Charles B. Johnson
Source of wealth: Franklin Templeton
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Charles B. Johnson's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Charles B. Johnson could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Charles B. Johnson could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.2 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Charles B. Johnson could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.8 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 Charles B. Johnson could pay for it entirely for 2.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Charles B. Johnson could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 10.4 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Charles B. Johnson 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 0.2 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Charles B. Johnson's fortune is equivalent to 42 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.
Charles B. Johnson could buy 11,256,408 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 2 trucks to transport them. Although Charles B. Johnson will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Charles Johnson is the second largest shareholder in Franklin Resources, a global investment management firm also known as Franklin Templeton Investments.
Johnson became CEO at age 24 in 1957, a decade after his father, Rupert Johnson Sr., founded the company.
Johnson spent 56 years at the company before handing over the chairman's post to his son, Gregory, in 2013.
His daughter Jennifer, a champion of the company's data science capabilities and fintech initiatives, became CEO in 2020.
Under his leadership, the firm's assets under management rose from $2.5 million in 1957 to more than $800 billion when he retired.
In 2012, Johnson and his wife donated their historic, 67,000-square-foot Carolands Chateau in Hillsborough, California to the Carolands Foundation.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison