{"id":3407,"date":"2009-03-23T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2009-03-23T14:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.AchieveMax.com\/blog\/?p=3407"},"modified":"2013-06-26T15:17:18","modified_gmt":"2013-06-26T19:17:18","slug":"the-billionaire-shuffle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/achievemax.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/23\/the-billionaire-shuffle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Billionaire Shuffle"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you have to settle for a “single” at Wendy’s because the “double” will put you over your weekly meal allowance, it’s nice to discover that our national financial crisis is reigning despair on billionaires as well.<\/p>\n

According to Forbes Magazine, last year the world had 1,125 billionaires. Today, there are 793. Somehow $1.4 trillion vanished.<\/p>\n

The richest people in the world have gotten poorer, just like the rest of us. This year the world’s billionaires have an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months.<\/p>\n

The world’s top three richest men have been playing musical chairs the past decade. They’ve been politely allowing the other two to enjoy the notoriety provided by that #1 position atop the list of the world’s richest. They seem to patiently wait their turn to return to that coveted position of #1.<\/p>\n

This year Bill Gates III lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world’s richest man. Warren Buffett, last year’s #1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Hel\u00fa maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion.<\/p>\n

If you’d like a greater, in-depth glance at Bill Gates III<\/a>\u00a0and Warren Buffet<\/a>, click on their names for our blog bios. Both have been featured in our series “Little-known Facts about Well-known Leaders<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Below you’ll find a quick overview of the top three richest men and what’s happened to them over the past year.<\/p>\n

#1: William Gates III<\/strong><\/p>\n