Forbes

Scrooge McDuck Tops Forbes Fictional Rich List

Filed under: Wealth

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Real-life tycoons Donald Trump and Roman Abramovich grace the pages of Luxist frequently for their lavish spending habits like buying up golf courses and dropping $52K on lunch in New York City, but when it comes to covering the wealthy why limit ourselves to flesh and blood?

Some of the word's richest characters are fictional, and although the spending (or scrooging, as the case may be) isn't real it's just as entertaining.

Forbes has released their 2011 Fictional 15, a list of the wealthiest fictional characters in the world. Their net worth averages $9.86 billion (up a whopping 20 percent from last year) and each was calculated based on source material, real life commodity and share price movements, and a healthy dose of "this is just for fun."

So who tops the list? Scrooge McDuck, of course, with his penny-pinching ways and investments in "hoardables" earning him a fictional net worth of $44.1 billion.

Other interesting list members include: No. 2 Carlisle Cullen of the Twilight series, rich in part due to solid banking habits and and early investments into Wal-Mart and Google, and No. 7 the red-golden dragon "Smaug" from "The Hobbit" who hoards his riches meticulously but spends little, preferring instead to use his gold and gems as bedding material.

See the complete Forbes Fictional 15 here.

Source

Tags: fictional characters, Forbes, Forbes Fictional List, Scrooge McDuck, wealth, worlds richest characters

Malcolm Forbes' Nautical Collections Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Wealth

Last month antique toys from the collection of the late Malcolm Forbes fetched $2.3 million at Sotheby's. Now on Jan. 29–30 Georgia's Red Baron antiques is staging its own sale of ship models, important nautical art and maritime collectibles from the tycoon's vaults. The Forbes offerings include the largest private fleet of ship models ever assembled and total sales could hit seven figures as well. Some of the most impressive ship models include a 14.5-ft. long full-hull rigged builder's model of the British twin-screw steamship Orontes, built by England's Vickers & Armstrong and first launched in Feb. 1929; a 12-ft. builder's model of the British twin-screw passenger liner Rangitiki, built in 1929 by John Brown & Co. of Scotland; and an original Royal Yacht model depicting the sailing ship Britannia, first launched in 1893. 400 paintings, several statues, and an antique diver's helmet round out the offerings.

Gallery: Malcolm Forbes Nautical Collection

Tags: antiques, Forbes, Malcolm Forbes, model ship, nautical, steamship, toys, yacht

Indian Billionaire to Be World's Richest Man by 2014

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Forget Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Carlos Slim: in four years' time the world's richest man will be Indian commodity king Mukesh Ambani (above), Forbes predicts in a new special report on the coming decade in finance and economics. The magazine estimates that Ambani's fortune will have swelled to $62 billion by 2014, outpacing the rest of the contenders, including current world's richest man Carlos Slim who's currently worth $53.5 billion. Mexico's Slim, who's made some risky investments including a large stake in the struggling New York Times, will be "hit hard by Mexican political and financial chaos," Forbes predicts. Ambani, 53, is currently the fourth richest man in the world with a fortune of $29 billion. He is the owner of Antilia, a 27-floor building in Mumbai which includes his family's private residence of 400,000 square feet, making it the world's first billion-dollar home and the largest private home in the world.

Tags: Bill Gates, billionaire, Carlos Slim, Forbes, Mukesh Ambani, Warren Buffet, wealth, worlds richest man

'Twilight' Author Makes $40 Million Without Writing a Single Book

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books, Wealth

Despite not having written a single book in the past year, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer raked in an eye-popping $40 million from her sexy vampire tales, Forbes reports. Meyer landed the second place spot on the magazine's new ranking of the world's highest paid authors, easily eclipsing Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling. About $7 million of Meyer's 2009 windfall came from movies adapted from the Twilight series, with most of the balance attributable to previously published works. In June the third Twilight adaptation made $175 million in its first six days. Meyer still has a long way to go to catch up with the world's highest paid author, James Patterson, who snagged the #1 spot with a whopping $70 million paycheck. Unlike Meyer however, Patterson has to keep churning out thrillers; he's contracted to produce another 17 books by the end of 2012. Stephen King placed third on the list with $34 million, while Rowling languishes in last place with a measly $10 million. Of course she's already a billionaire.

Tags: authors, books, Forbes, J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, Stephen King, Twilight, vampires, wealth

Dubai Ruler's Fortune Plummets $7.5 Billion, Named Forbes' Biggest Royal Loser

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Shed a tear for Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who has been named Forbes' biggest royal loser after his fortune plummeted by $7.5 billion this year – a drop of over 60% in net worth and even worse than the $6 billion he lost last year in the wake of the emirate's financial implosion. Al-Maktoum now has only $4.5 billion in the bank, down from $18 billion two years ago – a loss of $13.5 billion in total. Others on the magazine's list of the world's richest royals fared better – top of the heap is King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand whose $30 billion fortune remains unchanged, followed by the Sultan of Brunei at $20 billion (also unchanged), and King Abdullah bin Abul Aziz of Saudi Arabia whose net worth rose to $18 billion thanks to shrewd financial planning. In case you're wondering about the Queen of England, she's way down on the list with a paltry $450 million. Collectively the group's fortune is down 9%, or $10 billion this year, to $99 billion – a whopping $32 billion below their 2008 total. Time to tax those subjects.

Tags: billionaire, Dubai, Forbes, Queen of England, royal family, royalty, Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Sultan of Brunei, Thailand, UAE, wealth

Unsmoked Churchill Cigar Fetches Thousands

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Auctions

Sir Winston Churchill memorabilia was good for more than half a million pounds. A collection belonging to Malcolm S. Forbes Jr. went under the gavel at Christie's, with 84 lots finding new homes. One of them was an unsmoked Havana cigar, which sold for £2,125. It soundly beat the auction's presale estimate of £1,500.

Included with the cigar was a note from the prime minister to Christopher Dunn, with whom he was dining: "Sir Winston Churchill... gave me this cigar at Luncheon – Hotel de Paris [Monte Carlo]" 12 April '63."

Forbes developed this collection over 30 years, and it sold for a total of £577,063 ... and it's only the first of three auctions from this private collection. The ultimate total is expected to exceed £1 million.

Source

Tags: auction, auction houses, auction-house, auctions, Christies, ChristiesAuction, ChristiesAuctionHouse, churchill, cigar, cigars, forbes, havana, Winston Churchill

Gisele is World's Top-Earning Supermodel with $25 Million Payday

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

The impossibly alluring Gisele Bundchen has once again been named as the world's top-earning supermodel, with an income of $25 million for the previous 12 months according to Forbes. The Brazilian bombshell retained the top spot from last year's list with the same dollar figure, proving that the supermodel business is as recession-proof as they come. It's also been a good year for Bundchen in the real estate market; as my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported back in January, she sold her NYC townhouse for $12.95 million. She also reportedly donated $1.5 million to the Red Cross for Haiti, sharing the wealth. In the No. 2 spot on the list is Heidi Klum with $16 million, another carryover from last year, while Kate Moss clocks in at No. 3 with $9 million, Victoria's Secret stunner Adrianna Lima makes No. 4 with $7.5 million, and relative newcomer Doutzen Kroes, yet another VS lingerie lovely, gets the No. 5 slot with $6 million. Check out the full list with a slideshow here.

Tags: Adrianna Lima, Doutzen Kroes, Forbes, Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum, Kate Moss, lingerie, supermodels, wealth

Carlos Slim Beats Buffet & Gates for World's Richest Man Title

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim has beat out Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to capture the title of World's Richest Man, according to Forbes' newly-released rich list. With an astonishing net worth of $53.5 billion, Slim, whose most recent acquisition is a major stake in the struggling New York Times, is the first person from a developing nation ever to be named the world's richest person. The 70-year-old mogul's ever-expanding fortunes - his net worth jumped by $18.5 billion over the past year - is attributable to a spike in value for his his enviable cell phone holdings.

Gates (No. 2) and Buffet (No. 3) have not suffered any reversal of fortune that knocked them down on the list; in fact, Gates is up by $13 billion and Buffet by $10 billion for the year. Rather, the magazine notes, their declining position is due to having given so much money to charitable causes. Slim is known for wearing inexpensive suits and rarely using the computers his companies sell, preferring old-style paper notebooks. While he owns an impressive collection of art, including works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, the AP notes that he works out of a set of somewhat dowdy, 1970s-style offices.

Source

Tags: bill gates, billionaire, Carlos Slim, Forbes, Mexico, new york times, warren buffet, worlds richest man

Forbes Names the Top Earning Celeb Couples - Jay-Z Way Behind

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

For the second year in a row, Jay-Z and Beyonce (right) have topped a different kind of chart; the Hollywod's Top-Earning Couples list from Forbes. Last year, the mono-household-named celebs earned a combined $162 million, but this year, they earned just $122 million. It's a recession after all.

Or is that really the reason? According to Forbes, when the couple won last year, "about half" came from "each star," whereas this year, Beyonce brought home $87 million (well over half of $162 million), compared with just $35 million from Jay-Z. Far be it from us to call $35 million under-earning, and far be it from Beyonce as well -- the couple famously never discusses their relationship with the press.

Other top earning couples include Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart, who made bank ($65 million) with Indiana Jones and Brothers & Sisters, respectively, Brangelina, who pulled in $55 million from their film endeavors while raising six kids (and gave a whole lot of it to charity, for example, $333,000 to SOS Children's Villages -- thanks guys), and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, who made $48 million. All out-earned Britain's first couple, David and Victoria Beckham, who made just $46 million.

Come on, Posh and Becks. Jay-Z made almost that much on his own.

Gallery: Beyonce and Jay-Z through the years

[via Forbes]

Tags: angelina jolie, AngelinaJolie, Beyonce, beyonce knowles, BeyonceKnowles, brad pitt, BradPitt, brangelina, callista flockhart, CallistaFlockhart, david beckham, DavidBeckham, Forbes, harrison ford, HarrisonFord, jada pinkett smith, JadaPinkettSmith, jay-z, victoria beckham, VictoriaBeckham, will smith, WillSmith

Safra Says Villa Leopolda Not for Sale at Any Price

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

The other day we wrote about a report in Forbes stating that Villa Leopolda in the Cote d'Azur, once the most expensive estate in the world with a reputed pricetag of $750 million, had been put back on the market for a mere $102 million. Leopolda's owner Lily Safra now says the Forbes report was "pure fantasy". "The residence is not being sold and was never offered for sale," Safra's rep Seth Goldschlager insists. Forbes has now removed Leopolda from its list of the world's most expensive estates. Albemarle House in Charlottesville, Va., listed at $100 million, is now the 4th most expensive estate in the world according to the magazine, behind No. 1, the Spelling Manor at $150 million; No. 2, Fleur De Lys at $125 million; and No. 3, Updown Court at $117 million.

Tags: Forbes, Lily Safra, LilySafra, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda

Forbes Ranks Hollywood's Top 10 Overpaid Actors

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Forbes loves lists, and this is a great one if you love to resent actors' huge paychecks -- the Top 10 Overpaid Actors, that is, actors who cost more than their box office worth. According to MSN, in order to qualify for the list, each actor had to have appeared in three films in the last five years that opened in at least 500 theaters. No. 1 on the list is Will Ferrell. For every $1 Ferrell earns, his movies only earn $3.29. The No. 2 spot is filled by Ewan McGregor. His ratio is $1 to $3.75. Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are Billy Bob Thornton, Eddie Murphy, and Ice Cube. Coming in at No. 6 is Tom Cruise; No. 7 is the only woman on the list, Drew Barrymore; and Nos. 8, 9, and 10 are Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jim Carrey. Forbes explains it all here. View the official list, with photos, here.

Tags: actors, films, Forbes, Hollywood, movies, paycheck, salaries, salary

$650 Million Price Cut on Villa Leopolda? (Updated)

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

Villa Leopolda on the Cote D'Azure (above), once the world's most expensive estate with a $750 million pricetag, is apparently back on the market with an astonishing $650 million price cut, a new world record. The 11-bedroom, 14-bathroom mansion has 29,000 square feet of interior space that opens to manicured lawns and a swimming pool. The spiraling outdoor staircases, balconies and terraces have waterfront views and of the surrounding hillsides. Working fireplaces, a sauna, outdoor kitchen and pool house are other features. As we noted back in February, Russia's richest man Mikhail Prokhorov had reportedly agreed to purchase the Villa for $750 million but later backed out of the deal, forfeiting a $55 million deposit. In May we reported that the recession had caused the estate's value to plunge significantly. Owner Lilly Safra did not re-list the property right away, but according to Forbes the Villa is now available for $102 million. The magazine now places it as the 4th most expensive estate in the world, behind No. 1, the Spelling Manor at $150 million; No. 2, Fleur De Lys at $125 million; and No. 3, Updown Court at $117 million.

UPDATE: Leopolda's owner Lily Safra now says the Forbes report was "pure fantasy". "The residence is not being sold and was never offered for sale," Safra's rep Seth Goldschlager insists. Forbes has now removed Leopolda from its list of the world's most expensive estates. Albemarle House in Charlottesville, Va., listed at $100 million, is now the 4th most expensive estate in the world according to the magazine, behind No. 1, the Spelling Manor at $150 million; No. 2, Fleur De Lys at $125 million; and No. 3, Updown Court at $117 million.

Source

Tags: Fleur De Lys, FleurDeLys, Forbes, France, Mikhail Prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, Spelling Manor, SpellingManor, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda, worlds most expensive, WorldsMostExpensive

McParlin Partners: Portraits in Words

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Holiday Guides, Books

Here's a novel gift idea that is more thoughtful and less flashy than mere jewels. What accessory could be more individual or luxurious than your own book? New York-based McParlin Partners boasts a team of highly experienced former Forbes and Dow Jones editors as well as former Time Inc. art directors who will craft anything from a memoir or family history to a coffee-table book in praise of your spouse.

McParlin writers produce a portrait in words, complemented by your own photographs, commissioned photos and/or original art, that depicts the person you fell in love with or want to thank. It is the perfect way to celebrate an anniversary, wedding, graduation or other significant milestone.

Want to honor someone upon retirement? Consider a tribute book, full of reminiscences and career highlights. This is also a professional way to document a dynasty with a family history, ideal for handing out at that annual reunion or to favored clients.

McParlin editors work with clients to distill their management philosophy into a book or tell the story of their rise to the top. "People deserve the chance to tell their own stories in their own voice," says McParlin co-founder Kasia Moreno, an editor at Forbes for more than 20 years.

Moreno notes that, although McParlin also does corporate editorial work and has affiliations with custom publishers in Russia and China, the firm's individual services are a labor of love. "A family history," she says, "is a precious legacy that will be handed down over generations."

Indeed, the firm is named after Alida McParlin (1867-1957), a woman who wrote a memoir about her doting father, Brig. Gen. Thomas McParlin, an Army surgeon who served as Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. That book sparked the fascination with family history for McParlin co-founder Hugo Moreno, who is also McParlin's great-grandson.

Every McParlin project is completely customized. Prices vary depending on length of the project. For example, a book-length executive memoir starts at $30,000, while a version the length of a magazine cover story can be had for $10,000. A coffee-table book full of commissioned photographs and striking layouts can run into six figures.

Tags: accessories-award, Dow Jones, DowJones, Forbes, gifts, Hugo Moreno, HugoMoreno, Kasia Moreno, KasiaMoreno, McParlin Partners, McparlinPartners

Forbes' List of 'Billion Dollar Donors'

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Wealth

I'm sure a list of the world's wealthiest is a fluctuating compendium these days making a list of donors a nice change of pace from Forbes. Of course most of these 'Billion Dollar Donors' would most likely make the cut for some of the nation's most affluent individuals as well but here their philanthropic tendencies are the focus of attention. These fourteen people, out of 793 billionaires worldwide, have actually donated, not just pledged, over $1 billion total. Here are some of the world's most generous givers:

1 Bill Gates, $28 billion donated.
2 George Soros, $7.2 billion
3 Gordon Moore (shown at right), $6.8 billion
4 Warren Buffett, $6.7 billion
5 Eli Broad, $2 billion
6 James Stowers, $1.9 billion
7 Herbert and Marion Sandler, $1.5 billion
8 Michael Bloomberg, $1.5 billion
9 Li Ka-shing, $1.37 billion
10 Dietmar Hopp, $1.25 billion
11 Michael Dell $1.2 billion
12 Klaus Tschira, $1.1 billion
13 Stephen Schmidheiny $1 billion
14 Ted Turner, $1 billion

Anybody you are surprised didn't make the list?

Source

Tags: bill gates, BillGates, billion dollar donor, BillionDollarDonor, charity, donate billions, DonateBillions, forbes, gordon moore, GordonMoore, ted turner, TedTurner, warren buffett, WarrenBuffett

Jay-Z Hip-Hop's Top Earner at $35 Million

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

You gotta hand it to Jay-Z. Despite taking a 57% pay cut -- down from $82 million in 2008 to $35 million in 2009 -- he's still the Hip-Hop Cash King, according to Forbes. (Cash Queens, aka the women, can be found on their own list, which focuses on all women in music, not just in the hip-hop genre.) Diddy squeaks in as the #2 cash king, with $30 million, and Kanye West is #3 with $25 million. Both of these gents also are down several million from last year.

Many of the artists on the Hip-Hop Cash Kings list earn a good chunk of their income through licensing and endorsements, but gone, at least for as long as the economy is uncertain, are one-time mega deals in the $100 million-plus range. This is what knocked 50 Cent out of first place in 2008 down to #4 this year, with "only" $20 million.

In Pictures: Hip-Hop's 20 Top Earners

Tags: cash kings, CashKings, Forbes, hip hop, hip-hop, HipHop, Jay Z, Jay-Z, JayZ, wealth

Forbes

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