Min Kao & family
Source of wealth: Navigation equipment
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Min Kao & family's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Min Kao & family could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 3.3 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Min Kao & family could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.4 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Min Kao & family could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.1 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 Min Kao & family could pay for it entirely for 2.9 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Min Kao & 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 12.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Min Kao & 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 0.3 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Min Kao & family's fortune is equivalent to 50 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.
Min Kao & family could buy 13,222,540 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 Min Kao & family will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Min Kao cofounded GPS maker Garmin with the late Gary Burrell in 1989, after the duo led development of the first GPS navigator at Allied Signal.
Kao is executive chairman of the navigation firm, which has annual revenue of about $6 billion and makes everything from GPS for cars to weather radar for airplanes.
Garmin has brought GPS navigation and wearable technology to the automotive, outdoor, fitness, aviation, and marine markets.
Kao stepped down as CEO in 2012 but remains executive chairman and a member of the board.
Kao came to the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1970s and got a master's and a Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Tennessee.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison