Howard Marks
Source of wealth: Private equity
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Howard Marks's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Howard Marks 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, Howard Marks 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
Howard Marks 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 Howard Marks 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
Howard Marks could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.7 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Howard Marks 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
Howard Marks'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.
Howard Marks could buy 4,055,459 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 Howard Marks will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Howard Marks is the cofounder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based distressed debt investor with over $220 billion in assets.
Marks began his career at Citibank, where he started a portfolio of high-yield bonds after meeting with junk bond king Michael Milken.
He became an asset manager at TCW, where he met Oaktree cofounder Bruce Karsh. The duo left with four colleagues in 1995 to found their own shop.
In September 2019, Brookfield Asset Management acquired 61% of Oaktree for about $4.9 billion in cash and stock. It agreed to buy the rest for $3 billion in 2025.
He and Karsh still head up Oaktree, which continues to operate independently of Brookfield. His stake in the firm is now about 7.5%.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison