The ethics of modern society has developed in such a way that it is not customary to talk about one's wealth. And the realities of life that formed this norm remain the same - there will always be someone willing to share someone's wealth. Therefore, the name of the wealthiest person on the planet, apparently, will never become known, and we can only talk about the most famous among billionaires.
The ratings of people whose condition can be calculated with more or less reliability are published by various media publications. The most authoritative among them is the list compiled by the American financial and economic magazine Forbes. The first time the publication compiled its rating in 1918. Then the first line was occupied by John Rockefeller, the founder of the oil company Standard Oil, and his fortune was estimated at 1.2 billion US dollars. Today, with that kind of capital, he would be outside the first thousand rich people.
For the past 25 years, Forbes has been compiling the list regularly, updating it every year. The last time the rankings were changed was in April, but like last year, 72-year-old Mexican Carlos Slim Helu remained on the top line. According to journalists, his fortune has decreased by $ 5 billion over the year, but what remains is quite impressive - $ 69 billion. Today, the main assets of the first Mexican at the top of the ranking of the rich are made up of the largest national enterprises, united by the holding company Grupo Carso.
The breakthrough to the top, as often happens, was risky actions during the crisis period. In the 1980s, the financial situation in Mexico deteriorated to the point that the state was unable to pay its debts. The flight of investors from the country began and the shares of national companies began to fall. During this period, Slim Elu joined his Grupo Carso enterprises in the metallurgical, mining, chemical industries, as well as companies working in the banking, retail and hotel business.
However, it cannot be said that the richest man of the Mexican was made by a one-time event. Senior Elu opened his first investment bank account when he was 12 years old, and Grupo Carso was founded in 1965. All his activities as a businessman allowed him to accumulate sufficient capital at the right time, his strength of character helped to make and implement an important decision, and the qualifications and talent of a financier allowed him to keep crisis enterprises afloat. His father was an emigrant from Lebanon and managed from scratch to create the foundations of financial well-being for himself and his family. Usually the path from poor to multibillionaire is called the "American Dream", but it turns out that in Mexico it can also be done in just two generations.
