William Ackman
Source of wealth: Hedge funds
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare William Ackman's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
William Ackman could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 4.0 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, William Ackman could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.8 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
William Ackman could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.6 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 William Ackman could pay for it entirely for 3.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
William Ackman could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 15.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of William Ackman 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
William Ackman's fortune is equivalent to 61 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.
William Ackman could buy 16,334,459 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 William Ackman will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Bill Ackman founded and runs Pershing Square Capital Management, a hedge fund with $20 billion in assets under management.
Ackman created Pershing Square in 2004 and rose to fame for his short of bond insurer MBIA and his rescue of mall operator General Growth Properties.
Pershing Square's stock portfolio is concentrated in 10 companies, including Chipotle, Uber and Amazon.
Ackman is known for being outspoken, with more than 2 million followers on X. He endorsed Donald Trump in 2024 after decades of supporting Democrats.
He publicly pressured Harvard to oust president Claudine Gay amid accusations of plagiarism and antisemitism until she resigned in January 2024.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison