our economic system has worked extraordinarily well over time. It has unleashed human potential as no other system has, and it will continue to do so." Scoffs at Wall Street's over-reliance on "history-based" models: "If merely looking up past financial data would tell you what the future holds, the Forbes 400 would consist of librarians." Son of Nebraska politician delivered newspapers as a boy. Filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction for bicycle. Studied under value investing guru Benjamin Graham at Columbia. Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965. Today holding company invested in insurance (Geico, General Re), jewelry (Borsheim's), utilities (MidAmerican Energy), food (Dairy Queen, See's Candies). Also has noncontrolling stakes in Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo.

Nombor 3: (Carlos Slim Helu & keluarga).

Jumlah Harta: USD 35 Bilion.

Kekayaan: Hasil usaha sendiri.
Sumber: Telekomunikasi.
Umur: 69
Asal: Mexico.
Kediaman: Mexico City.
Industri: Telekomunikasi.
Pendidikan: Tidak dicatat.
Perkahwinan: Duda, 6 orang anak.

Economic downturn and plunging peso shaved $25 billion from the fortune of Latin America's richest man. Global recession testing his ability to live up to the principles he sets for his employees: "Maintain austerity in times of fat cows." Son of a Lebanese immigrant bought fixed line operator Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex) in 1990; now controls 90% of Mexico's telephone landlines. Would be a billionaire based on his dividends alone. Biggest holding: $16 billion stake in America Movil, Latin America's largest mobile phone company with 173 million customers. America Movil and Telmex reportedly planning to jointly invest $4 billion to bolster telecom infrastructure in Latin America. Buying up cheap media, energy and retail assets. Last year took stakes in New York Times Co., former billionaire Anthony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media and Bronco Drilling; also increased position in Saks. Baseball statistics aficionado, art collector.

Nombor 4: (Lawrence Ellison).

Jumlah Harta: USD 22.5 Bilion.

Kekayaan: Hasil usaha sendiri.
Sumber: Oracle.
Umur: 64.
Asal: Amerika Syarikat.
Kediaman: Redwood City, California.
Industri: Software.
Pendidikan: university of Illinois (gugur).
Perkahwinan: Berkahwin, 2 orang anak.

Database titan continues to engulf the competition; Oracle has racked up 49 acquisitions in the past 4 years. Bought BEA Systems for $8.5 billion last year. Still sitting on $7 billion in cash. Revenues up 11% to $10.9 billion in the six months ended November 30; profits also up 11% to $2.4 billion. Stock down 25% in past 12 months. Invested $125 million in Web software outfit Netsuite; took public in 2007, stock has fallen 80% since. His shares still worth $300 million. Chicago native studied physics at U. of Chicago, didn't graduate. Started Oracle in 1977. Public 1986, a day before Microsoft. Owns 453-foot Rising Sun; built a smaller leisure boat because superyacht is hard to park. Squabbling in court with Swiss boating billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli over terms of next America's Cup. Recently unveiled hulking 90-foot trimaran he intends to use to win it.

Nombor 5: (Ingvar Kamprad & keluarga)

Jumlah Harta: USD 22 Bilion.

Kekayaan: Hasil usaha sendiri.
Sumber: IKEA.
Umur: 83.
Asal: Sweden.
Kediaman: Lausanne.
Industri: Pengedar.
Pendidikan: Tidak dicatat .
Perkahwinan: Berkahwin, 4 orang anak.

Peddled matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager. Started selling furniture in 1947. Opened first Ikea store 50 years ago; stores's name is a combination of initials of his first and last name, his family farm and the nearest village. Retired in 1986; company's "senior adviser" still reportedly works tirelessly on his brand. Discount retailer now sells 9,500 items in 36 countries; prints catalog in 27 languages. Revenues up 7% to $27.4 billion in fiscal year 2008. Opened tenth store in China this February; planning to open first in Dominican Republic later this year. Three sons all work at the company. Thrifty entrepreneur flies economy class, frequents cheap restaurants and furnishes his home mostly with Ikea products.

Nombor 6: (Karl Albrecht)

Jumlah Harta: USD 21.5 Bilion.

Kekayaan: Hasil usaha sendiri.
Sumber: Aldi.
Umur: 89.
Asal: German.
Kediaman: Mulheim an der Ruhr.
Industri: Pengedar.
Pendidikan: Tidak dicatat .
Perkahwinan: Berkahwin, 2 orang anak.
 

Germany's richest person owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud. Retailer faring well amid economic downturn; analysts expect its 2008 sales to be up 9.4% to $33.7 billion. Sales in the U.S. up estimated 20% last year to $7 billion. Plans to open 75 U.S. stores in 2009, including first in New York City. With younger brother, Theo, transformed their mother's corner grocery store into Aldi after World War II. Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got northern Germany and the rest of Europe. Retired from daily operations. Fiercely private: little known about him other than that he apparently raises orchids and plays golf.

Nombor 7: (Mukesh Ambani)

Jumlah Harta: USD 19.5 Bilion.

Kekayaan: Diwarisi.
Sumber: Petrochemical.
Umur: 51.
Asal: India.
Kediaman: Mumbai.
Industri: Pembuatan.
Pendidikan: University of Bombay, Bachelor of Arts / Science, Stanford University (gugur).
Perkahwinan: Berkahwin, 3 orang anak.

Oversees Reliance Industries, India's most valuable company by market cap despite stock falling 40% in past year. Merging his Reliance Petroleum with flagship Reliance Industries. As part of deal, will exercise right to buy back Chevron's 5% stake in Reliance Petroleum at $1.20 per share—the same price at which he sold it 3 years ago. Today the stock trades for $1.80 a share. Increased stake in Reliance Industries in October; paid $3.4 billion to convert 120 million preferential warrants into shares. Reliance Petroleum refinery on India's western coast began operating in December despite falling global demand and declining margins. Late father Dhirubhai founded Reliance and built it into a massive conglomerate. After he died Mukesh and his brother, Anil, ran the family business together for a brief time. But siblings feuded over control; mother eventually brokered split of assets. Brothers may be looking to bury hatchet; played joint hosts at mother's recent 75th-birthday bash. Has yet to move into his 27-story home that he's building at a reported cost of $1 billion. Ardent fan of Bollywood films. Wife, Nita, oversees school named after his father.

P/S Bukan harta mereka yang ingin saya tonjolkan tapi keperibadian mereka yang ingin saya paparkan. Sesetengah dari mereka tercicir dari pendidikan tapi dengan semangat dan keberanian, mereka mampu bangun malah menjadi lebih baik dari orang lain.

Source: Thanks to Forbes.com . Sila layari laman tersebut untuk lebih mengetahui kesemua profil 20 Billionaires.