10 richest people on the planet
9. Christy Walton
Net worth
$35.1B
YTD change
+$2.1B
Profile
The world's richest woman is the widow of John T. Walton, the second son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. After John's death in 2005, Christy inherited her husband's fortune, which consists of a 12 percent stake in Wal-Mart and about 25 million shares of First Solar, a manufacturer of solar panels. Guess which is more valuable? Walton resides in Jackson, Wyoming. She gives a lot of money to zoos and museums and universities.
Did you know?
Walton is an avid supporter of the Mingei International Museum, a folk art collection in San Diego. In 2007, according to a press release, she sent the museum a 'prize-winning Kyrgyz yurt,' marking the first — and undoubtedly — last time those four words will ever be used in the same sentence.
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