Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann

Source of wealth: Auto parts

84 years female Automotive 🇩🇪 DE

Net Worth

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Earnings per second

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The scale of their wealth

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Health

The price of life

Let's compare Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country

Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.2 years.

But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country

On the other end, Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.0 years.

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Education

Buying the future

Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country

Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.4 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 Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann could pay for it entirely for 1.9 years.

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Research

The monopoly on progress

Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country

Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 8.2 years.

And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide

But even if we compare the total wealth of Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann 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 0.2 years.

While billions of people struggle to access basic healthcare, education, and research, a single individual could fund entire national systems for centuries.

Gold

Everyday luxuries

Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann's fortune is equivalent to 33 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.

Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann could buy 8,873,632 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 2 trucks to transport them. Although Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.

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Biography

Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann and her billionaire son Georg own Schaeffler Group, one of the world's largest ball bearing and machine component producers.

She took over in 1996, following the death of her husband (also Georg) who had founded the company with his brother Wilhelm in 1946.

In 2008, the company took over tire and auto parts giant Continental AG in a $15-billion, debt-financed deal.

In the wake of the financial crisis, it seemed the high-wire act might fail. But as the auto market rebounded, Continental's share price soared.

Maria-Elisabeth and Georg's combined 46% stake in Continental accounts for most of their wealth.