Carlos Slim Helu & family

Carlos Slim Helu & family $73 B 73  telecom   Mexico

Carlos Slim Helu is the world's richest man for the fourth year in a row. He clocks in at $4 billion more than a year ago, thanks to surging stock prices at his financial arm, Grupo Financiero Inbursa, and at his Grupo Carso industrial and retail giant. Pan-Latin American mobile telecom outfit America Movil remains his most valuable holding at $36.3 billion; the company spread its wings to Europe in the past year, buying pieces of Dutch telecom company KPN and Telekom Austria. Other listed companies focus on mining, real estate and infrastructure. Slim does not hold an executive position at any of the companies he controls, but remains engaged and advises on strategy. He put his sons, Carlos, Marco Antonio and Patrick, in charge of the industrial, finance and telecom companies he controls.In September America Movil bought stakes in two Mexican professional soccer teams; in November Slim bought a majority of struggling Spanish soccer team Real Oviedo. Early 2013 saw a surge in Slim's philanthropic activity. The Carlos Slim Foundation pledged to translate into Spanish 1,000 videos from the Khan Academy education nonprofit website. Slim also hosted Bill Gates in late February; the two men announced they are funding research to improve farmers' yields and reduce hunger.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates $67 B 57  Microsoft   United States

Bill Gates, the world's most generous person, says that as long as he helps eradicate deadly diseases like polio and malaria, he doesn't care if he's forgotten after his death. Not that there's any chance of that: Gates has already given more than $28 billion, but said in his fifth annual letter for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that the total amount invested is less important than precise measures of impact, like child mortality rates. Gates has been spreading his gospel to other billionaires near and far: he and good friend Warren Buffett recently added 12 non-Americans to their Giving Pledge, including the U.K.'s Richard Branson and India's Azim Premji, bumping the total to 105 high net worth individuals. He also partnered with Carlos Slim to build a new $25 million agricultural research center in Mexico. Gates' net worth increased $6 billion to $67 billion in the past year - with no help from the company he cofounded, Microsoft, in which he still has a 5% stock. Most of his fortune these days is spread across private equity, bonds, and stocks like hygiene tech firm Ecolab, Mexican TV broadcaster Televisa, and Latin America's largest beverage company FEMSA. In February, Gates said the only thing left on his bucket list was, "Don't die."

Amancio Ortega

Amancio Ortega $57 B 77   Zara   Spain

Spain's Amancio Ortega is the year's biggest gainer, up $19.5 billion. He moves into the top three among the world's richest for the first time. He stepped down as chairman of Inditex, best known for its Zara brand, in 2011, but still owns nearly 60% of its shares, which soared 50% year-over-year on record profits. Ortega also has a real estate portfolio, much of it acquired at bargain prices during the financial downturn, estimated to be worth more than $4 billion. Among his properties: the iconic Torre Picasso, a 43-story skyscraper in Madrid (Google is a tenant), which he purchased from billionaire Esther Koplowitz in 2011. He also owns buildings in Madrid, London, Chicago, San Francisco and New York. A railway worker's son, he started as a gofer in a shirt store. With then-wife Rosalia Mera, also a billionaire, he started making dressing gowns and lingerie in their living room. In December 2012, Spanish media reported that Ortega paid half a million dollars to prevent paparazzi from publishing photos of his daughter Marta and her equestrian husband Sergio Alvarez on their honeymoon in Cambodia and Australia. Marta, who works for Inditex, is reportedly expecting a baby boy.

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett $53.5 B 82  Berkshire Hathaway   United States

Warren Buffett struck again in February, announcing a deal with Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann's 3G Capital to snap up iconic ketchup producer H.J. Heinz Co. for $23.2 billion. It wasn't the only deal for Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway lately. In November 2012 Berkshire acquired Omaha-based party supplier Oriental Trading Co. and in December 2012 the company purchased $1.2 billion of its own stock from "the estate of a longtime shareholder." Buffett completed radiation treatment for prostate cancer last summer, five months after he notified Berkshire Hathaway shareholders of his condition, assuring them that it was "not remotely life-threatening." Still, he has gotten his house in order: In December 2011 he chose his farmer son, Howard, as the future non-executive chairman and "guardian of the firm's values." In February 2012 he said he'd picked his CEO replacement but has declined to give a name. Buffett has also been busy expanding his philanthropy. He gave $1.5 billion to the Gates Foundation in July 2012, bringing his lifetime giving to nearly $17.3 billion. On his birthday in August 2012 Buffett pledged $3 billion of stock to his children's foundations. After studying under Benjamin Graham at Columbia Business School, Buffett offered to work for his former professor's investment partnership, Graham-Newman Corporation, for free. According to Buffett, "he turned me down as overvalued." It was only after several years of "pestering" that the father of value investing agreed to take on the younger man in 1954. When Graham retired two years later, Buffett returned to Nebraska to launch his own partnership. In 1962 Buffett began buying up shares of a struggling textile company called Berkshire Hathaway. Though Buffett has called Berkshire "the dumbest stock" he ever bought, the firm has long since shed its textile assets and today serves as Buffett's famed investment vehicle.

Larry Ellison $43 B 68  Oracle   United States

In the past year, Larry Ellison, America's third richest man, has been on a real estate buying spree. In June, he bought 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai from David Murdock. That purchase, for a reported $500 million or more, gave Ellison almost all of the 141-square mile island, including two resort hotels and a housing development. Adding to his real estate purchases, Ellison has also been active in the Los Angeles mansion market, purchasing two Malibu homes in October and January for a combined $55 million. Ellison can afford all of it, too. As of February, his shares of Oracle are up more than 20% year-over-year. Most recently, Ellison, long an admirer of NBA basketball franchises, was rumored to be exploring a deal to purchase the Sacramento Kings to prevent them from moving to Seattle. Ellison's other passion, yachting, will make its way into San Francisco this year as the 2013 America's Cup race lands in the city. Ellison, who signed on to the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge in 2010, has thus far donated $445 million, mostly via Oracle stock, to his Ellison Medical Foundation, which supports research on aging and age-related diseases. His latest gift to the foundation was 1.6 million shares of Oracle--worth $45 million--in April 2012.

Charles Koch

Charles Koch $34 B 77  diversified   United States

The world's sixth-richest person (tied with brother David) built his fortune around refining and chemicals, the right places to be last year amid falling natural-gas prices and recovering demand. Koch Industries, with an estimated $115 billion in sales, climbed more than $20 billion in value, mostly on surging refining profits but also improving operations at Koch's large Georgia-Pacific unit. Things didn't go so well on the political front: Charles, a die-hard libertarian, failed in his quest to unseat President Barack Obama as president.

David Koch

David Koch $34 B 72  diversified   United State

Tied with older brother Charles as the world's sixth-richest person, David runs the chemical equipment side of Koch Industries from his home in New York. His wealth climbed $9 billion last year, mostly on surging refining and chemical profits as the price of natural gas, an important feedstock, fell. More active than Charles in politics, he bet a lot on ejecting Barack Obama from the White House and lost -- "bitterly disappointing," he told Forbes in an interview after the election -- but he isn't giving up on his project to drive down government spending and increase economic freedom. "We're not going to roll over and play dead," he told Forbes. He has given away more than $1 billion over his lifetime, including $395 million for medical research since 1998.

Li Ka-shing

Li Ka-shing $31 B 84  diversified   Hong Kong

Asia's richest person Li Ka-shing added $5.5 billion to his fortune as shares of his biggest holdings, Cheung Kong, Hutchison Whampoa and Husky Energy, all jumped 10% or more. He scooped up another $860 million in dividends in 2012. At age 84, Li still oversees one of the world's most far-reaching empires with 260,000 employees in 52 countries. Li controlled companies bought British gas supplier Wales & West Utilities for $1 billion in October; his third utilities acquisition in the U.K. in 24 months. He now supplies gas to a quarter of all Brits. Last summer Li officially announced his succession plans, positioning his elder son Victor to take over management and control of the publicly traded assets. Son Richard, also a billionaire who runs his own businesses, will get cash and help on deals. The elder Li is also an investor in Facebook, Spotify, social TV platform Stevie, Kaiima, Everything.Me and Hola.org Kaiima, Everything.Me and Hola.org.

Liliane Bettencourt & family $30 B 90  L'Oreal   France

At age 90, Liliane Bettencourt is the world's richest woman, and returns to the top ten wealthiest for the first time since 1999. She and her family own more than 30% of L'Oreal, which her father founded. They've gotten far richer this year, thanks to a boost in the French cosmetics powerhouse's stock. However she had her fortune placed under the guardianship of her daughter Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers in 2011 following a very public three-year legal battle. The elderly widow, who suffers from dementia, was replaced on the company's board by her 25-year-old grandson Jean-Victor Meyers in February 2012. The family has waged numerous legal battles against one another. In 2008, Bettencourt-Meyers petitioned courts to investigate a reported $1 billion in cash and gifts her mother allegedly gave to a friend, Francois-Marie Banier, a well-known photographer, writer and painter. Francoise claimed, and Liliane hotly denied, that Banier had taken advantage of her mother.

Bernard Arnault & family

Bernard Arnault & family $29 B 64   LVMH   France

The world's most influential tastemaker, Bernard Arnault fell from No. 4 in the world to No. 10 not because his luxury goods powerhouse LVMH dropped in value - its shares were up 6% in fact - but due to more information on his ownership stake and a revised valuation method. Another factor: His fortune is mostly held in Christian Dior, which has a 41% stake in LVMH and trades at a near 20% discount to the underlying shares. Arnault denied reports that his request for Belgian citizenship last year was related to the country's tax regime, but it nevertheless sparked a debate about France's taxes on the rich. It was announced in October that he will be knighted for his services in the U.K. He is opening his new museum, the Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation, designed by Frank Gehry, by the end of this year. Arnault apparently wooed his wife, Helene Mercier, a concert pianist, by playing Chopin and other classical composers.

Christy Walton & family

Christy Walton & family  $28.2 B 58   Wal-Mart   United States

Wal-Mart widow Christy Walton's net worth reached new highs as Wal-Mart stock jumped in 2012. She remains the richest woman in the United States. Christy inherited her wealth when husband John Walton, a former Green Beret and Vietnam war medic, died in an airplane crash in 2005. John's side investment in First Solar had boosted Christy's net worth well above the rest of her family, but the stock sank in 2012, narrowing her lead to just $1.5 billion over brother-in-law Jim. The rest of her holdings are in Wal-Mart, the massive retailer founded by her father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James in 1962. Christy also received more than $430 million in Wal-Mart dividends after taxes in 2012.

Stefan Persson

Stefan Persson $28 B 65  H&M  Sweden

Chairman of global cheap chic apparel retailer Hennes & Mauritz Stefan Persson has lately been making news for his high profile real estate investments. He bought the village of Linkenholt in Hampshire, England in 2009. In March, he picked up an entire block in Paris, for a reported $219 million, becoming the landord to tony Burberry, Moschino, and Bally. He also owns numerous properties that he then leases back to H&M, earning himself tidy rental income. Still nearly all his fortune comes from the family's 38% equity stake (70% voting rights) in H&M, founded by his father, Erling, in 1947. Stefan was chief executive from 1982 to 1998 and has been chairman since 1979. His son Karl-Johan, 35 became chief executive in July 2009; stock is up 40% since then, as the retailer continues its international expansion. It now has 2629 stores in 45 countries including its first in Malaysia opened in 2012. He is a founder of the Mentor Foundation, a nonprofit that combats substance abuse among youth. Persson enjoys downhill skiing, tennis and golf.

Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg $27 B 71   Bloomberg LP   United States

Now well into his final term as New York's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg has a new mission for his post-political life: eradicating gun violence. He's emerged as a leading donor to pro-gun control causes and candidates. Many see the February victory of anti-gun candidate Robin Kelly in an Illinois congressional primary as a tipping point: Bloomberg spent some $2 million backing her through his Independence USA super PAC. His deputy mayor, Howard Wolfson, tantalizingly told the press that Bloomberg "is prepared to level the playing field" versus pro-gun outfits like the NRA. How much of his $27 billion fortune will go towards that effort remains to be seen. Mayor Mike is $5 billion richer than he was this time last year thanks to the performance of Bloomberg LP, the financial data firm he founded in 1982 after being fired from Salomon Brothers. He owns 88% of the company, which made $7.9 billion in 2012 revenues. Bloomberg owns at least 10 homes in Manhattan, Westchester County, Bermuda, Vail and the Hamptons. His lifetime philanthropic giving is now upwards of $2.5 billion, with his most recent big donation a $100 million pledge to the Gates Foundation to help his fellow billionaire Bill Gates eradicate polio.

Jim Walton

Jim Walton  $26.7 B 65   Wal-Mart   United States

Wal-Mart heir Jim Walton's net worth breached $27 billion for the first time this year based on the company's strong stock performance. He is the youngest son of retail visionary Sam (d. 1992), who founded the massive retailer with his brother James, opening a single store in Rogers, Ark. in 1962. Wal-Mart now has sales of $444 billion and employs 2.2 million people worldwide. Jim received more than $440 million in dividends after taxes in 2012. He and his siblings have given about $2 billion to the Walton Family Foundation over the last five years. Jim is also the CEO of his family's Arvest Bank, which has branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. He gave $100,000 to the Super PAC for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Sheldon Adelson

Sheldon Adelson   $26.5 B 79  casinos   United States

Sheldon Adelson, the owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire, was dealt a losing hand in the November election. The Republican donated at least $53 million to super PACs backing Mitt Romney and a slew of defeated congressional candidates. But his casinos continue to win: shares are up more than 20% since the summer, despite an ongoing Federal investigation alleging LVS violated the corruption laws in its dealings in Macau. This March Adelson's LVS stated in its annual report that indeed it had likely violated federal anti-bribery laws in its dealings there. The company had previously denied any wrong doing. Adelson sold his computer convention, Comdex, to Softbank for $862 million in 1995. He built $1.5 billion the Venetian Resort in 1997 and the $1.9 billion Palazzo resort in 2008. Last spring he opened his third mega casino in Macao. Future targets: Japan and Europe.

Alice Walton  $26.3 B 63   Wal-Mart    United States

Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton gave $1.7 million to a Washington D.C. charter schools initiative alongside fellow billionaires Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer. The Walton family's most generous philanthropist, her ambitious Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., opened in 2011 featuring works donated from her personal collection--which is valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Alice and her siblings have also donated about $2 billion to the Walton Family Foundation over the last five years. Daughter of retail visionary Sam, Alice graduated from Trinity College in San Antonio, Tex., and now runs a horse ranch in central Texas. Since last year, she received more than $440 million in Wal-Mart dividends after taxes.

S. Robson

S. Robson  Walton $26.1 B 69   Wal-Mart   United States

Wal-Mart heir S. Robson Walton, eldest son of visionary retailer Sam, has been the company's board chairman since 1992. Wal-Mart, founded by Sam and his brother James in 1962 in Rodgers, Ark., now has sales of $444 billion and employs 2.2 million people worldwide. Rob received more about $440 million in dividends in 2012. Before joining Wal-Mart, he was a partner with the law firm of Conner & Winters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rob and his siblings have donated about $2 billion to the Walton Family Foundation over the last five years.

Karl Albrecht

Karl Albrecht $26 B 93   Aldi   Germany

Karl Albrecht owns Aldi Sud, a giant German discount supermarket chain, with 4,600 stores in 9 countries, including 1,200 locations in 32 U.S. states. Revenues of the private company grew an estimated 9% in 2012 to $46.5 billion, according to analysts. Growth was strongest in Ireland and the UK. To keep costs low, Aldi stores do not accept credit cards. Karl and his late brother Theo began working at their mother's corner grocery store after World War II and turned it into a large retail chain with low prices and no frills. The brothers split ownership in 1961: Karl took the more profitable stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo, who died in 2010, got the stores in northern Germany and the rest of Europe; Theo's son Theo Jr. is also a billionaire. Karl Albrecht, now 93, resigned from the operational business in 1994 and stepped down from the Aldi advisory board in 2002. His daughter, Beate Heiser, and one of her sons, Peter Max, represent the family on the board of trustees.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos $25.2 B 49  Amazon.com   United States

Jeff Bezos' Amazon.com is the world's largest internet retailer of any kind, reporting more than $61 billion in 2012 sales, up $13 billion from the previous year. A 40% surge in the price of the company's stock added $6.8 billion to Bezos' net worth over the past year. The Seattle company continues to separate from the pack on service and speed, adding 20 new shipment hubs in 2012. It just announced the coming launch of Amazon Coins in May 2013, a virtual currency that can be used to buy Kindle Fire content. Bezos also continues to invest in side projects that fuel his adventurous side. In March 2012, Bezos Expeditions discovered the lost engines from the Apollo 11 lunar mission on the ocean floor, and is planning an attempt to bring them to the surface. Bezos also funnels money into aerospace firm Blue Origin, a West Texas-based research and development outfit working to create a vertical take-off and landing rocket. In the meantime, he's looking to add robots to his workforce: in March 2012, Amazon bought robotics firm Kiva Systems for $775 million in hopes of speeding up its order fulfillment process. While Bezos and wife Mackenzie are notoriously private, they made headlines in July 2012 for a rare public donation: $2.5 million to Washington United for Marriage, a group backing Referendum 74, which would legalize same-sex marriage in the couple's home state. Princeton grad Bezos once worked at hedge fund D.E. Shaw; he quit Wall Street before his 30th birthday to sell books online from his Seattle garage. He founded Amazon.com in 1994 and took it public three years later. Amazon didn't turn a profit until late 2001.

Larry Page

Larry Page $23 B 40   Google  United State 

Larry Page, Google's cofounder and CEO since April 2011, saw the company through the $50 billion revenue milestone in 2012. The stock rose nearly 30% in the past year, adding more than $4 billion to Page's net worth. With Google's desktop search business beginning to mature, Page is focusing more of his attention on mobile, an area which he called "uncharted territory" during the company's fourth quarter earnings call. Page recently called out Google's archrival Apple for doing only a few things well. He wants to tap the brains of his company to deliver "moon shots" of innovation, saying "If you're not doing some things that are crazy, then you're doing the wrong things." A resident of Palo Alto, Page is a major proponent of cleaner forms of energy. His network of houses uses new types of fuel cells, geothermal energy and rainwater capture. Both Page and his cofounder Sergey Brin are investors in electric car maker Tesla Motors. Page also invested with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt in a new venture to mine asteroids with robotic ships. Page is still recovering from a mysterious ailment that caused him to lose his voice in June.