Susan Alice Buffett
Net Worth: $3 billion Source: Warren Buffett Warren Buffett has to be the biggest name in investment – and the fact he’s worth over $80 billion US really speaks about him and his career. A business magnate, investor, speaker and philanthropist, the now 88-year-old still serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He’s considered one of the most successful investors in the world and is the third-wealthiest on the planet! He famously founded The Giving Pledge with Bill Gates, whereby billionaires pledge to give away at least half of their fortunes! Now that’s a worthy cause! His daughter, Susan Alice Buffett clearly got a tip off from her dad, and sure, he was looking out for her, by giving her shares – as such, she’s making her wealth through her ownership of shares in the famous investing firm.
A philanthropist herself, she operates the Sherwood Foundation, which provides grants that help children from lower-income households. The grants go to education, social justice and human services, with a focus on improving the wellbeing and standards of living of all. A board member of Girls, Inc. and the Buffett Foundation, as well as the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, she has a finger on the pulse of the youth and the disadvantaged. Some of this is exampled through her assistance in combating the AIDS crisis internationally and particularly improving the standards of living for the disadvantaged in Africa. You go, girl!
Alexander Soros
Net Worth: $20 billion Source: George Soros (Father) The son of billionaire philanthropist and business George Soros, next up is Alexander Soros. His father George, born in Hungary, he emigrated to the United Kingdom and attended the London School of Economics. He began his first hedge fund, Double Eagle, in 1969, which gave him the seed money to start Soros Fund Management. Double Eagle, which became Quantum Fund, was estimated to hold assets worth over $25 billion US. Amazing. With a father who’s known as “The Man Who Broke the Bank of England” (because his short sale turned him a profit of $1 billion during the infamous 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis), Alexander sure has a lot to live up to… or not.
The NYU and Berkeley alumnus earned a Ph.D. in history, and then he was sat on the board of the Open Society Foundation, his father’s philanthropic agency. Did you know that as of Feb 2018, George Soros was worth $8 billion, having donated over $32 billion to this agency? Aside from being deputy chair, the playboy son of Soros is actually a successful writer, having bene published in Politico, The Guardian, The Forward and many othrs. Like his father, Soros has the giving gene, contributing to the Jewish Funds for Justice, which is an American charity helping Jewish causes. He also is on the board of Global Witness, which campaigns against human rights abuses by multinational companies in poor countries. His work with environmental activists has seen a few trips to the Amazon rainforest, but it seems in general, Soros is giving back to the world, what the world gave his family!
Cindy McCain
Net Worth: $200 million Source: Hensley & Co. The Phoenix, Arizona-born Cindy McCain is famous for more than having been married to the U.S Senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. A businesswoman, philanthropist and humanitarian in her own right, she is in fact the daughter of wealthy beer distributor Jim Hensley! So yep, she’s a direct heiress to the Hensley & Co. fortune. She studied at the University of Southern California, and soon after married John McCain. After they moved to Arizona, John McCain was elected to the U.S Congress – and re-elected five more times!
Following her father’s death in 2000, she inherited the controlling stake, becoming the chair of Hensley & Co. With her inheritance behind her, McCain is an active philanthropist and serves on the boards of Operation Smile, Eastern Congo Initiative, CARE and HALO Trust. More recently, McCain was vocal in the fight against human trafficking. Despite negative scrutiny during her husband’s presidential campaigns, McCain kept it cool, calm and classy. Tough when the public eye falls on you and all that you do. Since her husband’s passing last year, she focuses on philanthropy and spending time with her children.
Whitney Kroenke Burditt
Net Worth: $2.6 billion Source: Sam Walton (Walmart) When you’re the granddaughter of a man who was, at one point, the richest man in America, there’s bound to be a heck of a lot of inheritance down the line for you! Such us the case for Whitney Kroenke Burditt, whose grandfather was a Walmart retail tycoon, James Walton.
As an heiress of the Walmart fortune, the Los Angeles-born Kroenke Burditt surely knew she wouldn’t have a problem when it came to dollars in the bank account! The daughter of Ann Walton and Stan Kroenke, Whitney went into film production, and now resides in Hollywood. She works, acts, dances and choreographer for several play productions, including “I Sing” and “Romeo and Juliet,” which was produced in London. As far as her other pursuits go, Whitney is a generous soul, founding the Playing for Change charity, which helps build schools for music and the arts across the world, particularly in low-income and poverty-stricken locations. We’re all for it!
Anne Hearst
Net Worth: $28 billion Source: William Randolph Hearst Socialite and philanthropist Anne Hearst is a direct heiress to the Hearst fortune. Her grandfather, William Hearst, was the founder of the media conglomerate Hearst Corporation. In the late 19th century, Hearst was known for publishing the largest chain of American newspapers, as well as for the sensational brand of “yellow journalism” (using shocking headlines to catch people’s attention rather than using hard facts!).
As the daughter of William’s son, Hearst was in line to inherit the fortune which Hearst Corporation has grown over the years. These days, the corporation owns not only newspapers and magazines but television stations and channels and 50% of the A&E Networks cable network group and 20% of ESPN, which are in partnership with The Walt Disney Company. So yeah, a lot. You might remember from earlier we spoke of a Hearst who was kidnapped and taken into a “cult” – so Anne is her sister! That darn Symbionese Liberation Army eh? Anne, unlike her sister, however, went down a somewhat straighter path, and is currently the director of The Princess Grace Foundation. She is on the board for Hearst Castle Preservation, which helps preserve historical landmarks, and she helped found the Rita Hayworth Gala’s steering committee to plan for the event. Hearst’s private life has been somewhat more colorful, marrying three times. Her most recent husband, Jay McInerney, is a novelist and screenwriter, and he’s been married a fair few times as well – four times to be exact!