Former soldier becomes first transgender richlister
A TRANSGENDER billionaire has become the first to feature in a list of America’s richest people.
With a net worth of US$1.7 billion (NZ$2b) Jennifer Pritzker, an heiress to the fortunes of the Hyatt Hotels dynasty, has entered the Forbes 400 list in 327th position.
Formerly James Pritzker, a lieutenant colonel in the US Army, Pritzker, 62, is chief executive of Tawani Enterprises, a private wealth management firm. She is one of 48 women on the list.
Her wealth, though, is dwarfed by that of Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, who retains his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth of $72b. Investment guru Warren Buffett is the second-richest American, with $58.5b.
The 400 were worth US$42.02 trillion collectively – equivalent to the GDP of Russia – or an average of $5b each, the highest on record. Last year they were worth $1.7t collectively, or $4.2b each.
A rebound in Facebook shares helped its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, to retake a spot in the top 20, with $19b. Zuckerberg, the US’ youngest billionaire at 29, pushed the departing chief executive of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, with $18b, into 21st.
Of the 400 billionaires in the list, 273 were self-made, with 71 inheriting their wealth, and 56 bequeathed their fortune but continued to invest and increase it. One in 10 was born outside the US.