Chapter 462 Forbes Rich List
Bill Gates ranks first on the Forbes Global Rich List with a total asset of $51 billion.
His wealth mainly comes from his 24% stake in Microsoft.
In 1998, Microsoft was in a period of rapid growth. Benefiting from the success of Windows 95/98 operating systems and the rise of the Internet, Microsoft's stock grew extremely fast. After three rounds of splits, Microsoft's stock price dropped from US$180 per share to US$40-60.
Although the stock price is lower, there are more shares.
Microsoft's total market value has also increased from US$100 billion last year to US$250 billion, and is still growing rapidly.
Bill Gates' 24% stake in Microsoft is worth more than $50 billion.
The second place is Warren Buffett, the stock god, whose assets mainly come from Berkshire Hathaway, which he controls, and its huge investment portfolio.
Last year, Buffett bought a large number of listed company stocks through Berkshire Hathaway, including insurance company GEICO, Coca-Cola, American Express, Gillette, Wells Fargo, Disney, McDonald's, The Washington Post, etc.
Several investments were very successful, and at the beginning of the year, the total market value of Berkshire Hathaway reached US$85 billion.
Warren Buffett owns 38% of the company, worth $33 billion.
The third place is Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, with a net worth of $21 billion.
His assets mainly include 8% of Microsoft shares, investors in DreamWorks Animation, cable TV company Charter Communications, NBA Trail Blazers, etc.
Fourth place is 'King of Hollywood' Link, with total assets of US$20.5 billion. His assets mainly come from financial investments and entertainment assets.
The investment company segment includes both U.S. and overseas segments.
Among them, the local investment company BlinkGold Capital was established more than five years ago, and its shares include shares of listed companies and unlisted companies.
The listed companies mainly hold 4.05% of Microsoft shares, 3.25% of Cisco shares, 2.53% of Berkshire Hathaway, 2.6% of Disney, 7.83% of Pixar Animation Studios, 35.2% of Apple shares, 12.4% of Yahoo shares, and 18.4% of Amazon shares.
There are 16 unlisted companies, including 14.8% of Guess Pictures, 15% of eBay shopping website, 18% of LTD clothing company (Victoria's Secret parent company), 95% of Marvel Entertainment shares, 15% of UTA agency, 3.5% of CAA agency shares, etc.
Due to the surge in Internet company stocks last year and this year, Microsoft's total market value has grown to US$250 billion, Cisco's market value exceeded US$50 billion at the beginning of the year, Yahoo, which went public in 1996, has a market value of US$5 billion, and Amazon, which went public in May last year, has a market value of $500 million, which has increased to US$2 billion.
After Steve Jobs returned to Apple last year, he began to make drastic changes to the product line and corporate strategy, and launched the iMac G3, a color all-in-one computer, which received good market response.
Investors regained confidence in Apple, and its market value grew from $1.8 billion to $3 billion and is still growing.
Forbes Magazine estimates that the current market value of FlashGold Capital is approximately US$20 billion, and Link's 74.5% of FlashGold Capital is worth approximately US$14.9 billion.
Link's second valuable asset in the United States is Guess What Pictures.
Guess What Pictures has won the North American box office revenue championship for four consecutive years, with annual revenue remaining above US$2 billion, and its listed company Pixar Animation Studios is performing well.
Before acquiring MGM, a Wall Street investment consulting firm valued it at $7.2 billion.
Link owns 33.3% of Guess the Movie shares, worth about $2.4 billion.
In addition, according to a survey by Forbes magazine, Link also owns part of the shares of Rose Garden Investment Company and the Lin Family Fund. However, since the two companies have not disclosed shareholder information, it is unclear how much assets Link owns.
In terms of overseas investment, Hong Kong Island Gold Mountain Capital, owned by Link, has developed rapidly in the past two years.
The company's managed shares include 11.35% of Dell Computer shares, worth about $6.8 billion; 3.6% of Cisco Systems shares, worth about $1.8 billion;
13.34% of LVMH shares of Louis Vuitton Group, worth approximately US$2.9 billion.
There are also shares of several large real estate companies in Hong Kong Island and companies such as China Petroleum, China Petrochemical, China Electric Power, China Bank, and China Life, worth about US$1.5 billion.
Forbes magazine estimates that Kingsoft Capital's total market value is approximately US$13 billion.
Link owns 22.5% of the company, worth about $2.95 billion.
The total assets of the three major parts are approximately US$20.5 billion.
However, Forbes magazine believes that Link's total assets are higher than US$20.5 billion.
There is information confirming that in the past three years, Link used various methods to transfer a large amount of assets under his name to overseas companies and tax haven investment companies, and many companies held cross-holdings, including a large number of shares of Flash Gold Capital and Kingsoft Capital.
If this is true, Link's total assets will surpass Warren Buffett and rank second.
"Lin Jun, you are so awesome."
"Mr. Lin, the tabloids say you're worth $40 to $50 billion. Is that true?"
Rie Miyazawa and Akina Nakamori snuggled in his arms, their beautiful eyes staring at the magazine in his hand, with deep admiration and adoration on their faces.
"Guess?"
Link smiled softly and pinched the tip of the girl's upturned nose.
"It must be true. I heard that many billionaires like to hide their assets, such as the Rockefeller family, the Rochesold family, and the Koch family. Rumor has it that these families have assets worth trillions."
Rie Miyazawa raised her beautiful face with sparkling eyes. There was a small mole on her left cheek, which made her look very cute.
"Yes, doing so can reasonably avoid taxes and reduce asset risks on the one hand, and on the other hand it can also reduce public attention and ease class conflicts."
Link laughed.
"Honey, are you planning to create a family like the Rockefellers?"
Akina Nakamori asked, leaning on his shoulder.
"With this idea, do you want to join?"
"Of course, I will always be Lin Jun's woman."
Miyazawa Rie hugged him tightly and refused to let go.
Akina Nakamori also stuck to him like a clingy kitten.
"What are you doing? Aren't you hot hugging me like that?"
Izumi Sakai and Yasuko Sawaguchi came in from outside carrying fruit plates. Compared to Rie Miyazawa and Akina Nakamori who like to wear kimonos at home, their clothes are very casual, T-shirts and denim shorts, which make them look fashionable and beautiful, and very individual.
"We want to, it's none of your business."
Akina Nakamori rolled her eyes at Izumi Sakai and hugged Link even tighter.
"Izumi-chan, there's still room in the middle, would you like to sit here?"
Miyazawa Rie winked and smiled.
"No! I'm not as clingy as you guys."
Izumi Sakai rolled her eyes and sat cross-legged on the sofa opposite, indicating that she would not go along with them.
"Where are Norika and Shizuka?"
Link asked.
"They are making lunch, Lin Jun, do you want to hug them? Then I will go and call them over."
Izumi Sakai pretended to get up, Link smiled gently, pulled the girl into his arms, kissed her until she was limp, and then let go. Izumi Sakai was no longer so jumpy, and sat beside him with a red cheek, feeding him fruit.
Link sat on the sofa, reading a magazine and enjoying their service.
There are several sub-lists in Forbes magazine, including the 400 Richest Americans list, the Self-Made Rich List, the Chinese Rich List, and the Celebrity Annual Income List.
He is still ranked fourth on the list of 400 richest Americans and first on the list of richest Chinese.
He ranks first on the celebrity income list with an annual income of $320 million.
The girlfriends at home are also on the list. Jennifer Aniston earned $32 million last year from advertising and TV dramas, ranking sixth on the celebrity list. Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox also have annual incomes of more than $10 million.
Jennifer Lopez ranked twelfth with revenue of $22 million last year thanks to her new album and film fees.
Brooke Shields, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Jodie Foster, Cindy Crawford and others also earn over 10 million from film salaries and advertisements.
Add to that the dividends from Rose Garden Investment Company, and the women in the family would earn millions of dollars a year even if they didn't take on a job.
This money is enough to maintain their luxurious life.
As for the girlfriends in China and new girlfriends such as Izumi Sakai, Link also set up a foundation through Kingsoft Investment Company to subsidize their daily expenses.
Any girlfriend who has been with him for more than two years will automatically receive a dividend every year.
For girlfriends who have been together for more than five years or ten years or have given birth to children, the annual dividend amount will be doubled.
Because of this reward, the women around him became closer to him.
While on summer vacation in Palm Beach, Rie Miyazawa, Norika Fujiwara and others treated him almost like an emperor.
"Mr. Lin, lunch is ready. Do you want to eat now or wait a while?"
Norika Fujiwara knelt at the door in her kimono and asked gently.
"Eat now."
Link put down the magazine and went to the restaurant to eat.
After dinner, play badminton, soak in hot springs, or do other activities to deepen the relationship between the two.
After the release of the "Forbes Global Rich List", Link's latest net worth once again became one of the focuses of media and public attention.
The Los Angeles Times said that he is not only a giant in the entertainment industry, but also one of the most powerful oligarchs in the financial industry and a true wealthy man in America. With his current strength and status, no one can shake his position unless a financial crisis breaks out.
The Washington Post described him as a "true wealth legend" because his asset structure is more stable than that of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. He not only has financial investments, but also real enterprises worth tens of billions of dollars. His assets cover more industries and are less likely to encounter risks.
The New York Times highlighted Link's performance in "philanthropy" in the past two years. In the past two years, he and his girlfriends including Diana, Monica, and Liu Xiaoli have donated $600 million to organizations such as the "Diana Charitable Foundation", the "Link Family Foundation", the "International Red Cross", and the "China Hope Project" to solve the problems of schooling and medical care faced by children and women in poor areas.
Link is also the richest person on the rich list who has donated the most money directly.
Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, also asked Link about charitable donations during a telephone interview.
In an interview, Link said that he would donate 90% of his assets in the future, leaving only 10% to maintain the basic living security of his family. The purpose of doing so is to "give back to society in the most positive way, and it will also be beneficial to the healthy growth of children and cultivate their self-reliance and self-improvement qualities."
Link's statements and actions were welcomed and praised by many people after being reported by the media.
Even President Clinton praised Link as a very socially responsible entrepreneur in an interview, worthy of learning from by all wealthy people, and said that he would donate half a year's salary to the Diana Charitable Foundation to help more people in need.
(End of this chapter)
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