ABSTRACT
According to Forbes magazine, the leading tracker of the world’s wealthiest persons, 2008 marked the first time that the number of billionaires in the world surpassed four figures (Kroll 2008). Chances are you are like me—not on that list! In 2008, there were 1,125 billionaires who had a total net worth exceeding $4.4 trillion, a figure nearly $1 trillion higher than in 2007. Although just four of the world’s top twenty richest were from the United States in 2008 (compared to half of the top twenty in 2006), Americans still represent 42 percent of the total billionaires.
