Nancy Walton Laurie
Source of wealth: Walmart
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Nancy Walton Laurie's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Nancy Walton Laurie could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 9.2 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Nancy Walton Laurie could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 4.1 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Nancy Walton Laurie could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 6.0 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 Nancy Walton Laurie could pay for it entirely for 8.2 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Nancy Walton Laurie could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 34.5 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Nancy Walton Laurie 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 0.8 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Nancy Walton Laurie's fortune is equivalent to 141 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.
Nancy Walton Laurie could buy 37,493,437 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 7 trucks to transport them. Although Nancy Walton Laurie will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Nancy Walton Laurie inherited a stake in Walmart from her father, Bud Walton, who helped his brother, Sam, build the retail giant.
When Bud died in 1995, Walton Laurie and her sister, Ann Walton Kroenke, received enough Walmart stock to make them both billionaires.
Walton Laurie and her husband, Bill, also own a portfolio of commercial real estate, several homes and a yacht.
They gave $10 million in 2013 to the University of Memphis, their alma mater.
Walton Laurie became interested in dance when her daughter was a teenager and sat on the board of trustees at Julliard.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison