William Conway Jr
Source of wealth: Private equity
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare William Conway Jr's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
William Conway Jr could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.9 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, William Conway Jr could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.8 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
William Conway Jr could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.2 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 Conway Jr could pay for it entirely for 1.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
William Conway Jr could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 6.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of William Conway Jr 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 0.2 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
William Conway Jr's fortune is equivalent to 28 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 Conway Jr could buy 7,524,004 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 William Conway Jr will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
William Conway Jr. is one of three billionaire founders of private equity firm Carlyle Group.
Conway stepped down as co-CEO in 2018 and now serves as non-executive co-chairman with cofounder and billionaire David Rubenstein.
The trio took Carlyle public on the Nasdaq exchange in 2012 and the firm is now approaching $453 billion in assets under management.
They used their Beltway connections--George H.W. Bush was among their advisers--to invest in defense-oriented companies.
Before founding Carlyle, he was the chief financial officer of telecom company MCI Communications.
Conway contributed $10.5 million in 2020 to his son Bill Conway's failed campaign for Cook County State's Attorney in Illinois.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison