Forbes releases their "Billionaires" list with Microsoft Founder Bill Gates at the top with $72 billion and New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg with $31 billion rounding out the top 10. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg also saw his net worth climb to $19 billion thanks to a spike in the company's stock.
Only 30 people from last year’s list are poorer than a year ago. Twenty-eight people dropped out of the ranks and six people died, including surround sound pioneer Ray Dolby. Of those 28, only 15 saw their fortunes drop, including T. Boone Pickens, whose costly bets on wind energy lost him his billionaire status, and Manoj Bhargava, whose 5-Hour Energy drink firm has been hit by lawsuits and falling revenues. The rest simply couldn’t keep up with the rising tide. Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder is one of the billionaires who didn’t qualify and, in his case, even with a rise in his fortune, just didn’t have enough to stay in the club.
source›› Forbes
