Bill Austin
Source of wealth: Hearing aids
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Bill Austin's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Bill Austin could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.9 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Bill Austin could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.4 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Bill Austin could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.6 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 Bill Austin could pay for it entirely for 0.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Bill Austin could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.5 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Bill Austin 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 0.1 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Bill Austin's fortune is equivalent to 14 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 $549.34.
Bill Austin could buy 3,804,235 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 1 trucks to transport them. Although Bill Austin will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Bill Austin owns Starkey Hearing Technologies, the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the U.S.
He bought a hearing aid parts shop, which was then called Starkey Labs, for $13,000 in 1970.
Austin fired several top executives of Starkey Hearing in 2015, a tumultuous time for the company.
That move unleashed a series of events that resulted in the former company president being found guilty of federal fraud charges in 2018.
Austin spends much of his time traveling to developing countries for his Starkey Hearing Foundation, distributing hearing aids.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison