Thomas Powell
Source of wealth: electrical products
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Thomas Powell's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Thomas Powell could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Thomas Powell could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.4 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Thomas Powell could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.6 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 Thomas Powell could pay for it entirely for 0.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Thomas Powell could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Thomas Powell 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

Thomas Powell's fortune is equivalent to 13 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 $549.34.
Thomas Powell could buy 3,433,432 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 Thomas Powell will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Thomas Powell is the former chairman and CEO of Houston-based electrical engineering and manufacturing company Powell Industries.
His father, William E. Powell, founded the company in 1947 as a metal-working shop.
Thomas Powell started working at the company in 1964 and was named chairman and CEO in 1984.
He served three terms as CEO before retiring from the top job for good in 2016.
He retired as a chairman in 2019 and as a director in 2022. He still owns 19% of the Nasdaq-listed company.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison