Ken Langone
Source of wealth: Investments
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Ken Langone's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Ken Langone could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 4.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Ken Langone could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.8 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Ken Langone could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.7 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 Ken Langone could pay for it entirely for 3.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Ken Langone could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 15.4 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Ken Langone 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 0.3 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Ken Langone's fortune is equivalent to 63 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.
Ken Langone could buy 16,758,055 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 3 trucks to transport them. Although Ken Langone will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
In 1978, Ken Langone made an early investment in Home Depot and became a cofounder with Arthur Blank and Bernard Marcus, now billionaires.
The grandson of Italian immigrants, Langone dug ditches for the Long Island Expressway before he went to Bucknell University to study economics.
After two years in the U.S. army, he made a name for himself on Wall Street, taking Ross Perot Sr.'s Electronic Data Systems public in 1968.
Langone, who gave $200 million to NYU's hospital a decade ago, pledged $100 million to its School of Medicine in 2018. School is tuition-free.
A devout Catholic, he donated $100,000 to the restoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison