FORBES 2018 BILLIONAIRES

Joining the three comma club has never been one of my goals.  In fact, growing up in Kakaako, I don't even remember being asked what I wanted to be.  University professor was not on the radar screen and millionaire definitely a pipe dream.  When my older brother became an engineer, that influenced my ultimate decision.

Like opening day for Major League Baseball, announcement of the latest Forbes list of billionaires is among my annual highlights, and this is their 37th. Why?  We need a billionaire for the Blue Revolution.

Incidentally:

• baseball begins on Thursday, March 29, the earliest in history
• ALL teams will open on that day, the first time since 1968
• the final day is September 30
• I've already signed up for two CDM fantasy teams, and will add a few more of the ESPN variety

The first list in 1982 only had 13 billionaires, and who remembers #1 was Daniel Keith Ludwig (first supertanker) at $2 billion?  Of the top 100, 89 made their fortune in oil.  Warren Buffet was worth a quarter-billion, or $250 million.  Jeff Bezos was 18 and on his way to Princeton, while Bill Gates was 27 and Microsoft had not yet introduced Office.

In 1987 Forbes ventured internationally and had five Japanese billionaires at the top, with the richest being Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, owner of Seibu Corporation.  Amazingly enough, I had recently met him and during this period was in discussion with his staff to invest in a geo-spa venture on Maui.  Very long story also involving his older brother, but Yoshiaki soon thereafter ran afoul of the law and kind of disappeared from prominence when the Japanese economic bubble burst in 1992.

From those relatively humble beginnings, the 2018 Forbes list has 2,208 billionaires worth $9.1 trillion: (in billions, and some with family)

• #1   Jeff Bezos                 $112
• #2   Bill Gates                  $  91
• #3   Warren Buffet           $  88
• #4   Bernald Arnault        $  75  (Louis Vuitton/Christian Dior)
• #5   Mark Zukerberg        $  72
• #6   Amancio Ortega       $  66  (Zara/richest European)
• #7   Carlos Slim Helu      $  69  (Mexico)
• #8   Charles Koch           $  61
• #9   David Koch              $  61  (yes, the brothers combined are 
•                                                 worth more than Bezos)
• #10 Larry Ellison            $  59

Alice Walton is the richest female at $46 billion, and there are 256 woman billionaires.  I always thought of that inspired billionaire being a man.  Clearly, I need to adjust my attitude.  How many of you knew that TODAY is International Women's Day?

Bezos is less than a factor of ten from becoming a trillionaire.  Again, I must further broaden the scope of the Blue Revolution Angel to include those destined to become the first trillionaire.

Clarendon came up with 20 potential trillionaires.  Some are really too old already.  However:

• Jeff Bezos could attain trillionaire status in 2023 at the age of 59
• Mark Zukerberg is pegged for 2030 at the age of 45
• Larry Ellison needs to live to 2034 when he will be 89
• Bill Gates, 2035, 79
• Michael Bloomberg, 2035, 93
• Larry Page, 2040, 67
• Sergey Brin, 2040, 67

There are a few not even among the current 2208  triple commas, however, that intrigue me.  Who are they?  You need to be at the next meeting of the Blue Revolution Hawaii board.

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IS THERE A BILLIONAIRE IN YOUR FUTURE?

I long ago came to a conclusion that the government and corporate sectors of our community just do not have the imagination and resources to fund visionary pathways for Humanity.  Something like the Blue Revolution, for example, needs enlightened billionaires searching for their legacy.  Surely, out there is one with a blue dream.  How do you interest one in supporting your cause?  Read on.

The latest Forbes billionaires list shows eight from the U.S. in the top ten, with Bill Gates #1 at $75 billion, and brothers Charles (on the right) and David Koch at #9 and #10 with a total of $79.2 billion.  The brothers, incidentally, financed the Tea Party takeover of the GOP and are considered to be the most important Republicans in the country.  However, because of their disdain for Donald Trump, the Kochs decided to delete their nearly billion dollar campaign funds from national politics.  Charles, gasp, actually intimated that he could well support Hillary Clinton.

The number of billionaires dropped from 1,826 last year to 1810 in 2016.  They have a total net worth of $6.5 trillion.  Wealth-X earlier this year named the 50 wealthiest people:

• 9 from the USA
• only 4 from China
• 4 females
• youngest is Mark Zuckerberg at 31 with $43 billion
• #1 is Bill Gates with $87 billion
• #5 is David Koch with $47.4 billion

The details differ among the six organizations doing these billionaire surveys,  as one might report a list of 1,810, and another 2,400 (Wealth-X).  Wealth-X alone has a staff of 250 in 10 global centers mostly focusing on wealth intelligence.  In any case, according to Caroline Feund of the Peterson Institute for International Economics: A best estimate is better than no estimate with wealth.

Billionaires are now mostly self-made:

If you have a campaign to tap one of them, start with some universal information:

• average age of 63
• 90% married
• 6% divorced
• most born in the year of the Snake
• Harvard is most common university

On the other hand, Forbes has this comparative bar graph:

Elon Musk and Donald Trump went to Penn.  

In any case, you don't just go up to a billionaire and ask for money.  You need that key connection, compelling vision and fundamental link to a special passion.  Most desire to help the downtrodden, prevent diseases and reverse poverty.  Surely, among the 2000 psyches there just has to be a particular enlightened individual dedicated to Planet Earth, wishing for something extraordinary to provide some key commodities in harmony with the natural environment.  For only $1.5 billion--one percent the cost of the International Space Station, a $150 billion space adventure that meant well, but will crash into oblivion in the Year 2020--the Blue Revolution represents the next economic frontier for Humanity to generate a cornucopia of sustainable products while enhancing our environment.

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