Deep dives into wealth metrics and methodology
Explore our analysis of wealth measurement, age-adjusted net worth scores, liquidity metrics, and the methodology behind Rank My Wealth rankings.
If Bill Gates had never sold a share of Microsoft, he'd be worth $1.2 trillion today. Instead, his former CEO Steve Ballmer is now richer. This is the story of two paths—and a trillion-dollar difference.
Is a 38-year-old with $1 billion truly comparable to an 82-year-old with the same amount? The Chronos Net Worth Score reveals why age-adjusted wealth gives us a more accurate picture of lifetime financial achievement.
Elon Musk is worth $300 billion on paper, but how much could he actually spend tomorrow? The Liquid Score reveals the gap between headline wealth and accessible cash.
The Chronos Score isn't just for billionaires. Here's how to apply age-adjusted wealth thinking to your own financial planning—and why starting early matters more than you think.
Compound interest is the most powerful force in wealth creation. Here's the math behind why small differences in returns and time create massive differences in outcomes.
A million dollars in 1980 is worth $280,000 today. Here's how inflation silently erodes wealth—and why nominal net worth comparisons across time are meaningless.
Cornelius Vanderbilt died with more money than the U.S. Treasury. Today, none of his heirs are billionaires. It's a common story. We explore why generational wealth is so hard to keep, drawing on lessons from the book Missing Billionaires.
From Mark Zuckerberg to Austin Russell, who achieved billionaire status at the youngest age? A Chronos Score analysis reveals the true wealth potential of youth.
While the Vanderbilts lost everything, the Rockefellers remain wealthy 150 years later. Here's how one family defied the odds and preserved generational wealth.
Rockefeller built his fortune in oil. Bezos built his in e-commerce. What's changed about how billionaires are made—and what's stayed the same?
Warren Buffett built his fortune over 60 years of patient investing. Today's tech billionaires did it in a decade. Which approach is better—and what does the Chronos Score reveal?
Self-made billionaires built their fortunes from scratch. Heirs inherited theirs. Which type of wealth lasts longer—and why?
Silicon Valley dominates young billionaire creation, but China is catching up fast. Here's a geographic analysis of where the world's youngest fortunes are being built.
Tech creates billionaires fastest, but does that wealth last? A comparison of wealth durability across industries reveals surprising patterns.
Women make up half the population but only 13% of billionaires. What's behind this gap—and is it closing?
American billionaires are older and more diversified. Chinese billionaires are younger and more concentrated. A comparative analysis of the world's two billionaire superpowers.
From Sam Bankman-Fried to Elizabeth Holmes, some billionaires don't just lose money—they lose everything. Here are the cautionary tales of fallen angels.
Crypto has created and destroyed more billionaire wealth faster than any asset class in history. Here's the wild ride of crypto fortunes.
Being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 should be a career highlight. For some, it's been the beginning of the end. Here are the cautionary tales.
The world's first trillionaire is coming. Using Chronos Score analysis, we predict who's most likely to reach the 13-figure milestone—and when.
AI is creating billionaires faster than any technology in history. From NVIDIA to OpenAI, here's how artificial intelligence is reshaping the wealth landscape.
Musk, Bezos, and Branson are betting billions on space. Will the final frontier create the next generation of trillionaires—or bankrupt today's billionaires?
The energy transition is creating a new class of billionaires. From solar to EVs to batteries, here's who's getting rich from the green revolution.
Billionaires are investing billions in life extension. If they succeed, the Chronos Score will need to be rewritten—and wealth inequality could explode.
Private islands, superyachts, and space tourism. Inside the spending habits of billionaires and what their purchases reveal about extreme wealth.
Net worth measures one dimension of a multi-dimensional reality. Here are five alternative wealth metrics that capture what money cannot buy.
Cornelius Vanderbilt died with $100 million in 1877. If invested conservatively, that fortune would be worth $69 trillion today. Here's the story of the greatest squandered fortune in history.
From a Frankfurt ghetto to financing wars and building a 250-year dynasty. How the Rothschilds became the most successful banking family in history.
Before the Rothschilds, before the Rockefellers, there were the Medicis. What the original family office can teach modern billionaires about power, influence, and legacy.
Even billionaires make catastrophic investment mistakes. From Bill Ackman's Valeant disaster to Masayoshi Son's WeWork catastrophe, here are the biggest blunders.
Bernie Madoff didn't just steal $65 billion. He destroyed generational wealth, philanthropic institutions, and lives. Here's how to protect yourself.
Fraud can wipe out a fortune. Bad investments can devastate it. But divorce? That's perfectly legal, entirely predictable, and has transferred over $100 billion from billionaires to their ex-spouses.