The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Tamara Gustavson's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Tamara Gustavson could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 3.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Tamara Gustavson could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.7 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Tamara Gustavson could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.5 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 Tamara Gustavson could pay for it entirely for 3.4 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Tamara Gustavson could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 14.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Tamara Gustavson 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
Tamara Gustavson's fortune is equivalent to 57 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.
Tamara Gustavson could buy 15,323,220 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 3 trucks to transport them. Although Tamara Gustavson will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Tamara Hughes Gustavson is the largest shareholder of Public Storage, the self-storage giant her father, B. Wayne Hughes (d. 2021), cofounded in 1972.
Gustavson owns about 10% of the company, where she worked from 1983 to 2003. She has sat on its board since 2008.
She's also on the board of American Homes 4 Rent, a publicly traded REIT focusing on single-family rental homes that her father cofounded.
She's a director of the William Lawrence & Blanche Hughes Foundation, focused on childhood leukemia, and served on the board of her alma mater, USC, from 2010 to 2020.
Gustavson and her family own Spendthrift Farm, the iconic thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm, home to ten Kentucky Derby winners.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison