The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Arthur Blank's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Arthur Blank could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 4.5 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Arthur Blank could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 2.0 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Arthur Blank could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.9 years.
And yes, we can also compare it with a rich country
But they couldn't just cover the cost of a poor country; Luxembourg is considered the country with the highest per capita investment in education in the world, and Arthur Blank could pay for it entirely for 4.0 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Arthur Blank could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 16.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Arthur Blank with Israel, the country that invests the most per capita in research in the world, they could cover the total cost of the system for 0.4 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Arthur Blank's fortune is equivalent to 69 tons of gold. It's hard to process, since we don't usually keep a handful of gold bars in our piggy banks.
A standard gold ring usually weighs between 4 and 7 grams. Let's say this one weighs 5 grams. It's usually 18 karats.
Based on today's gold price (excluding the jeweler's commission, shipping, or anything else), that ring would be worth $546.86.
Arthur Blank could buy 18,323,599 gold rings. That's a lot of fingers and way too many gifts!!
And if you're struggling to visualize that many rings, it would take 3 trucks to transport them. Although Arthur Blank will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus cofounded Home Depot in 1978 after being fired from their jobs at a regional hardware store.
Blank retired as Home Depot's co-chairman in 2001 and bought the NFL's Atlanta Falcons for $545 million in 2002 (his stake's now worth $2.5 billion).
He brought pro soccer to Atlanta with his Major League Soccer team Atlanta United FC, which started playing in March 2017.
In August 2017, both of Blanks' teams moved into their new $1.5 billion home, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which hosted the 2019 Super Bowl.
In 2012, he signed the Giving Pledge and committed to give more than half of his wealth away.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison