Stephen Smith
Source of wealth: Finance and investments
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Stephen Smith's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Stephen Smith could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 3.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Stephen Smith 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
Stephen Smith 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 Stephen Smith could pay for it entirely for 2.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Stephen Smith could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 11.7 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Stephen Smith 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
Stephen Smith's fortune is equivalent to 47 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.
Stephen Smith could buy 12,655,245 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 Stephen Smith will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Stephen Smith is a Canadian financial services magnate.
Smith cofounded mortgage lender First National Financial in 1988, just four years after being personally bankrupt.
He also owns about half of Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Company and a stake in publicly traded Canadian bank EQB.
He acquired lender Home Trust for more than $1.2 billion in 2023 and merged it with Fairstone Bank of Canada in early 2025.
Smith has donated more than $100 million to Queen's University, where the business school is named after him.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison