(photo: Christy Walton, of Walmart, US)
Forbes just announced the World’s 20 Richest women holding a combined $232 billion. While the majority of their wealth was inherited just one women in the top 20 has a self-made fortune. It’s good to know that many of these women are putting their money to good use in philanthropy.
1. Christy Walton, 56, & family: $26.5 billion
Company: Walmart, U.S the widow of John Walton inherited her wealth after he died in an airplane accident in 2005. Repeating her 2010 title as the world’s richest woman, she got an extra bump in her fortune because of her late husbands early investment in First Solar; shares up nearly 500% since 2006 initial public offering. But the bulk still comes from her holdings in Wal-Mart, the retailer founded by her father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James in 1962. The philanthropist supports museums, education and organic gardening.
2. Liliane Bettencourt, 88: $23.5 billion
Company: L’Oreal France: France’s richest woman is her to French cosmetics giant, L’Oreal, founded by her late father. She became the focus of sensational family scandal; in December mother and only daughter and heir, Francoise Beterncourt Meyer, reconciled and dropped all court cases against each other. Daughter had petitioned courts in 2008 to investigate reported $1 billion worth of cash and gifts her mother allegedly gave to Fracois-Marie Banier, 62 a well-known photographer, writer and painter whom she befriended. Daughter claimed, and Betterncourt hotly denied, that Banier took advantage of her mother, who became a widow in 2007.
3. Alice Walton, 61: $21.2 billion
Company: Walmart, U.S. The Wal-mart heiress’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art set to open in Bentonville, Ark., this November. While Wal-Mart’s shares are up just 5% over the past year, she collected roughly $420 million in dividends in 2010 and will rake in even more next year after the retailer raised its annual payouts by 20% starting this March. Her father, Sam Walton (d.1922), a former clerk, founded original Bentonville store with brother James in 1962. Today Wal-Mart has sales of $405 billion, employs more than 2.1 million people.
To read the entire article visit: www.forbes.com
