Saudi family 1.4 trillion. The richest families in the world
Who are the richest people on the planet?
It's no secret that the epicenter of the richest people in the world are United Arab Emirates However, the list of the wealthiest people in the world includes not only sheikhs. Indeed, in fact, the rich are the very “puppeteers” who often have a colossal influence on world politics and economy. Some of them became the heirs of a huge fortune, while others earned their own billions to enter the list of the most privileged rich.
It's no secret that this family is the owner of the title of the richest in the world. She has about $2 trillion in her account. The amount is approximate, since all the Rothschilds are very secretive, and do not like to get on the front pages of newspapers.
The founder of this dynasty was Mayer Amschmel Rothschild began studying financial "craft" at the age of 12 at the Oppenheimer bank, after which he worked in his father's antique shop. Having accumulated money, the young man opened his own bank. Thanks to his abilities, Rothschild was able to become successful in the financial sector and establish a dynasty of some of the richest people in the world for over 3 hundred years. His work was continued by his children and grandchildren, so as not to talk about the financial condition of the family and not to give out the secrets of their success, the Rothschilds began to marry within the family. It is worth noting that not a single case of divorce in this clan is known to the press.
From about 1700, this clan led Saudi Arabia. In 1962, the heirs of the famous family left politics and entered the oil business, as a result of which the Al Saud family owns a fortune of 1.4 trillion dollars, according to rough estimates. To date, the family is headed by Salman ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, he is also the king Saudi Arabia and prime minister rolled into one.
This family is the third richest in the world. They earned their capital of $152 billion through trading. The Waltons now own 111,000 supermarkets in 27 countries. The founder of the dynasty was Sam Walton, who opened the first large outlet at the age of 27, and for this he saved money from childhood. To date, the family business is run by three of his heirs.
The history of this family's wealth dates back to 1940, when the founder of Koch Industries began refining. Until today, he has been able to accumulate a capital of 89 billion dollars. Now it is the second largest company in the world in terms of the number of raw materials processed in the oil business. The business of Fred Koch was continued by his sons and expanded the range of their activities in trade, finance and the chemical industry.
Representatives of this family were included in the list of the richest clans in the world thanks to all the famous Mars candies. The overwhelming success among consumers brought them chocolate that does not melt in the hands, which entered the market in 1920. In addition to the well-known bar, the Mars company produces a number of other confectionery products, it was their sale that made the Mars family the richest in the world in 1980. To date, their fortune is equal to 80 billion dollars.
The Slim family, headed by Carlos Slim, ranks sixth in the world among the richest people on the planet. The assets of this clan are invested in a Mexican communications company, holding centers and an exchange. The Slims are involved in the arts, health care, and other non-profit foundations. This family owns a capital of about 77 billion dollars. By the way, Carlos Slim is considered the unspoken king of Mexico due to his days.
The Cargill-Macmillan clan owns $45 billion. They are engaged in business in the field of agricultural and food industries. The family owns 88% of Cargill. Recently, the company began to expand the range of its work and came to grips with financial and trading activities.
This dynasty owns one of the largest French cosmetics companies, L'Oreal. The successful business was founded by Engen Schüller in 1909. Since then, the corporation has developed and to date has brought the heirs of Schuller 42.7 billion dollars. Today the company is run by the founder's daughter and grandchildren.
Arno dynasty.
The Arno family owns several well-known fashion houses and a luxury goods business. Today, their fortune is estimated at 37.7 billion dollars. All this wealth was brought to Arno by LVMH, which was founded in 1987. In the luxury market, they have no equal, in other areas of activity they are rapidly developing, absorbing small companies.
This clan owns a network of print publications, television and radio companies throughout America. Their business was founded in 1989 and started with the Dayton Daily News. The founder of a prosperous business was James Middleton Cox. Today, the Koksov business is expanding its boundaries and has begun selling vehicles. Their assets are estimated at $34.5 billion.
Oil prices and the future of global energy are in the hands of the most powerful monarchy in the world. And even the changes that Saudi Arabia, the most striking example of a rentier state, will inevitably face in the near future will not change the situation.
ALEXANDER ZOTIN
A rentier is a person who lives on income from capital or property. There are also rentier states that have an abundance of a valuable resource that is rare in other countries. Its price depends more on external demand than on extraction costs. The economy and politics of such a country are special. The labor theory of value does not work here (the price of a commodity does not depend on the labor expended). The state does not depend on the labor and taxation of citizens. And the population lives on the redistribution of income (rent) received from exports. Instead of institutions of taxation and political representation in the state-rentier, a system of control and redistribution of rent is being formed.
The extraction of the resource does not require large labor costs, therefore it is controlled by a small group of people who combine power and commercial functions. In fact, these people are the state. However, the elite does not necessarily ignore the people: fearing rebellion, they provide them with the benefits left after satisfying their own needs (ensuring security and a hedonistic lifestyle). Human capital in a rentier state is excessive and does not determine the wealth of citizens. The latter are not interested in education and work, but in a good place in the group that controls the resource. In such a state, the government is a philanthropist, and the population is a matter of concern. And it lives until other countries replace a scarce resource with a less rare one. This has not yet happened with oil.
Saudi Arabia is one of the typical examples of a rentier state. In the structure of exports, oil occupies 91% ($320 billion in 2013, more than 75% of the budget revenue), about $10.8 thousand per capita per year (without migrant workers permanently living in the country - $16 thousand). It is not an ultra-rental state, like Qatar, with oil and gas revenues of $70,300 per capita per year (excluding labor migrants, $455,000), but it is also not a non-rental state like Russia, with oil and gas revenues of $2,400 per capita per year.
Path of the Bedouins
Al-Saud is the ruling family of Saudi Arabia, the group that controls the oil rent. Now, according to various estimates, it has 7-15 thousand people (the most influential - about 2 thousand). Calculating the total wealth of the family is almost impossible: many assets are difficult to assess, others are hidden. However, it is clear that they are huge; American The Borgen Project gives the figures of $1.4 trillion (about 60% of Russia's GDP per year). “A fairly adequate figure, given that the Aramco oil company is actually considered an asset of the family, and its valuation is about $700 billion, and this is far from the only asset,” agrees Andrey Korotaev, an employee of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
It all started modestly. In 1744, the ruler of the Arabian city of Ad-Diriya (now a suburb of the capital of Riyadh), Muhammad ibn Saud, and the Islamic preacher Muhammad Abdel-Wahhab united to create a state. The union marked the beginning of the Saudi dynasty, as well as the dynasty of Saudi clerics, descendants of Abdel-Wahhab. The first Saudi state existed for 73 years and was defeated by the Ottoman Empire in 1817. Seven years later, a second state was founded. It lasted 67 years and was destroyed by the rivals of the Saudis - the ar-Rashid dynasty.
The date of birth of the current Saudi Arabia is considered to be 1902. Then Prince Abdulaziz from the Saud family captured Riyadh, knocking out the Rashidites from there. Successes continued: by the beginning of 1930, he captured almost the entire Arabian Peninsula. By 1932, Abdelaziz united the disparate regions into a state and became the king of Saudi Arabia.
The poor kingdom in the barren desert would have remained on the periphery of the world if in 1938 the American California-Arabian Standard Oil (later renamed Arabian American Oil, or Aramco) had not discovered colossal oil fields. Second World War prevented their immediate development, but by the end of the 1940s, the first thin stream of petrodollars flowed into the country.
Wealth descended upon the tribal country. The rent rose steadily (from $10.4 million in 1946 to $56.7 million in 1950). In 1950, Abdelaziz threatened to nationalize oil production, and Aramco agreed to a 50-50 profit sharing (the process of gradual nationalization with the purchase of the American share was completed by 1980). The oil crisis of 1973 greatly increased the state's revenues. When all the Arab countries - members of OPEC stopped supplying oil to countries that supported Israel in the conflict with Syria and Egypt (the United States and its allies in Western Europe), the price for it has risen over the year from $3 to $12 per barrel. The revolution in Iran in 1979 and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war provoked a new rise in prices, above $30 per barrel (over $100 per barrel in 2014 dollars).
Distribute and Conquer
As a result of the oil abundance in the 1950s and 1970s, a bizarre system of clientelism (dominance of patron-client relationships, often based on kinship) developed in the country. The redistribution of petrodollars between rival branches of the al-Saud family, according to the American orientalist Stefan Herzog, caused "an uncontrolled Byzantine expansion of the bureaucracy based on patronage." Balancing power and money was expressed in the creation of ministries and departments in which Abdel-Aziz and his sons-kings (Saud, Faisal, Khaled, Fahd and Abdallah, there were 37 sons in total, thanks to polygamy) seated relatives and representatives of influential clans, and sometimes lucky commoners who also grew a network of clients. It was not always possible to balance: Saud fled to Geneva in 1964, and Faisal was killed by his nephew in 1975.
The bureaucracy in the monarchy went ahead of the needs of the subjects, especially during the reign of Abdulaziz and Saud. It was created to formalize the receipt of oil rent, and then to provide services to the population.
It is understandable. In the 1950s, the national income was still tiny by international standards. However, the needs were modest: the economy was not much different from a subsistence economy, the subjects were ruled through the mediation of tribal leaders. There was no public space for discussing issues such as the budget, taxes were practically the same (which is still the case), the budget itself grew by leaps and bounds due to external factors. There was no constitution in the country, no formal mechanisms for political participation, no foreign policy experience. There was also no working class, with the exception of the Aramco workers in the Eastern Province, whose demonstrations were suppressed in the 1950s and 1960s. Slavery was only abolished in 1962.
In a place where there was nothing but oil, the state apparatus predictably grew. “Saudi Arabia’s institutional idiosyncrasy would have been unthinkable without oil rents, which have allowed many redundant institutions to emerge. Petrodollars have in some cases allowed islands of very efficient bureaucracy to emerge, such as the Saudi Central Bank, where selected commoners and foreign consultants played a significant role, but in In other cases, they have bred inefficiency and neo-patrimonialism.The oil rent has given a huge boost to the free design of institutions, and not necessarily inefficient and corrupt ones," Herzog notes.
In addition to the distribution of bread positions in the state apparatus, the rent was also distributed through a system of lifetime scholarships to members of the al-Saud family and other associates. According to the diplomatic correspondence of the American embassy in Riyadh, published by WikiLeaks, in 1996 (the period of ultra-low oil prices), the senior members of the dynasty received a monthly stipend of $ 270 thousand. The most influential had other sources of income, including from oil production, about $ 7 billion a year, distributed among five or six princes. Numerous representatives of the younger branches of the dynasty and other families close to the al-Sauds got several thousand dollars a month. One of the scholarship holders secured his own security by presenting an old family gun with a stamp indicating that his ancestor fought on the side of the future king Abdulaziz. Interestingly, the scholarship system motivates the al-Saud family to reproduce: each new baby brings in income.
The distribution of rent pushed private business into the background (unless the latter was associated with the rentier state). Labor is generally valued low, losing the competition to the distribution of petrodollars. Private sector formed only 20-30% of GDP in the 1960s-1970s, its role grew slightly during the period of low oil prices in the 1980s-1990s, only to return to the current 20-30% of GDP again.
Jobs in the private sector are mostly low-paid, hard and not prestigious. It is carried out by labor migrants (builders and laborers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, service personnel and maids from the Philippines, foremen from Egypt, top managers from Europe - about 8 million people out of 29 million population). In the public sector, wages are higher, working conditions are better. The Saudis work there. The share of salaries of migrants and Saudis in the private sector (70% of all jobs) is only 7% of GDP (of which Saudis are responsible for 3% of GDP, migrants for 4%). This is despite the fact that the share of migrants among all employed in the private sector is 85% (about 60% of all employed in the economy), and Saudis - only 15% (about 10%).
In other words, if a Saudi is working in private company, then most often the boss. However, the vast majority of Saudis work in the public sector (30% of all jobs), in which the share of wages in GDP is twice as high as in the private sector - 14% of GDP. By the way, in other countries of the Persian Gulf, this phenomenon is even more pronounced: for example, in neighboring Qatar, 94% of all employed are labor migrants, 5% of all employed are Qataris in the civil service, another 1% of employed are Qataris who lead hordes of migrants in the private sector.
Civil servants in a rentier state either protect the Saud family, or pour out concern for fellow citizens. The state provides free education in the country and abroad, healthcare, provides interest-free mortgages and other benefits (a liter of gasoline, for example, costs $0.16). All this against the background of the virtual absence of taxes (exceptions are the Islamic zakat tax of 2.5% and social insurance of 9% from the employer and employee, the rest of the taxes apply to non-residents).
Intellectual ability in the rent-seeking state is not particularly important. Connections and proximity to rent are important. Saudi schoolchildren, despite huge investments in education, according to the results of international educational tests such as TIMSS and PISA, are far behind their peers in other countries in knowledge (Russia, by the way, looks relatively good). They probably don't have motivation. Knowledge of mathematics and other sciences does not competitive advantage. Yes, and you don’t need to keep yourself in shape: according to WHO, 35% of the adult population of Saudi Arabia is obese, 20% is diabetic. This is one of the most high performance in the world.
oil conservation
Big money can be not only a catalyst for innovation and technological progress, as in the West, but also a preservative of a traditional society.
Saudi Arabia is a prime example. The law of the country is constituted by the norms of Islamic law - Sharia, and in the most radical interpretation, dating back to the ideological ally of the founder of the al-Saud dynasty, Mohammed ibn Abdel-Wahhab. The official interpretation of Islam in Saudi Arabia, the Sunni Wahhabism of the Hanbali madhhab (the most orthodox school of Islamic law), is sometimes called the Protestantism of Islam. Simplicity and a return to the roots of religion. In a practical sense, it is an ultra-conservative puritanical Islamic ideology, rejection of the popular worship of relics and saints, a sharp opposition to all Western influences of the modern world.
However, not only Western. Some Saudi theologians perceive Shiite Muslims (the majority of the population of Iran) as heretics. There is also a Shia diaspora in Saudi Arabia (about 10% of the population): they live mainly in the oil-producing Eastern Province and already raised an uprising in 1978.
"The Shia issue in Saudi Arabia is part of the urgent reforms that the country is facing," notes Grigory Kosach, an employee of the Middle East Institute, in one of the monitoring. the composition of the Advisory Council and executive authorities However, these changes are partial, and their slowness cannot eliminate the problem of discrimination: the army, the police and the service state security remain closed to Shiites, the anti-Shia fatwas of Wahhabi theologians, as well as the limited religious freedom, are a reality.
Conservative ideology has many socio-economic manifestations. For example, strong opposition to women's work and women's participation in public life. In today's Saudi Arabia, modernization and openness is about debating whether women should be allowed to drive or work alongside men (women can't go to in public places unaccompanied by male relatives).
The work of women is regulated, for example, by such restrictions. "Instructions of the League for the Promotion of Virtue and Aversion from Sin (Saudi Religious Vice Police.— "Money") require the owners of shopping centers and shops to strictly separate the places of work of men and women (thus, the principle of non-mixing of sexes in public space, which is common for Saudi Arabia, is put into practice), which dictates the construction of special dividing shields. The height of these boards should be at least 160 cm, which will avoid visual contact between working women and men from other departments, as well as visitors to these departments (thus, as noted in the instructions of the league, the possibility of "exchanging views in which there is lust)", notes Kosach.
The ultra-orthodox regulation of life would hardly have been possible without the oil rent. In poor countries, statistics show World Bank, women are forced to work - without this, they simply cannot feed their families. Only wealthy states can afford to take women out of economic activity. However, as some observers note, limitations are important for public sphere, V privacy, outside the gates of your own home, much is permissible.
However, social and economic reforms are impossible without the approval of the clerics. “For Saudi Arabia, this is natural: any significant undertaking by the authorities requires their support,” notes Kosach. “Only then can this undertaking acquire the shade of legality it needs. Both intra-Saudi centers of power (the political establishment, on the one hand, and the theological corps, on the other) not only demonstrate unity, but first of all, within the framework of this unity, they solve their own tasks, which do not always coincide.
With some stretch, Saudi Arabia can be called a dynastic duumvirate: the ash-Sheikh family (descends from an ally of the founder of the dynasty, Abdel-Wahhab) has religious power, and al-Saud has political and economic power. The ulema, the theological elite of Saudi Arabia, are often more conservative than the al-Saud family. The latter is almost the “only European” there, in any case, she more than once had to fight with motley Islamic radical terrorists, from the group of Juhayman al-Utaibi (who considered television, banknotes and football to be terrible sins), which captured the Forbidden Mosque in 1979 in Mecca, to Al-Qaeda.
Reforms from the Gerontes
How this "only European" will react to the changing world around Saudi Arabia is a question. The custodian of the two shrines, King Abdullah, is very elderly (according to some sources, the seriously ill monarch can no longer do without an oxygen bag), and the question of a successor is becoming more and more urgent. There are no strict rules of succession to the throne. Under these conditions, many analysts name the eldest son of Abdullah, the "young" 62-year-old Prince Mutaib, who was recently appointed commander of the national guard, as the heir. By tradition, he must let his uncle, Crown Prince Salman and his deputy Mukrin, go ahead. However, the scheme may be violated, given the advanced age of the king's brothers.
Whoever the future monarch is, the course of slow reforms is likely to continue. Perhaps women will be allowed to drive. In addition, for example, Prince Muqrin sees promise in diversifying sources of income from oil, reducing domestic oil consumption and expanding opportunities for young people.
Stability in the middle of spring
The latter is important, because the kingdom is one of the fastest growing demographic countries. “Unlike other Arab countries, Saudi Arabia was able to competently absorb the excess of educated youth,” notes Korotaev. “Its flow is a consequence of the demographic boom of the 1980s, fueled by petrodollars. They were invested, including in perinatal medicine, which sharply reduced infant mortality. Subsequently, the authorities used many methods social adaptation youth, for example, began to employ young people as teachers in schools, so now there are 10-11 students per teacher in the classroom.
As long as it works: the monarchy has avoided turmoil similar to the "Arab Spring". In 2011, however, there were minor unrest, and the authorities decided to allocate an additional $130 billion to the needs of the population. Money is spent wisely. “Another policy is to subsidize the marriage of young people, help with the purchase of housing,” says Korotaev. “The authorities rightly believe that a settled family man, with a wife, children and a house, is less prone to rebellion than sexually and property-preoccupied youth.”
The American orientalist Michael Herb, in his book All in the Family: Absolutism, Revolution, and Democracy in the Middle Eastern Monarchies, points out another feature of the Saudi regime that makes it resistant to revolution. In this and some other states of the Persian Gulf, a system of dynastic monarchy developed. The stability of the regime is based on the fact that representatives of the ruling family occupy all key power and administrative posts, and the actual power of the monarch is limited by intra-family consensus.
Herb notes that in all successful cases of revolutions in the Muslim East, the monarch was isolated from the elites, that is, his relatives were not represented in the power bureaucracy. The last king of Libya, Idris, and the Persian Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, did not have family representatives in key positions. They gave preference to their own favorites, not related to the dynasty, and as a result, at critical moments, they lost the support of the elite (it seems that Gaddafi also finished). In a dynastic monarchy, the ruling family is huge due to polygamy, all power is permeated by it, and any upheaval in the country will most likely become a relatively peaceful family showdown.
For the global economy, this is an unconditional positive. "Arab spring" in Saudi Arabia would lead to a rise in oil prices and a global recession.
global player
Oil has long been not only the basis of domestic prosperity, but also an instrument of the foreign policy of the monarchy. The Bedouin primitivism of the 1950s had to be abandoned: the largest oil exporter to the world market cannot but be a global player. In tandem with a long-time ally, the United States, Saudi Arabia has learned over the decades of oil dominance to defend its own geopolitical interests.
After the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979, Saudi Arabia morally and financially supported the Islamists in this state. And perhaps she participated in the collapse of the USSR, knocking down oil prices. The latter in the late 1970s and early 1980s were very high due to the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. However, since 1982, OPEC began to artificially maintain high prices by reducing quotas at the expense of the main exporter, Saudi Arabia. The monarchy reduced production from 10.2 million barrels per day (mbd) in 1980 to 3.6 mbd in 1985 (now it is producing about 10 mbd again, including gas condensate - 11.5 mbd, exports - about 8.7 mbd ) and contributed to the maintenance of high oil prices, in which huge investments in new fields became profitable North Sea, Alaska and Mexico (analogous to today's shale revolution).
The effect was felt in the mid-1980s. After that, Saudi Arabia sharply increased production and brought down prices: in 1986, the price of oil fell from $27 to $10 (from $57 to $21 in current prices).
Conspiracy theorists claim that the monarchy deliberately collapsed prices in order to undermine the USSR, because the collapse coincided with the beginning of its economic agony (the USSR did not reduce production in the 1980s, it kept around the level of 12 mbd). Korotaev does not share this point of view. “The decline in Saudi production in the early 1980s was because the monarchy was the most honest player in OPEC,” he argues. “While all the small producers violated quotas, trying to sell as much oil as possible at high prices, actually compensated for the irresponsibility of other members of OPEC by reducing its own production.But by 1986, the monarchy was tired of this role, it was necessary to fulfill the budget obligations assumed in the fat years, and Saudi Arabia responded to the decline in prices with a sharp increase in production.Prices from this fell even lower, but production growth partly compensated for this effect. We could not keep the price, we tried to take it in volume - there was simply nowhere to go."
The kingdom nevertheless suffered greatly: GDP per capita fell from $18.7 thousand to about $7 thousand in the late 1980s. The 1990s were also gloomy: the decline in oil prices turned out to be long-term. I had to cut costs. "The situation was difficult, almost like ours," Korotaev notes. "The country was close to default on its foreign debt."
However, the fat 2000s compensated for these failures, by 2014 the IMF predicts GDP per capita at $25.2 thousand (in Russia - $15 thousand) - the level of a poor Western European country or, for example, South Korea.
Oil Poker
Can Saudi Arabia play with prices now? The monarchy has idle production capacity of 3.5 mbd (80% of all OPEC idle capacity). There is a physical opportunity for production growth. There is motivation too. For example, dissatisfaction with Russia's position on the issue of Syria. Another is the possible influence of the United States in order to increase pressure on Russia with a low oil price (Russian production is now at the level of 10 mbd, including gas condensate - 10.5 mbd, exports - about 7.2 mbd).
Finally, as the former head of the Italian oil giant Eni, Leonardo Maugeri, argues in the report "Oil: The Next Revolution", the world in the coming decades will not have a shortage, but an abundance of oil due to the shale revolution (by 2020 world production oil could rise by 20% from the current level, from 91 to 110 mbd). To stop it, according to Maujeri, could be a long collapse in prices. Production of most unconventional oil reserves is profitable at $50-65 per barrel, so a long-term decline in prices to less than $50 (and for some low-margin projects even up to $80) could stop the development of new fields. In addition, progress in energy saving (for example, in the development of electric vehicles) would stop. In the long run, this would play into the hands of Saudi Arabia, and the country would survive a drop in the price of oil to $50, despite a possible budget deficit (the budget for 2014 is balanced, according to Platts, at a price of $81 per barrel of Brent oil). Huge reserves of the central bank of the monarchy - $ 738 billion would help.
However, there are arguments against: having unwittingly participated in the collapse in oil prices in the mid-1980s, the monarchy could not return them to their previous level for almost 20 years. "Riyadh was very frightened by the decline in prices in the 1980s and will not take any drastic steps," Korotayev said. What will prevail in this poker is unknown. However, the August OPEC report shows production growth in July 2014 mainly due to the increase in production in Saudi Arabia (10 mbd vs. 9.8 mbd in June).
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October 3, 2016 13:54
By Fabiosa
Statistics say that 1 percent the richest people planet has a fortune that exceeds the value of the property of all the rest of the inhabitants of the world combined! It's hard to believe until you take a look at the ten richest families in the world. Together, these 10 families have $2 trillion in assets!
#10. Pritzkers, $29 billion
Back in 2013, Jennifer Pritzker was 62-year-old James, a lieutenant colonel in the US National Guard. Thus, the first transgender has now appeared on the list of billionaires. Although the family currently has only one asset - the Hyatt hotel - it seems that this is more than enough for them.
#9. Royal Family of Thailand, $30 billion
The 89-year-old head of the country was once educated at the American Cambridge. He is a very original and creative person. Among his many hobbies and hobbies are music, yacht racing. In addition, Rama is a talented artist whose paintings are in demand all over the world. He writes music, and designs his yachts with his own hands. The monarch invests his huge fortune in the development of the country, introducing new technologies in agriculture.
#8. Cox, $32 billion
This family has mainly various media assets: the press, radio stations, cable television. In addition, they have a car dealer network. James Kennedy, nephew of the famous american president, the head of the dynasty only formally. Today, all matters are managed by his daughter Ann Cox Chamber.
#7. Hurst, $35 billion
In his time, William Randolph Hearst, the founder of this dynasty, was a real celebrity. He was the main character of all newspaper headlines. He worked with Mark Twain and Jack London, was friends with Hitler, and generally liked to be very provocative. He built an obscenely luxurious mansion. Rumor has it that he kept Monet's paintings in the linen closet, as there was no place for them on the walls of the house. His patrician granddaughter also became a celebrity after becoming involved in a series of bank robberies with her kidnappers. After serving five years in prison, the woman was released and lives a quiet family life.
#6. Johnsons, $39 billion
This family owns the Ziploc handbag brand, but they started their business a century and a half ago making hardwood floors and caring for them. Now the family's income mainly comes from household chemicals Windex, Drano and Raid.
#5. Cargill and McMilligan, $43 billion
This family is engaged agriculture, produces raw materials and foodstuffs. They live on a ranch in Montana, rarely go out, and generally lead a quiet life as a farmer.
#4. Mars, $60 billion
Yes, that's exactly what you were thinking. This clan is the producers of sweet chocolate bars: Marsa, Milky Way and Snickers. Another sweet acquisition of the family is M&M's. Mars also owns Pedigree and Whiskas dog and cat food. An interesting combination.
The richest dynasty in the world, you guessed it, owns the oil of the entire Middle East. But, it would seem, Prince al-Walid ibn Talal ibn Abdel Aziz, spoiled by luxury, does not forget about charity. In 2015, he decided to get rid of his $ 32 billion fortune, and transferred all this money to charitable foundations.
The richest clans in the world together own two trillion dollars. Elle brings to your attention the ten most influential business families.Pritzkers, $29 billion
The Pritzker family closes more than an honorary list with 29 billion dollars. Now the clan has only one asset - the Hyatt hotel chain, but it seems that this is enough for them.
The Royal Family Thailand, $30 billion
King Rama IX of Thailand (real name Bhumibol Adulyadej) rules not only the country, but also his own clan. The family's fortune is $30 billion. The Lord of Lives and the Possessor of twenty-four Golden Umbrellas, sitting on the throne of the Golden Lotus of the country of the White Elephants - this is the full title of Rama - a great original and creative person: composes symphonies, which are performed by the Royal Orchestra in the best halls of the country and abroad, writes jazz pieces, plays the saxophone excellently. Rama is a gifted artist whose paintings sell well all over the world, and a lover of yacht racing, and designs his yachts with his own hands. Among other things, Rama actively spends his fortune on the development of agriculture in Thailand and on investments in the development of new technologies.
Cox, $32 billion
It all started at the end of the 19th century with the purchase of the Dayton Evening News by one of the fathers of the family. Over the course of a century or more, the Coxes have acquired a car dealership network, cable TV, and - it seems to be an inherited passion - a media asset that includes the press and radio stations. Formally, the elder of the dynasty is James Kennedy: as can be seen by his last name, he is a relative of another significant clan, and more specifically, the nephew of President John F. Kennedy. James has already worked his way out and now his daughter Ann Cox Chambers leads the empire.
Hurst, $35 billion
One of the brightest and richest not only in dollars, but also in talents and adventures of dynasties began with William Randolph Hearst. He was a real celebrity of his time, the father of the tabloid genre; it was from him, the media mogul and the richest man of his time, that Orson Welles “copied” the image of the main character in Citizen Kane. Mark Twain and Jack London worked in his newspapers, he was friends with Hitler and hated Stalin, broke all kinds of rules and built an incredible castle, one of the most amazing in its luxury in the States. Hirst kept Monet's canvases in the linen closet, because there was nowhere to hang them. His son became a serious journalist, granddaughter, Patricia, is it-girl No. 1.
Johnsons, $39 billion
A century and a half ago, the Johnsons took up the manufacture of parquet, and then - a means for caring for it. Cleaning liquids and powders eventually became the Johnson family business and have been feeding them all these years. However, the clan is not alien to the beautiful: it is for this reason that Ziploc, a brand of bags, is in the line of their assets. The Johnsons are one of richest families 2016.
Cargill and Macmillan, $43 billion
Everything here is harsh and clear. The Cargills are engaged in agriculture - food, raw materials and everything else. The MacMillans are a branch of the Cargills that began with the son-in-law of the head of the dynasty, William Cargill. The husband of his daughter, John Macmillan, proved himself so cool that the patriarch deigned to add his surname to his in the family business. The clan is still true to itself - its representatives live on a ranch in Montana, do not go out into the world, do not welcome rumors about themselves and do not shine in the gossip column.
Mars, $60 billion
This name is definitely on everyone's lips. The transformation of a modest confectionery business into a delicious empire in every sense began in the late 20s of the 20th century, after Mars received a patent for a nougat recipe. It was she who formed the basis of those same bars, whether it was Milky Way or Snickers, or, of course, Mars. Another super hit of the family business is M&M`s. Mars also has Pedigree and Whiskas dog and cat food.
Koch, $80 billion
The Koch brothers, Charles and David, are the main brawlers and opponents of the current government and government in general. Their money is everywhere, from the production of pipes and the oil industry to toilet paper and shares in the same Mars. The media cast a shadow on the wattle fence about the secret organization run by the brothers. While enemies of the Democrats, the Kochs support LGBT people and advocate for a peaceful foreign policy. How it all fits together is a mystery.
The Waltons, $152 billion
Unlike our top ten neighbors, the Waltons entered the business relatively recently - just over half a century ago. However, the idea to turn stores into a chain where you can buy everything from twine to TVs turned out to be simply golden. The Waltons are the owners of Wal-Mart, the world's number one retailer.
Saud family, $1.4 trillion
Here it is, the richest dynasty in the world. Everything is clear here. Middle East, oil industry, money, money, money again. But. Bathing in luxury, family members do not forget about real life. Last year, one of the Sauds, Prince al-Walid ibn Talal ibn Abdul Aziz, made the decision to get rid of his personal fortune. The prince has $32 billion on his account. The monarch donated all these incredible funds to charity.
Today, the names of billionaires such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim are heard. But the success of one person is nothing compared to what a whole family can achieve.
Rothschild family
How they got rich: Banking (for the most part).
Family status: not assessable. According to rumors, from 350 billion to 34 trillion dollars (the last figure is closer to the truth).
Heine once said: "Money is the god of our time, and Rothschild is its prophet." Today, the names of the Rothschilds are rarely found in the list of the richest people in the world according to Forbes. The wealth of the clan is evenly distributed among its many members, so that the wealth of one family member is not something outstanding (compared to, say, the wealth of Gates). However, the strength of the Rothschild family lies in its unity, and here it has no equal, including in terms of capital. 
The clan originates from the end of the 18th century. It all started with Mayer Amschel, who founded a bank in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His business quickly went uphill, Mayer's business was continued by his five sons, who managed to significantly increase their capital. The dynasty quickly gained strength and power. It soon spread throughout the world. It is known about the branches of the Rothschild family in Austria, Italy, Britain, France, etc. The clan has influenced the fate of entire states for two centuries, using its wealth and connections to manipulate.
The family was able to rise thanks to the unswerving adherence to the rules set by its founding father. Firstly, in the financial world of the Rothschilds, all key positions are occupied only by family members. Secondly, disputes and conflicts within the clan remain there. The Rothschilds do not take dirty linen out of the hut. Thirdly, the property accumulated by the family is preserved within the family, so marriages between Mayer's cousins are not uncommon.
Today there are many conspiracy theories associated with the Rothschilds. Someone says that the clan no less secretly rules the world. Rumors are fueled in no small measure by the relatively secretive lifestyle of Mayer's heirs, who do their business discreetly, adhering to the principle "money loves silence."
Rockefeller family
How did they get rich: trade, oil business.
Status: not estimable, according to official figures - about 10 billion dollars.
All the same conspiracy theories put the Rockefellers on the same scale with the Rothschilds. The "modest" figure of $10 billion, at which the family's fortune is estimated, hardly reflects the true size of the capital.
The history of the family began with John Davison Rockefeller. He was born in 1839 in the family of a small merchant. John was modest and thrifty. The guy from childhood got used to work. He raised domestic animals, which he then sold, tried himself in the accounting field, but achieved real success in commerce. Rockefeller made his fortune in oil. At one time, he invested in a promising resource, which soon brought him unprecedented income. At the end of the 19th century, Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company controlled 90 percent of the US oil industry. John became the first dollar billionaire in human history. At the time of his death in 1937, his fortune was about 200 billion dollars (in modern money, adjusted for inflation).
Rockefeller's heirs continued the work of their ancestor. Among them were not only well-known businessmen, but also politicians. Nelson Rockefeller was Vice President of the United States in the 7080s of the 20th century.
The success of the Rockefeller family is in the ability not only to make money, but also to save it. The clan practices regular family meetings. John attached great importance to the opinion of his wife.
Saud family
How did they get rich: selling oil.
Family fortune: about 1.4 trillion dollars.
The Saudis are the ruling royal dynasty in Saudi Arabia. The history of the family dates back to the 18th century. It played a huge role in the fate of the Arabian Peninsula. The great fortune of the current Saudis cannot be regarded as the greatest achievement of the clan, which was realized primarily in the political arena.
Since 1720, the Saudis have been a dynasty of emirs (princes). Emir Muhammad ibn Saud in the 18th century supported the theologian Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and adopted his religious teachings, which today is known as Wahhabism. Throughout the centuries of bloody wars, the Saudi family has managed to expand its possessions and strengthen its influence in the region. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932. At the end of the 30s of the 20th century, gigantic oil reserves were found in the country, which today is the basis of the state's well-being.
The Saudi clan is one of the largest in the world. The exact number of its members can hardly be counted. The men of the clan had no shortage of love affairs, they usually had many children. For example, the founder and first king of Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz ibn Abdurrahman Al Saud had more than ten wives, he left behind 45 legitimate sons. The 25th son, Salman, rules the country today.
Walton family
How they got rich: retail, namely: the WalMart hypermarket chain.
Family Net Worth: Approximately $130 billion
The Waltons traditionally top the list of the richest family clans in the United States according to Forbes. The brightest pages of family history were written by the American Sam Walton (1918-1992). He was born into a family of farmers. The future billionaire was not a good boy, his "university" was the street.
As a child, Walton helped his parents a lot with the housework, while looking for opportunities to earn money. Sam raised pigeons for sale, distributed the latest press. In 1942, he was drafted into the army, after which Walton went into the retail business. He started from scratch and soon reached unprecedented heights. The secret of Walton's success is a personal approach to the client. He worked with every customer who came to him, and ensured that people wanted to return to his store. One of the first businessmen used a low price strategy - he refused intermediaries and purchased goods directly from the manufacturer. The father's business is now continued by Walton's four children.
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