Les Wexner & family
Source of wealth: Retail
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Les Wexner & family's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Les Wexner & family could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 4.2 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Les Wexner & family could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.9 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Les Wexner & family 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 Les Wexner & family 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
Les Wexner & family could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 15.7 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Les Wexner & family 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 0.4 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Les Wexner & family's fortune is equivalent to 64 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.
Les Wexner & family could buy 17,036,267 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 Les Wexner & family will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Les Wexner founded L Brands, a global retail empire that included Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, and served as CEO for more than 5 decades.
Wexner announced in 2020 that he would step down and sell a majority stake in Victoria's Secret for $525 million to a private equity firm.
Wexner got his start in 1963, when he used a $5,000 loan from his aunt to open The Limited, which sold only fast-moving items like shirts and pants.
His ex-confidant and financial manager Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sex trafficking. In 2019, Wexner said the late Epstein stole funds from him.
Wexner bought Victoria's Secret for $1 million in 1982, when it was just a small, failing chain of lingerie shops in San Francisco.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison