Donald Friese
Source of wealth: Manufacturing
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Donald Friese's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Donald Friese could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Donald Friese could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Donald Friese could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.5 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 Donald Friese could pay for it entirely for 0.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Donald Friese could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Donald Friese 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
Donald Friese's fortune is equivalent to 12 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.
Donald Friese could buy 3,200,107 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 Donald Friese will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Donald Friese's fortune stems from C.R. Laurence, which manufactures or distributes more than 65,000 products for the glass industry.
In 2015 he sold C.R. Laurence to a big customer, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, a subsidiary of Irish conglomerate CRH, for $1.3 billion in cash.
Friese grew up a poor orphan in rural Pennsylvania, going to work on a dairy farm at age 12 before enlisting in the Army after high school.
After a three-year tour, he moved to California with just $125 and landed in the warehouse of C.R. Laurence, then a small distributor of supplies.
He climbed the ladder, amassing equity in the company until he owned 100%, and expanded by purchasing competitors and moving into manufacturing.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison