Edward Lampert
Source of wealth: Sears
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Edward Lampert's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Edward Lampert could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.0 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Edward Lampert 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
Edward Lampert could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.7 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 Edward Lampert could pay for it entirely for 0.9 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Edward Lampert could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.8 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Edward Lampert 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
Edward Lampert's fortune is equivalent to 15 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.
Edward Lampert could buy 4,087,563 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 Edward Lampert will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
After a stint at Goldman Sachs' risk arbitrage department, Edward Lampert founded hedge fund ESL Investments in 1988, betting on undervalued stocks.
He took over as CEO of struggling retail giant Sears Holdings (Sears, Kmart, Kenmore) in 2013 with hopes of a turnaround, but failed miserably.
Lampert's ESL Investments promised Sears nearly $1 billion in loans in the first 10 months of 2017.
In October 2018, Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced that it would close 142 Sears and Kmart stores.
In January 2019 Lampert won an auction to keep the company, with a reported bid of more than $5 billion.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison