Thirty Something Billionaires

This week the US magazine Forbes (www.forbes.com/lists/) released their Rich List for 2005. Google search engine wiz-kids Sergey Brin(31) and Larry Page(32), both valued at US$7.2 billion, make the list for the first time following the float of Google in 2004. It's still a battle at the top between Bill Gates(US$46.5bn) and Warren Buffett(US$44bn) with Bill winning this year. Other highlights are:

* Three Australian Citizens are included in Kerry Packer (94), Frank Lowey(151) and Richard Pratt (321).

* 8% are women and the average wealth of the women ($4.7 billion) is still higher than men ($4.0 billion) as it was for the 2004 list.

* Average age of the 500 is 62.1 ranging from 21 year German Albert von Thurn und Taxisto, to 96 year old American John Simplot, an eighth-grade dropout who got into potatoes during the Depression.

We have added the 2005 profiles for the World Rich 500 to our Research Centre where you can compare the age profiles to the 2004 list for men, women and all and to other Australian profiles.

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