George Roberts
Source of wealth: Private equity
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare George Roberts's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
George Roberts could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 6.0 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, George Roberts could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 2.6 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
George Roberts could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.9 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 George Roberts could pay for it entirely for 5.3 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
George Roberts could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 22.3 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of George Roberts 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
George Roberts's fortune is equivalent to 91 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.
George Roberts could buy 24,206,118 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 George Roberts will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
George Roberts cofounded KKR with his cousin, Henry Kravis, and Jerome Kohlberg (d. 2015) in 1976.
Kravis and Roberts gave up their co-CEO titles in 2021; both now serve as executive co-chairs. Kohlberg left the firm in 1987.
The duo took KKR public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010 and converted it into a corporation in 2018.
The firm is known for the 1988 buyout of RJR Nabisco, chronicled in the book "Barbarians At The Gate."
KKR has some more than 250 portfolio companies and more than $650 billion in assets under management, making it one of the five largest private equity firms in the world
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison