Bruce Karsh
Source of wealth: Private equity
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Bruce Karsh's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Bruce Karsh could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.2 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Bruce Karsh could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.5 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Bruce Karsh could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.8 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 Bruce Karsh could pay for it entirely for 1.0 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Bruce Karsh could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.3 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Bruce Karsh 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
Bruce Karsh's fortune is equivalent to 18 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.
Bruce Karsh could buy 4,717,872 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 Bruce Karsh will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Bruce Karsh runs Los Angeles-based private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management with longtime partner Howard Marks; they founded it in 1995.
In 2019, Brookfield Asset Management acquired 61% of Oaktree for $4.9 billion in cash and stock. It agreed to buy the rest for $3 billion in 2025.
Karsh still runs the company, which had gone public in 2012 and which continues to operate independently, as co-chairman and CIO.
A leading debt investor, Oaktree manages over $220 billion in assets, two thirds of which is invested in corporate or distressed debt.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison