15. Jeffrey Lebowski
$1.0 B
Source: Inheritance
Residence: Los Angeles, Calif.
Wheelchair-bound Korean War vet is a trustee of the Lebowski Foundation, which sends inner-city children to college via the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers program. Recipient of various commendations and honorary degrees, including the key to the city of Pasadena and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Business Achiever award. He calls second wife Bunny the "light of my life," but hopes she "will someday learn to live on her allowance, which is ample." Lebowski is dogged by rumors that he has no money of his own, and lives off funds his deceased first wife left to the Foundation. He's unbowed. "I've accomplished more than most men, and without the use of my legs," he says. "The bums will always lose!" Featured in the Coen Brothers' film The Big Lebowski.
Fast Facts
•Pasadena mansion is noted for its collection of fine rugs.
•Only child Maude is an avant-garde artist.
14. Gordon Gekko
$1.1 B
Source: Investments
Residence: New York City
The legendary corporate raider famously boasted "greed is good" in 1987, and made billions at the pioneering investment firm Gekko & Co. But when a plan to buy out Bluestar Airlines went awry, Gekko was convicted of insider trading and securities fraud. Following his release from prison in 2001, Gekko became an author and lecturer, and was one of the few voices to predict a bursting credit bubble. As that financial crisis unfolded, Gekko sank his estranged daughter's trust fund into a new London-based hedge fund, and his personal net worth surged skyward. Now reportedly focused on shorting municipal bonds, eyeing companies that mine rare-earth elements. Says "It's not about the money. It's about the game." Featured in Oliver Stone's Wall Street films.
Fast Facts
•An art enthusiast, he collects works by Picasso, Rivera and Banksy.
•Currently in a relationship with Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
13. Chuck Bass
$1.1 B
Source: Real Estate
Residence: New York City
Tough year for the bad boy billionaire, who is locked in a battle for control of Bass Industries with his late-father's business rival Russell Thorpe. Thorpe appears to be winning, but many Manhattan real estate insiders think Bass will ultimately prevail: "Manipulative, deceptive, arrogant, greedy and shallow. He's a natural." Daytime wardrobe embraces three P's – purple, plaid and preppy. For night, three V's – vest, velvet and Valentino. Featured in the Gossip Girl television series and novels.
Fast Facts
•Trademarked the phrase "I'm Chuck Bass."
12. C. Montgomery Burns
$1.1 B
Source: Energy
Residence: Springfield, U.S.
Long-time owner and operator of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is a master of cut throat capitalism, a man who once blocked out the sun over Springfield to increase electricity use. Burns' tyrannical management style is topped only by his viciously evil personal habits: Hobbies include stealing candy from babies, taunting immigrant laborers, releasing hounds on unwanted houseguests. Recently misdiagnosed with less than two months to live, Burns was stricken with amnesia following an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Upon recovering, learned that rage and bile are the only thing keeping him alive. "I want to die quietly on my own terms," he says, "crushing as many baby sea turtles as I possibly can." Featured in The Simpsons television series and films.
Fast Facts
•Personal heroes include Sun Tzu, Vlad the Impaler, Judas Iscariot.
•Succession uncertain; years of working in a nuclear plant have left him "as impotent as a Nevada boxing commissioner".
11. Jo Bennett
$1.2 B
Source: Electronics, inheritance
Residence: Tallahassee, Fla.
Sabre Corporation CEO Jolene "Jo" Bennett turned a small Tallahassee computer parts manufacturer into dominant supplier of printers, fax machines and scanners. Recent achievements include the acquisition of regional paper company Dunder Mifflin; creating the award-winning "Print In All Colors" minority executive training program. In May 2010, Sabre was forced to issue a full recall of its GH400 printers after a whistleblower revealed their tendency to burst into flames, but Bennett's careful handling of the PR crisis kept the company's stock unaffected. Says you don't get to be a powerful woman by slacking off: "You get there by working hard or marrying rich, and I did both." Featured in the television series The Office.
Fast Facts
•Always travels with two Great Danes.
•Her autobiography, Take A Good Look, reveals that she and Truman Capote slept with three of the same people.
10. Arthur Bach
$1.8 B
Source: Inheritance
Residence: New York City
The billionaire scamp shows no signs of settling down. Tabloids chatter as the next generation of the Bach fortune is spotted squiring an attractive young executive from the family foundation to the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament one week, then canoodling with a New York City tour guide the next. Known for his iconoclastic fashion sense: Favors Victorian-style top hats, hand-made shirts unbuttoned to mid-torso, foppish ties. Featured in the Arthur films.
Fast Facts
•Oldest man in New York City known to still have a nanny.
•Considers Alcoholics Anonymous "for quitters".
9. Mr. Monopoly
$2.6 B
Source: Real Estate
Residence: Atlantic City, N.J.
A whiff of scandal surrounds Monopoly's recent release from Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution, where he had been serving time for misappropriating funds from a bank error in his favor. Implacable foes Mr. Shoe, Ms. Dog and Mr. Thimble claim Monopoly – a.k.a. Rich Uncle Pennybags -- greased his release with a "get out of jail free card." Monopoly insists it was just a lucky roll of the dice. Now focused on audacious attempt to build hotels on both Boardwalk and Park Place, leveraging his interest in Marvin Gardens. Finances much improved after collecting windfall $200 million just for passing "Go." Featured in the Hasbro board game Monopoly.
Fast Facts
•Once won second prize in a beauty contest.
•Bullish on Xmas Funds.
8. Bruce Wayne
$7.0 B
Source: Inheritance, Defense
Residence: Gotham City
Police were ready to declare Gotham's most eligible bachelor dead after he disappeared from the social scene in 2009. But when the billionaire playboy suddenly reappeared last fall -literally crashing the gates of rapper Sean Combs's annual "White Party" in a Ferrari Enzo-- commissioner James Gordon admitted rumors of Wayne's death were "batty." Shares of Wayne Enterprises stock are up significantly year over year, thanks to the leadership of CEO Lucius Fox, and a new project to franchise security outfits around the globe. Wayne says he's planning to celebrate the company's success with an extensive remodeling of his "man cave" in stately Wayne Manor. Featured in the Batman comic books and films.
Fast Facts
•Rumors fly regarding his habit of keeping teenage boys as "wards".
•Famous girlfriends include photographer Vicki Vale and heiress Talia Al Ghul.
7. Smaug
$8.6 B
Source: Marauding
Residence: The Lonely Mountain
"
Plunder for plunder's sake" could be the motto of this vast red-golden dragon, who prefers to be addressed by a variety of honorifics, including "the Tremendous," "the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities" and "the Unassessably Wealthy." Hates being called "wyrm," "lizard," "overgrown flame-thrower." Despite high intelligence, lacking in investing vision: Uses multi-billion dollar hoard of gold, silver and gems primarily for bedding. Instead, expresses smarts by talking in riddles; also Sudoku expert, chess master. Vigilant to the point of paranoia about theft, meticulous about hoard inventory, knows net worth down to last golden cup. Featured in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit.
Fast Facts
•Underbelly is encrusted with diamonds from years of sleeping atop horde.
•Dislikes the taste of roasted dwarves.
6. Tony Stark
$9.4 B
Source: Defense
Residence: Malibu, Calif.
An engineering genius who earned two master's degrees by age 19, Stark's remarkable inventions (repulsor rays, indestructible alloys, "Iron Man" combat armor) are often outshined by his ability to create controversy. In the last year he's refused an order from the U.S. Senate to surrender the Iron Man technology to the government, been attacked by an armored madman while racing his Formula One car on the Circuit de Monaco, and temporarily appointed personal assistant Pepper Potts to CEO of Stark Industries. Coupled with rumors of heavy drinking, this erratic behavior has caused some investors to worry he could be bipolar. Stark won't hear it: "I'm bi-winning," he scoffs. Featured in the Iron Man comic books and films.
Fast Facts
•Inherited Stark Industries after his parents died in a car accident.
•Holds the record for most followers on social networking service Twitter.
5. Jed Clampett
$9.5 B
Source: Oil & Gas
Residence: Beverly Hills, Calif.
The mountaineer magnate discovered "black gold" while hunting on his homestead, and turned it into an international energy giant. Clampett Oil went public in 1984, but closely knit Clampett clan still runs the show: Chief executive Jed assisted by CFO "Granny" Daisy May Moses; environmental health and safety run by cousin Jethro Bodine. All of Clampett's kinfolk are reportedly "living better than a hound on a gut wagon" after the price of oil jumped more than 30% in the past year. But life isn't all moonshine and sassafrass: Elly May, Jed's only child, was charged in October with felony grand theft of a $2,500 necklace, allegedly shoplifted from a Venice Beach jewelry store. Featured in The Beverly Hillbillies television series and films.
Fast Facts
•Still drives his own 1921 Oldsmobile truck.
•Sponsors two Nascar teams.
4. Richie Rich
$9.7 B
Source: Inheritance, Conglomerates
Residence: Richville, U.S.
After being supplanted as the "richest kid in the world" by Artemis Fowl II, Rich heard to exclaim: "If he can have the world's largest fictional social network, I can have two!" In quick succession, Rich Industries launched DollarDog.net, for high-net worth hounds, and Clutter, a binary messaging service for robotic maids. User uptake disappointing so far. Rich Industries stock down after costly forays into fashion (oversized bow ties), transportation (diamond encrusted scooters) and kitchen appliances (atomic-powered toasters). But Rich hasn't let business setbacks interfere with his splashy philanthropy. Recent efforts include replacing Richville Elementary's "hot lunch" program with "hot foie gras" and donating gold-plated shopping carts to local homeless. Featured in the Richie Rich comic books and films.
Fast Facts
•Devoted manservant Cadbury awarded "Butler of the Year" six times running.
•Recently estranged from long-time girlfriend Gloria Glad.
3. Artemis Fowl II
$13.5 B
Source: Theft, Forgery, Facebook
Residence: Ireland
The scion of an Irish crime family with roots stretching back to the Norman Conquest, Fowl seized control of the family business at age 10, after his father was kidnapped. A child genius known as a master criminal and expert forger, Fowl is also a technological wiz, the inventor of a palm-sized super computer that can read information in any digital format, and send phone calls over any network (except AT&T). He has been known to operate under a variety of pseudonyms, including "Sir E. Brum" and "F. Roy Dean Schlippe." Fowl's net worth boomed in recent years thanks to the success of Facebook, which he created under the alias "Mark Zuckerberg." Featured in the Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl novels.
Fast Facts
•Has the highest-tested IQ of any child in Europe.
•Stole famed work of art The Fairy Thief from a secure Swiss bank vault.
2. Carlisle Cullen
$36.2 B
Source: Compound Interest, Investments
Residence: Forks, Wash.
Immortal vampire, small town doctor and value investor said to be a huge fan of getrichslowly.org, a penny-pinching personal finance blog that extols the extraordinary power of compound interest. It's worked for Cullen: The fresh-faced 370-year-old undead monster amassed one of the largest fictional fortunes largely simply by banking a small amount of capital in 1670, and letting the interest accrue. Early investor in Wal-Mart, Google thanks to prescient advice from adoptive daughter Alice, who can see into the future. Featured in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels and films.
Fast Facts
•Holds significant stake in blood reagent manufacturer Immucor (NASDAQ: BLUD).
•Once was investigated by the FDA for peddling facial cream that claimed to make "your skin sparkle".
1. Scrooge McDuck
$44.1 B
Source: Mining, Treasure Hunting
Residence: Duckburg, U.S.
Penny-pinching poultry keeps majority of his fortune in gold coins stored in massive "money bin" high in the hills above Duckburg; also invests in pearls, gems, other "hoardables." Still refers to August 15th, 1971 –the day President Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard– as "Black Sunday." Habitually marks anniversary by calculating net worth as percentage of the value of the gold in Fort Knox (21.4%). Famously frugal: Once fought a bear over a $2 jar of honey, never gives to charity, still has the first dime he ever earned. Nonetheless, known to sprout the occasional wild feather and jet off to exotic locales on ill-conceived "treasure-hunts" with troublesome great-nephews –and presumed heirs– Huey, Dewey and Louie. Featured in Disney's Uncle Scrooge comic books and cartoons.
Fast Facts
•Once traveled back in time to use an expired coupon.
•Takes his exercise by swimming in gold.
LOL. Well, it is what it is. What do you all think about FORBES list of the Wealthiest fictional characters today?