Admission Price to Forbes 400 Exceeds One Billion

“A billion dollars is no longer enough” – announced forbes.com in reference to the requirements for becoming one of the wealthiest 400 Americans. The price of this year’s admission is 1.3 billion, which is a $300,000 increase from last year’s benchmark. The current collective net worth of these America’s most affluent individuals is $1.54 trillion.

While new and young members, such as a former Enron trader John Arnold, have joined Forbes 400 this year, seven members from last year’s list have passed away. These now deceased plutocrats include Wal-Mart founder’s wife Helen Walton, media tycoon Barbara Cox Anthony, real-estate magnate Leona Helmsley, and W. Duncan MacMillan, the heir of Cargill.

See Forbes.com, A mere billion isn’t so rich anymore, MSN.com, Sept. 20, 2007.

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.