Billion, Billionaire | featured news

World's richest man got richer with $79. billion in 2015.

Facebook's stock market debut left founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a paper fortune currently valued at $13 billion -- and a 2012 tax bill of around $1.1 billion.vZuckerberg's whopping tax hit stems from his move last May to increase his stake in Facebook. On the day of Facebook's initial public offering, Zuckerberg exercised a stock option and purchased 60 million Facebook shares at a "strike price" of 6 cents each.

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is proposing an alternative to the $24.4 billion plan to sell slumping PC maker Dell to a group led by founder Michael Dell, saying it substantially undervalues the company.

As Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana ready their latest collections for this spring’s slew of international catwalk shows, their lawyers will be working behind the scenes to ensure two of Italy’s most successful designers won’t be spending the next few Fashion Weeks behind bars...

As the Forbes Wealth team gears up to bring you the Billionaires issue this March -- featuring an extensive catalog of the world's wealthiest people -- we've been finding massive hidden fortunes across the globe. If you're a regular on Forbes.com, you've probably noticed that our homepage has been clogged with new names, some familiar, many more obscure, as we've rifled through financial and legal documents and talked with sources at all hours of the day (and night). We do it all in the name of making public fortunes that many would prefer stay private.

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates remains the nation's richest man by far, as the tech and philanthropy giant took the top spot on the Forbes 400 list for the 19th year running, with a net worth of $66 billion. Investor Warren Buffett, the head of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., again took second with $46 billion, while Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison remains third with $41 billion and brothers Charles and David Koch, co-owners of Koch Industries Inc., tied for fourth with $31 billion.

Clearly tired of being dissed, vilified and attacked for her wealth, the outspoken Ms. Rinehart wrote an article full of unapologetic statements of economic truth. A choice sample: “There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire. If you’re jealous of those with more money, don’t just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself—spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working.”

In an epic battle between two Russian billionaires that became a riveting window on the murky and sometimes murderous business culture of post-Soviet Russia, a High Court judge rejected a $5.8 billion claim on Friday that pitted Boris A. Berezovsky, a London-based émigré, against Roman A. Abramovich, owner of London’s Chelsea football club.

In a lengthy explainer on Monday night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow illustrated how a risky bet and some seemingly shady dealings in China helped earn casino mogul Sheldon Adelson tens of billions of dollars, and possibly even some criminal charges.

Liang Wengen of Sany Heavy Industry is the new number one with a net worth of $9.3 billion, followed by Robin Li.