The World's Billionaires

North state's Emmerson on Forbes list of billionaires
Jackie Farwell, Associated PressFriday, March 9, 2007
The richest of the rich
The ranking of the world's richest people as estimated by Forbes magazine includes wealth in billions of dollars and source of the money. The research for the rankings began in early 2006 and ended Feb. 9, 2007.
1. William Gates III, Washington, 51, $56, Microsoft
2. Warren Buffett, Nebraska, 76, $52, Berkshire Hathaway
3. Carlos Slim Helu, Mexico, 67, $49, telecom
4. Ingvar Kamprad and family, Sweden, 80, $33, Ikea
5. Lakshmi Mittal, India, 56, $32, steel
6. Sheldon Adelson, Nevada, 73, $26.5, casinos, hotels
7. Bernard Arnault, France, 58, $26, LVMH
8. Amancio Ortega, Spain, 71, $24, Zara
9. Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong, 78, $23, diversified
10. David Thomson and family, Canada, 49, $22, inheritance
11. Lawrence Ellison, California, 62, $21.5, Oracle
12. Liliane Bettencourt, France, 84, $20.7, L'Oreal
13. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, Saudi Arabia, 50, $20.3, investments
14. Mukesh Ambani, India, 49, $20.1, petrochemicals
15. Karl Albrecht, Germany, 87, $20, Aldi
16. Roman Abramovich, Russia, 40, $18.7, oil
17. Stefan Persson, Sweden, 59, $18.4, Hennes & Mauritz
18. Anil Ambani, India, 47, $18.2, diversified
19. Paul Allen, Washington, 54, $18, Microsoft, investments
20. Theo Albrecht, Germany, 84, $17.5, Aldi, Trader Joe's
21. Azim Premji, India, 61, $17.1, software
22. Lee Shau Kee, Hong Kong, 79, $17, real estate
23. Jim Walton, Arkansas, 59, $16.8, Wal-Mart
24. Christy Walton and family, Wyoming, 52, $16.7, Wal-Mart inheritance
24. S. Robson Walton, Arkansas, 63, $16.7, Wal-Mart
26. Sergey Brin, California, 33, $16.6, Google
26. Larry Page, California, 34, $16.6, Google
26. Alice Walton, Texas, 57, $16.6, Wal-Mart
29. Helen Walton, Arkansas, 87, $16.4, Wal-Mart
30. Michael Dell, Texas, 42, $15.8, Dell
31. Steven Ballmer, Washington, 51, $15, Microsoft
31. Kirk Kerkorian, California, 89, $15, investments, casinos
31. Raymond, Thomas and Walter Kwok, Hong Kong, ages unknown, $15, real estate
34. Francois Pinault, France, 70, $14.5, retail
132. Steven Jobs, California, 52, $5.7, Apple Computer, Pixar
243. George Lucas, California, 62, $3.6, Star Wars
287. Steven Spielberg, California, 60, $3, movies
314. Donald Trump, New York, 60, $2.9, real estate
618. Archie Aldis (Red) Emmerson, California, 77, $1.6, timberland, lumber mills
664. Oprah Winfrey, Illinois, 53, $1.5, television
891. Joanne (J.K.) Rowling, Britain, 41, $1, Harry Potter


NEW YORK -- What could a Chinese dumpling maker and Mexican telecom mogul possibly have in common? They're among a record number of wealthy people who held the title of billionaire over the past year.
The tally of billionaires around the globe reached a high of 946, their combined wealth growing 35 percent to $3.5 trillion, according to Forbes magazine's 2007 rankings of the world's richest people. The north state's Archie Aldis "Red" Emmerson, 77, of Sierra Pacific Industries ranked 618th, with an estimated fortune of $1.6 billion, according to Forbes. Last year, he ranked higher on the list -- 512th -- with less wealth -- $1.5 billion.
The rich cashed in on strong equity markets, real estate and commodity prices worldwide, according to Forbes billionaires co-editor Luisa Kroll.