Ronald Perelman
Source of wealth: Leveraged buyouts
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Ronald Perelman's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Ronald Perelman could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.7 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Ronald Perelman could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Ronald Perelman could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.5 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 Ronald Perelman could pay for it entirely for 0.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Ronald Perelman could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.6 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Ronald Perelman 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
Ronald Perelman's fortune is equivalent to 11 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.
Ronald Perelman could buy 2,854,393 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 Ronald Perelman will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Ronald Perelman is a dealmaker who built a fortune with a diverse array of holdings, from candy to cosmetics.
Perelman sold assets worth billions of dollars to pay off debt in late 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged his businesses.
He was a longtime shareholder of cosmetics giant Revlon but lost his holdings during its 2023 bankruptcy proceedings. His daughter Debra was the firm's CEO from 2018 to 2023.
Perelman learned about business from his father. He attended board meetings with him while in elementary school.
He is a prolific art collector who has sold off much of his collection in recent years.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison