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RockefellersThe Rockefeller family is one of the wealthiest families in American history. They’re considered greatly influential in business, art, architecture, and philanthropy. John D. Rockefeller, born in 1839 into relatively modest circumstances, became the world’s first billionaire in 1916 after creating the first major business trust. By some accounts, he is still the richest man to have ever lived. The Rockefellers also created the Standard Oil Company, which came to define monopolistic business practices in the US. They've also financed American institutions such as New York City's Rockefeller Center, Colonial Williamsburg, and more. Today, the Rockefeller family has a cumulative net worth of $10.3B. Their modern-day influence mostly involves charitable giving to causes like higher education, the environment, and national parks. Their moneyed reputation has outlasted John D. Rockefeller himself: Taylor Swift, for instance, recently referenced the Standard Oil fortune in a popular song.Explore Rockefellers

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Ray Dalio argues that American capitalism is broken, citing economic factors like a growing wealth divideDalio also points to stalling income growth, weak healthcare systems, and poor educational outcomes when arguing that American capitalism needs serious reform. However, critics point out that Dalio has amassed a large fortune by running the world's largest hedge fund and question whether Dalio really wants economic reform. The Guardian Explore Ray Dalio's real-time wealth ranking and net worthDalio's profile in Forbes tracks his net worth, wealth history, and global wealth ranking. As of early 2026, Dalio is in the top 200 richest people in the world. Forbes American Express caters its business to wealthy cardholdersAmerican Express cards charge high annual fees, but also offer significant rewards and credits. It's just one way the company targets affluent customers who spend higher dollar amounts per transaction and tend to have more transactions than the average cardholder. This strategy decreases the company's risk, since it actually offers credit instead of just acting as a card network. CNBC LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault was among the world's 10 wealthiest people as of early 2026With a reported net worth of about $190B, Arnault consistently ranks among the world's richest individuals. He held the number one spot on the list until early 2023, when Elon Musk overtook him. Investopedia The 'ultrawealthy' in 2026 hold $30M or moreThis group of ultra-high-net-worth individuals holds more than double the assets of the top 1% of Americans (and this group holds over a third of all American wealth). These folks go beyond a well-funded retirement plan and a paid-off home common to middle-class households with investments in private equity, commercial real estate, and alternative assets like art. GOBankingRates William Marbury was a wealthy Federalist insiderMarbury was a prosperous Georgetown businessman, bank director, and slaveholder with close ties to the Federalists. His appointment as a justice of the peace, which was never delivered, sparked the Marbury v. Madison case. Law.com Owning a home can help build wealth via tax benefits and moreIn addition to tax benefits and the potential to build equity in your home, houses are also typically considered an appreciating asset. That means their value is likely to increase over time. Redfin The South built its wealth largely from slave laborBefore the Civil War, the Southern economy relied on roughly 4 million enslaved people producing cash crops such as cotton, rice, and sugarcane. Their forced labor generated immense profits—the South produced 75% of the world's cotton by 1860. HISTORY The world's wealthiest 10% are responsible for 48% of greenhouse gas emissionsAn analysis by the International Energy Agency found that in 2021, the top 1% of emitters each produced over 50 metric tons of carbon dioxide, over 1,000 times the amount produced by those in the bottom 1%. The average energy-related carbon footprint, including household heating and electricity use, was about 4.7 metric tons per person. International Energy Agency How to visualize the enormous wealth of Elon MuskThe disruptive innovator and founder of SpaceX and Tesla is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, an unimaginable sum. This simple interactive visual uses pixels (representing $1,000 each) on a scrolling screen to demonstrate the billionaire's wealth compared to other known financial values, like the cost of building a Boeing 777 or the net worth of Tiger Woods. Engaging Data The average wealth gap between homeowners and renters was more than $1.3M in 2022In 2022, the median wealth gap between homeowners and renters was closer to $390K—a significant divide. Over the past three decades or so, the median wealth gap between homeowners and renters increased by 70%, while the average wealth gap increased by more than 250%. Urban Institute Some of the youngest, wealthiest US suburbs are in Westchester County, New YorkThose suburbs include Chappaqua and Scarsdale. Others outside Westchester include Winnetka, Illinois and Short Hills, New Jersey. GOBankingRates Contrary to popular belief, trusts aren’t only for the wealthyTrust funds can be expensive to set up, given that their establishment often requires paying a lawyer for their time. But for many, that expense might be worth it depending on the complexity of the assets and the ability to specify when, where or how an estate’s assets are used. Charles Schwab A wealthy Austin man's murder-for-hire conspiracy led to two deathsErik Maund, heir to one of the most successful car dealerships in Austin, Texas, was a family man with a mansion by an exclusive golf club. Maund orchestrated a botched murder-for-hire scheme after being blackmailed over his penchant for hiring escorts during business trips. Texas Monthly True Crime Wealthy, 'chaebol' families rule South Korea's economyA handful of huge family-run conglomerates, or chaebol, are the engines of South Korea’s economy, with Samsung alone representing 20% of the country’s GDP. This gives the chaebol (literally “wealth group”) outsized power, often leading to corruption, labor violations, and anticompetitive practices. One economist interviewed in this Vice documentary says the chaebol have replaced Korean democracy with corporatocracy. VICE Asia Wealthy Americans are keeping car dealerships afloatIn the past five years, the share of people buying cars above $50K has increased by several-fold. Car prices have significantly increased overall in recent years. CNBC History’s largest intergenerational wealth transfer is happening in the next few decadesThe founder of a multifamily office firm offers lessons on how to preserve wealth for generations from a global perspective, like educating younger family members. CNA Insider Family offices’ estimated wealth is expected to hit $9.5T by 2030The number of family offices, and how much money under their management, is growing rapidly both in the US and around the world. Deloitte Less than a third of wealth transfers to the second generationJust 12% of family wealth reaches the third generation, and 3% makes it to the fourth. Family offices work to prevent that kind of attrition and ensure family fortunes are passed to the next generation. Simple Why donors love to give to the wealthy schoolsIn this podcast episode of Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell explores why Hank Rowan’s $100 million gift to a small New Jersey college didn’t inspire others to support underfunded schools. Instead, donors continue to flock to elite institutions like Harvard and Stanford. “My Little Hundred Million” examines ways ideology and prestige have reshaped educational giving. Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History Podcast Reasons the wealthy like to give to universitiesEvery year, higher education receives the lion’s share of philanthropy for key reasons. Universities have huge budgets and can handle big sums. They also oversee a broad range of initiatives tailored to an individual’s goals, and are particularly credible institutions with long track records and strong brands. The Conversation Mortgages evolved from exclusive agreements for the wealthy into a key part of homeownership todayThe word "mortgage" comes from medieval French, meaning "death contract"—but the modern American mortgage has a more recent and complicated history. This explainer looks at how mortgages evolved from exclusive agreements for the wealthy into a key part of homeownership today, including the impacts of New Deal policies, redlining, and the Fair Housing Act. 1440 The wealthiest Americans own the vast majority of the stock marketRecent data from the Federal Reserve shows that the richest people in America own 93% of all the country's stock—the highest level ever recorded. Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of Americans held just 1% of all stocks. Business Insider Who owns America's wealth?This visualization breaks down the total net worth of all US households by wealth percentile, listing the number of households in each percentile. As you'll see in the graphic, the total net worth of all US households is close to $160T, and the richer half of the country owns roughly 98% of it. Check out the visual here. Visual Capitalist ETFs vs. Sovereign Wealth FundsSome of the world’s largest economies use sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) to invest surplus revenue into global assets. But how do they compare to something investors use every day—ETFs? This breakdown explains how SWFs work, how they differ from ETFs, and why they play a major role in national economies. 1440 How the Rockefellers' wealth evolved over timeThe Rockefellers built one of the most powerful business empires in US history. By the early 1900s, their company, Standard Oil, controlled over 90% of the US oil market. 1440 How the wealthy are preparing for an estate tax clipIn 2017, the federal government passed a tax bill that raised the estate tax threshold for individuals and married couples. However, this exemption was temporary and is set to expire at the end of 2025. This Bloomberg Tax podcast episode explains what wealthy individuals are doing to protect their estates before the tax change. Listen here. Bloomberg Tax The debate over estate taxes centers on wealth inequalitySince the modern federal estate tax was implemented, people have felt strongly about whether or not to keep it. Much of the debate boils down to equality: Proponents say the tax creates better income equality between the rich and poor, while opponents say it's an inequitable tax only placed on the wealthy. Brookings Adam Smith’s 'The Wealth of Nations' introduced concepts like division of labor, productivity, and free marketsPublished in 1776, "The Wealth of Nations" is an influential economic work that laid the foundation for modern economic theory. Smith argued for limited government intervention and touted the benefits of self-regulating markets. Investopedia Addressing psychological barriers to building wealthAlmost half of adults in the US report owning no investable assets. For many, the barrier to entry is the belief that investing is too complex for them to get involved. Consulting with a financial psychologist, this article addresses the cognitive bias that causes so many people to miss out on financial opportunities, and offers tips on how to get past the anxieties and just begin. CNBC Fracking brought short-term wealth and long-term collapse to Rock Springs, WyomingIn the early 2000s, the fracking boom transformed the quiet mining town into a hub of oil field laborers with plentiful job opportunities. Once the boom faded and industry left, unaffordable housing, unsafe working conditions, and drug epidemics left many residents with no prospects amid a disappearing way of life. The New Republic Bezos' wealth primarily stems from his Amazon ownership stakeThree decades after founding Amazon, Jeff Bezos has built a sprawling empire of business and financial interests. A chart from Visual Capitalist details his many business interests outside of Amazon, including his ownership of the Washington Post; his private aerospace company, Blue Origin; and his personal stake in companies ranging from Airbnb to Uber and Google. Visual Capitalist American billionaires' wealth, visualized America's top 20 billionaires have a combined wealth of $2.7T as of 2024. That's more than Russia's annual GDP. But some billionaires, like Elon Musk, hold a greater share of that $2.7T number than others. To see just how much money each of these 20 billionaires have in comparison to the others in the group, check out this data visualization. Visual Capitalist 80% of Americans are bothered that some wealthy people don't pay their fair share of taxesThat's according to 2021 data from Pew Research Center. While most people are taxed on their income, many people in America's 1% make money off of their investments instead. Vox The countries with the highest wealth per person, rankedWhen looking at countries with the highest average wealth per person, the United States comes in at number three (with $564,862 per person). But the US doesn't even make the top 10 when looking at the median wealth per person rather than the average, which is perhaps a more accurate version of the data. Explore the numbers here. Visual Capitalist Wealthy patricians and poorer plebeians struggled for power for centuriesDuring the Roman Republic, the plebs sought political protection, more access to power, and freedom, while the patricians looked to protect their elite status and wealth. Plebeians regularly "seceded," or effectively went on strike and did not fight for the patricians. History Skills Wealthy Egyptians slept on woven beds to allow air circulation in hot climates The history of beds is a fascinating look at economics, social science, and cultural beliefs around what takes place during sleep. This brief survey of the history of bed-making begins roughly 5,000 years ago and runs through ancient Egypt and Rome to modern Europe. Take a look here. BBC News What it takes to be wealthy in AmericaThis infographic visualizes several net worth milestones to give you a better idea of where you stand today. Visual Capitalist Visualizing the world's wealth in 2019The world has a net worth of $360T. The U.S. economy continues to dominate given its sheer size, Asia and Europe are not that far behind. HowMuch.net 💵The wealthiest person in every US state in 2021Alongside Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who are the richest people in the U.S.? This map reveals the wealthiest billionaire in each U.S. state. Visual Capitalist 'Mutual ignorance breeds mutual distrust.'- Businessman Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) Carnegie Corporation of New York Carmel, California, is looking into banning pickleballPickleball is the fastest-rising sport in the US, but it's not without its controversies. Chief among them is noise, which Carmel, California, a wealthy enclave on the state's central coast, seeks to remedy with a ban on the sport. It would be the first in the state. SFGATE The origins of modern family offices date back to the 1500sWealth management for families with massive fortunes has evolved over the centuries, with the Rockefellers establishing the first single-family office in 1882. National Law Review More than half of family offices have succession plans in placeThe UBS annual report on family offices found that its clients are preparing for trade wars, generative AI, and generational wealth transfers. Wealthbriefing Play a game that reveals if investors with a crystal ball make better tradesThe "crystal ball" game reveals how well you would do trading stocks and bonds if you could see the front page of the Wall Street Journal one day in advance. Elm Wealth As of 2022, Canada has the most planned critical mineral minesWealthy nations are tapping into their domestic critical mineral reserves and buying up mines in poorer countries. The US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and China are taking the lead, with Chinese operations spanning all continents except Antarctica. Energy Monitor Critical mineral production may lift impoverished regions out of povertyMineral wealth can provide public revenue and economic livelihoods to those in mining regions. However, poor management and lack of oversight can cause human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and significant greenhouse gas emissions. International Energy Agency Half of the richest people in the US are finding ways around death taxesOne of the main purposes of the federal estate tax is to crack down on generational wealth, so wealth isn't concentrated among a select few. However, the ultra-rich have found ways around paying these taxes. This ProPublica article investigates the practices used by half of the 100 richest people in the US to avoid death taxes. ProPublica Starbucks operates more than 38,000 stores on six continentsThe brand started with a single Seattle cafe and grew into an international sensation, thanks to former CEO Howard Schulz’s bold move toward “reigniting the emotional attachment with customers” rather than focusing on expansion. Wealth Professor A study followed a cohort of Black graduates beginning in the 1995–96 school yearWhile access to higher education led to improved outcomes across minority groups in the US, a significant gap exists in the average amount of debt held and the time it takes to pay back loans. This study found median Black borrowers still owed 95% of the principal two decades later. Brandeis University

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