Net Worth: $28 million Source: George Riley Mercer This Real Housewife is more than just a reality star – she’s famous for being the heiress daughter of George Mercer, a ridiculously wealthy real estate developer and investor. Her mother, Dale was an interior designer, who also had a lot of success! A further income stream for the Mercer family was from her grandfather, George, who founded the Mercer Rug Company back in 1936. The socialite and TV personality was born in Richmond Virginia, and was schooled at Lawrenceville School, before earning a BA in art history from the very prestigious Columbia University. She later followed in her mother’s footsteps and obtained a Master’s in decorative arts from the Cooper Hewitt design museum.
Tinsley’s done a few things over the course of her career, working at Vogue in the early days, and then working at Samantha Thavasa. She has her own clothing line, “Riccime” by Tinsley Mortimer which was exclusively sold in Japan! But that’s not all for Mortimer – did you know she was an ambassador for Christian Dior, which led to the development of a lip gloss named especially for her? It’s called “Tinsley Pink” if you were wondering! Fast forward and Mortimer was featured in Vogue, WWD, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire, before making a cameo appearance on the hit show Gossip Girl! Naturally she was well, a natural on camera, which led to her own TV show High Society – however when the show was canned, so was Mortimer, as her reputation was teetering on the brink of decline! But The Real Housewives of New York City came to the rescue, and scooped up the hot mess from the previous years. Check out the catty drama if you’re ever bored and want to feel good about yourself. Hehe.
Patty Hearst
Net Worth: $28 billion Source: William Randolph Hearst We’ve already spoken about her daughter, Lydia, but now it’s time for us to introduce Patty Hearst, grand-daughter of the publishing and media magnate, William Randolph Hearst. Just as an FYI if you ever get the chance to visit the Hearst Estate on the way to San Francisco, we highly recommend it! It’s pretty amazing. How the other half lives, amirite? Anyways, back to Patty Hearst.
Born in San Fran and an alumnus of the University of California, Hearst went on to become an author and an actress. Her written work is definitely worth the time – Every Secret Thing in particular. The book was written following her ordeal with the Symbionese Liberation Army on the 4th of February 1974. The memoir was a best-seller on The New York Times List and is a captivating read. She’s also featured on numerous TV shows and films, though many times this was of course, as herself in shows about her family’s extensive lineage and wealth. She’s got a stake in a $28 billion empire, so, yeah. We’re just going to keep working at our $25/hr job over here…
Victoria Mars
Net Worth: $6.6 billion Source: Mars, Inc. So, if you’ve ever bought a candy bar in the world somewhere, there’s a high chance it was made by Mars. The family’s net worth is estimated at a staggering $78 billion. Did you know it had roughly 100,000 employees as of 2017? Yeah, huge. Victoria Mars is part of the fourth-generation of the legendary candy makers (and happiness givers)! She’s a smart cookie too, attending Yale, before then gaining her MBA from The Wharton School. She has an 8% stake in Mars, Inc., and was at on time the chair of the board of directors of the company.
The company, which has attracted investors of the likes of Warren Buffett, rakes in billions per year – just in 2017 the company reported bringing in $35 billion in revenue. Humans sure love candy. Throwing it back to her first job, Victoria was a brand manager for Milky Way in France. A far cry from where she is now, but that would’ve been a nice place to get some work experience! But Mars, despite her ties to the family, worked her way up, and learnt the company inside and out. But she’s not all business – she launched an organisation called Livelihood Funds, which helps promote sustainable resources in Africa for agribusiness. Nice to see the wealthy giving back!
Teresa Heinz Kerry
Net Worth: $750 million Source: Heinz Ketchup Now Teresa Heinz Kerry has quite the story. Born in the colony of Portuguese Mozambique, her father was a Portuguese oncologist and her mother a Portuguese and British national. After earning a BA in Romance Languages and Literature from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, she completed further studies in Geneva before moving to the U.S. to be an interpreter at the United Nations. In 1966, just three years after leaving Switzerland, Teresa married future U.S. Senator John Heinz, an heir to the H.J. Heinz Company. With Heinz, Teresa had three boys, however a sad turn of events was going to tear the family apart. In 1991, Senator Heinz died in a plane crash. However Teresa Heinz had met someone just a year earlier whom she would begin dating in 1993. Sure, some would say it was too soon, but hey, you can’t turn love away.. right?
Anywho, the lucky man was none other than Senator John Kerry, and the pair were married a short while later, tying the knot in 1995. Heinz Kerry, upon her ex-husband’s death, was set to inherit a fortune, just shy of $800 MILLION. The accomplished polyglot (she speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Italian) is also a humanitarian, and chairs Heinz’s charities, as wall as founding her own charity, Second Nature, which helps bring sustainability and environmental consciousness to college campuses. She also founded the awards program The Heinz Awards, which celebrates contributions to the environment and ecology. It seems that Heinz Kerry has had quite the wild ride, and now spends her time with her husband John and their grandchildren.
Clare Bronfman
Net Worth: $500 million Source: Seagram’s The heiress to the Seagram Liquor fortune, next up is former equestrian Clare Bronfman. The now 40-year-old Bronfman is the youngest daughter of billionaire philanthropist Edgar Bronfman Sr. But whilst things seem pretty a-okay, she has had her time in hot water too – she is notable for her involvement in NXIVM, a controversial “personal development” company which has been described as (for lack of a better word) a cult!
The New York-born Bronfman began her equestrian career at 17 and discovered a great talent: three years later she was qualifying and competing at the highest level! After winning a number of domestic and international competitions (as well as some prize money!). Despite her successes, including winning the equestrian Grand Prix twice, there was something else which caught her eye, and led her down a more uh… questionable path. Bronfman and her sister Sara came under scrutiny for their participation in the NXIVM Group, which purportedly helped people to achieve “personal success.” The mysterious group has been the object of a federal investigation, with Bronfman recently pleading guilty to charges of illicit activity. Wouldn’t you think – gee, if I had all that money why would I go into a multi-level marketing scam? Like come on, seriously!