Ronald Wanek
Source of wealth: Furniture
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Ronald Wanek's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Ronald Wanek could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 3.0 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Ronald Wanek could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Ronald Wanek could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.0 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 Ronald Wanek could pay for it entirely for 2.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Ronald Wanek could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 11.4 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Ronald Wanek 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
Ronald Wanek's fortune is equivalent to 46 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 Wanek could buy 12,341,775 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 Ronald Wanek will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Ronald Wanek is the founder of America's largest home furniture manufacturer and retailer, Ashley Furniture.
Wanek grew up poor on a dairy farm in Minnesota, where his grandfather and great uncle built furniture as a hobby.
He started his first furniture manufacturing business, Arcadia Furniture, in 1970 with a loan from his father and money he got from selling his home.
Six years later he bought retailer Ashley Furniture, which had been around since the 1940s.
He is chairman of Ashley Furniture; his son Todd, also a billionaire, has been CEO since 2002.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison