400 richest Americans

[hoosier]

Forbes magazine list of the so-called “400 richest Americans.”

Here are some of the good parts:

- Bill Gates is No. 1 again this year with $48 billion, $2 billion more than last year.

- Warren Buffet, the “Oracle of Omaha” is No. 2 again this year with $41 billion.

- Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, is No. 3 with $20 billion.

- Members of Sam Walton’s family (Wal-Mart) take places four through eight.

- Michael Dell (Dell computers) is No. 9 and Larry Ellison (Oracle) is No. 10. The only thing new about the top 10 list this year is that Dell and Ellison traded seats as the shares of Dell outperformed the shares of Oracle.

- The number of billionaires jumped from 262 last year to 313 this year. (That’s because the market rose.)

- The net worth of the 400 topped $1 trillion for the first time since 2000.

- Fifty-one women made this year’s list, one more than last year.

- Returning to the list this year (barely) at No. 400 is Theresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of Presidential candidate, John Kerry.

- Donald Trump, star of the TV hit series “The Apprentice,” slipped three spaces from No. 71 to 74.