David Steward
Source of wealth: IT provider
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare David Steward's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
David Steward could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 5.6 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, David Steward could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 2.5 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
David Steward could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.7 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 David Steward could pay for it entirely for 5.0 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
David Steward could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 20.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of David Steward 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 0.5 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
David Steward's fortune is equivalent to 85 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.
David Steward could buy 22,697,346 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 4 trucks to transport them. Although David Steward will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
David Steward is the founder and chairman of IT provider World Wide Technology.
Steward grew up in the segregated South with seven siblings; his father worked as a mechanic, janitor and trash collector.
After graduating from Central Missouri University, he worked in sales for the Missouri Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific and FedEx before cofounding World Wide Technology in 1990.
In the early days, Steward sometimes went without a paycheck and once watched his car get repossessed from the office parking lot.
Today, he is the majority owner of the $20 billion (sales) company, whose customers include Citi, Verizon and the federal government.
Steward donated $1.3 million to the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2018 to create the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison