The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Michael Polsky's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Michael Polsky could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Michael Polsky could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.5 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Michael Polsky 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 Michael Polsky could pay for it entirely for 1.0 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Michael Polsky could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Michael Polsky 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
Michael Polsky's fortune is equivalent to 17 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.
Michael Polsky could buy 4,533,181 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 Michael Polsky will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Ukrainian immigrant Michael Polsky founded Chicago-based Invenergy, one of the nation's biggest developers of renewable energy projects, 33 gigawatts so far.
Invenergy is seeking to build the $11 billion, 800-mile transmission line across Kansas and Missouri called Grain Belt Expresss.
Polsky made an early fortune selling natural gas generator SkyGen to Calpine for $450 million in 2001.
Polsky has sold big multi-billion-dollar stakes in Invenergy to Blackstone and Canadian pension fund Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec.
In 2006 an Illinois divorce court ordered him to pay wife Maya $180 million.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison