I always wondered how self made billionaires were different from us. Those who rose to their extraordinary level of wealth from meager existence. Was it genetics, character, being at the right place at the right time, born under a lucky star, education, tenacity, great connections??? From the sounds of it, perseverance and passion are key characters to make it to the club. Here below are interesting little info on some of the self made billionaires in the U.S.:
Aquarius
January 21st – February 19th
When you think of Aquarians and their sensitivity to the Arts, you may not think big money and big business. But don’t limit your thinking Aquarians! You may have heard of a little gal from Kosciusko, Mississippi named Oprah Winfrey. Well, it turns out that Oprah is an Aquarius, she works in the media arts, and she has a lot of money. Over a billion dollars, in fact. And then there’s Paul Allen, a fellow who really just wants to play guitar in a band, but happened to hook up with a buddy named Bill Gates to start a little company called Microsoft. Paul left Microsoft in 1983, but his large stock position has looked after him quite well. He’s an Aquarius, he’s worth about $22 billion, and is the fourth richest guy on the planet. The Age of Aquarius, indeed!
Pisces
February 20th – March 20th
Hey, have you seen Finding Nemo? It was one of our favorite movies of the year – and we didn’t even see it with children. Brilliant! And very profitable for Pixar Animation Studios and co-founder Steve Jobs. Steve is a Pisces, so maybe it was his destiny to make a boatload of money on a movie about fish. Steve was a billionaire before Nemo, of course, having done quite nicely with Apple Computer. He’s worth $2.3 billion today, proving that if you teach a man who’s a Fish, you’ll feed him for a lifetime. Or something.
Aries
March 21st – April 20th
The strong personality of Aries is well represented by yet another member of the Microsoft billionaire boys club. Steve Ballmer is a hard-charging Aries, and he’s been the CEO of Microsoft since 1998. In 1980, he quit Stanford business school to join old Harvard classmate and dropout Bill Gates. Despite not finishing school, things have gone pretty well for him since. Steve’s worth $12 billion, and then some. Good work, Aries!
Taurus
April 21st – May 20th
Taurus, your determination and purposeful nature are the same qualities that made George Lucas a very wealthy Taurus. George was born on May 14th, 1944, so he’ll turn 50 this year. And his will be a particularly Nifty Fifty, since he’s managed to go from nothing to $3 billion simply on the strength of a powerful imagination and a Tauran determination to fulfill his Star Wars vision. The Force can be with you, too, Taurus, if you focus your energy and commitment on your goals.
Gemini
May 21st – June 21st
What can you say about this man that he hasn’t said about himself already? He’s rich, he’s smart, he’s a force of nature, he’s a deal-maker extraordinaire, he’s rich and smart, and most especially, he’s rich. Also, he has very high self-esteem. And that’s in addition to being rich. He is, of course, The Donald. Donald Trump, born on June 14th, 1946, was the son of a real estate developer. Donald put the lessons he learned at Wharton and at the knee of his father to good use, and built an empire in real estate. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. The Donald is a study in stick-to-itiveness, going from being a billionaire to owing nearly that much in the early Nineties, and then fighting his way back to being a billionaire. There’s a lesson in that for every Gemini. He current net worth is estimated at $2.5 billion.
Cancer
June 22nd – July 22nd
Speaking of tough New Yawkers, Leona Helmsley was born Leona Rosenthal on the 4th of July, 1920 in the Big Apple. She started as a receptionist at a real estate firm, and worked her way up through the ranks to end up running her own firm. She married real estate magnate Harry Helmsley in 1972, and was named president of Helmsley Hotels in 1980. She was convicted of tax evasion and served 21 months in prison from 1992 to 1994. She was 72 went she went to jail. Today, at 83, she still manages her real estate holdings (husband Harry died in 1997) and her reputation as the Queen of Mean. Oh, and she’s worth $2.2 billion. Role model? Uh, maybe not. But tough? Oh, you bet.
Leo
July 23rd – Aug 23rd
Leo, one of the fire signs, tends to be dynamic and assertive. You know, like Larry Ellison of Oracle. Larry is quite dynamic. He runs Oracle like it’s on fire. He is also quite assertive. He fires people at Oracle a lot. And he’s a fire sign. Hmmmm. Okay, so he’s not the warmest and fuzziest of Leos. But he is, as it turns out, the richest self-made Leo ever, with a net worth of $18 billion. Now that’s on fire! Set big goals, Leo, and use your passion to drive you to achieve them. Just remember to play nice
Virgo
August 24th – September 22nd
There are billionaires people speak ambivalently about, and there are billionaires that people love to hate. And then there’s the world’s richest Virgo – and the world’s second richest man – Warren Buffet. People adore Warren. They don’t even mind that he has a net worth larger than the GDP of many nations. And why is that? Because he’s not a big, highfalutin greedy corporate raider type. He’s a nice man from Omaha who buys companies he believes in. He’s just a regular guy. Well, okay, a regular guy worth thirty-six billion dollars. But otherwise, he’s a down-to-earth, plain-speaking pragmatist, and folks love him for that. He’s a classic Virgo, and a great role model for you in 2004.
Libra
September 23rd – October 23rd
On October 14th, 1939, Ralph Lifshitz was born in the Bronx. He changed his name, and worked as a designer in fashion. He was ultimately successful both in his design work, and in building a well known and very powerful brand in clothing, housewares, and all kinds of accessories. Today, he has a net worth is over $2.3 billion. You know this famous and very well dressed billionaire Libra as Ralph Lauren.
Scorpio
October 24th – November 22nd
His mom and dad probably weren’t very happy when he dropped out of university. But now that he’s the richest man in the whole world, they’re probably willing to admit that things have worked out okay after all. Bill Gates was born on October 28th, 1955, and you already know that his Microsoft stock has made him wealthy beyond counting. What you may not know is that Bill has set the high water mark for philanthropy by endowing $24 billion (so far) for charity. (Of course, you’ll hear some cynics saying that it’s easy for him, it should be more, he doesn’t need the money, etc. This should prompt you to gently inquire as to how much they gave last year.) The world’s biggest philanthropist is a Scorpio – and that’s a great example of giving back that all Scorpios should look to as an example in 2004.
Sagittarius
November 23rd – December 21st
When you let your passion show, Sagittarius, you can be a natural storyteller. Steven Spielberg turned his passion for stories and movies into a blockbuster business that has built his personal net worth to $2.5 billion. Steven, born December 18th, 1946, is the “S” in movie maker DreamWorks SKG, which he owns along with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Steven isn’t a big business guy – he focuses on his creative passions, and chooses great partners to focus on the things he doesn’t do well. That has made him a very rich Sagittarian – and a great example to follow.
Capricorn
December 22nd – January 20th
You share your sign with one of the first and most famous billionaires, Howard Hughes. Howard was a billionaire when having a billion meant something, and there were only a couple in the world. Now, of course, we’re infested with billionaires. In fact, Forbes magazine, which tracks such things, lists 244 billionaires in the United States and 15 more in Canada. Howard was born on December 24th, 1905, and managed to distinguish himself in the worlds of business, aviation, and motion pictures before becoming a reclusive nut job. He died worth some $2 billion in 1976, which made him one of the richest men in the world. That amount would be equal to $6.5 billion today, which not incidentally is a terrible lesson in the dastardly effects of inflation.
Courtesy MSN Money
Aquarius
January 21st – February 19th
When you think of Aquarians and their sensitivity to the Arts, you may not think big money and big business. But don’t limit your thinking Aquarians! You may have heard of a little gal from Kosciusko, Mississippi named Oprah Winfrey. Well, it turns out that Oprah is an Aquarius, she works in the media arts, and she has a lot of money. Over a billion dollars, in fact. And then there’s Paul Allen, a fellow who really just wants to play guitar in a band, but happened to hook up with a buddy named Bill Gates to start a little company called Microsoft. Paul left Microsoft in 1983, but his large stock position has looked after him quite well. He’s an Aquarius, he’s worth about $22 billion, and is the fourth richest guy on the planet. The Age of Aquarius, indeed!
Pisces
February 20th – March 20th
Hey, have you seen Finding Nemo? It was one of our favorite movies of the year – and we didn’t even see it with children. Brilliant! And very profitable for Pixar Animation Studios and co-founder Steve Jobs. Steve is a Pisces, so maybe it was his destiny to make a boatload of money on a movie about fish. Steve was a billionaire before Nemo, of course, having done quite nicely with Apple Computer. He’s worth $2.3 billion today, proving that if you teach a man who’s a Fish, you’ll feed him for a lifetime. Or something.
Aries
March 21st – April 20th
The strong personality of Aries is well represented by yet another member of the Microsoft billionaire boys club. Steve Ballmer is a hard-charging Aries, and he’s been the CEO of Microsoft since 1998. In 1980, he quit Stanford business school to join old Harvard classmate and dropout Bill Gates. Despite not finishing school, things have gone pretty well for him since. Steve’s worth $12 billion, and then some. Good work, Aries!
Taurus
April 21st – May 20th
Taurus, your determination and purposeful nature are the same qualities that made George Lucas a very wealthy Taurus. George was born on May 14th, 1944, so he’ll turn 50 this year. And his will be a particularly Nifty Fifty, since he’s managed to go from nothing to $3 billion simply on the strength of a powerful imagination and a Tauran determination to fulfill his Star Wars vision. The Force can be with you, too, Taurus, if you focus your energy and commitment on your goals.
Gemini
May 21st – June 21st
What can you say about this man that he hasn’t said about himself already? He’s rich, he’s smart, he’s a force of nature, he’s a deal-maker extraordinaire, he’s rich and smart, and most especially, he’s rich. Also, he has very high self-esteem. And that’s in addition to being rich. He is, of course, The Donald. Donald Trump, born on June 14th, 1946, was the son of a real estate developer. Donald put the lessons he learned at Wharton and at the knee of his father to good use, and built an empire in real estate. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. The Donald is a study in stick-to-itiveness, going from being a billionaire to owing nearly that much in the early Nineties, and then fighting his way back to being a billionaire. There’s a lesson in that for every Gemini. He current net worth is estimated at $2.5 billion.
Cancer
June 22nd – July 22nd
Speaking of tough New Yawkers, Leona Helmsley was born Leona Rosenthal on the 4th of July, 1920 in the Big Apple. She started as a receptionist at a real estate firm, and worked her way up through the ranks to end up running her own firm. She married real estate magnate Harry Helmsley in 1972, and was named president of Helmsley Hotels in 1980. She was convicted of tax evasion and served 21 months in prison from 1992 to 1994. She was 72 went she went to jail. Today, at 83, she still manages her real estate holdings (husband Harry died in 1997) and her reputation as the Queen of Mean. Oh, and she’s worth $2.2 billion. Role model? Uh, maybe not. But tough? Oh, you bet.
Leo
July 23rd – Aug 23rd
Leo, one of the fire signs, tends to be dynamic and assertive. You know, like Larry Ellison of Oracle. Larry is quite dynamic. He runs Oracle like it’s on fire. He is also quite assertive. He fires people at Oracle a lot. And he’s a fire sign. Hmmmm. Okay, so he’s not the warmest and fuzziest of Leos. But he is, as it turns out, the richest self-made Leo ever, with a net worth of $18 billion. Now that’s on fire! Set big goals, Leo, and use your passion to drive you to achieve them. Just remember to play nice
Virgo
August 24th – September 22nd
There are billionaires people speak ambivalently about, and there are billionaires that people love to hate. And then there’s the world’s richest Virgo – and the world’s second richest man – Warren Buffet. People adore Warren. They don’t even mind that he has a net worth larger than the GDP of many nations. And why is that? Because he’s not a big, highfalutin greedy corporate raider type. He’s a nice man from Omaha who buys companies he believes in. He’s just a regular guy. Well, okay, a regular guy worth thirty-six billion dollars. But otherwise, he’s a down-to-earth, plain-speaking pragmatist, and folks love him for that. He’s a classic Virgo, and a great role model for you in 2004.
Libra
September 23rd – October 23rd
On October 14th, 1939, Ralph Lifshitz was born in the Bronx. He changed his name, and worked as a designer in fashion. He was ultimately successful both in his design work, and in building a well known and very powerful brand in clothing, housewares, and all kinds of accessories. Today, he has a net worth is over $2.3 billion. You know this famous and very well dressed billionaire Libra as Ralph Lauren.
Scorpio
October 24th – November 22nd
His mom and dad probably weren’t very happy when he dropped out of university. But now that he’s the richest man in the whole world, they’re probably willing to admit that things have worked out okay after all. Bill Gates was born on October 28th, 1955, and you already know that his Microsoft stock has made him wealthy beyond counting. What you may not know is that Bill has set the high water mark for philanthropy by endowing $24 billion (so far) for charity. (Of course, you’ll hear some cynics saying that it’s easy for him, it should be more, he doesn’t need the money, etc. This should prompt you to gently inquire as to how much they gave last year.) The world’s biggest philanthropist is a Scorpio – and that’s a great example of giving back that all Scorpios should look to as an example in 2004.
Sagittarius
November 23rd – December 21st
When you let your passion show, Sagittarius, you can be a natural storyteller. Steven Spielberg turned his passion for stories and movies into a blockbuster business that has built his personal net worth to $2.5 billion. Steven, born December 18th, 1946, is the “S” in movie maker DreamWorks SKG, which he owns along with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Steven isn’t a big business guy – he focuses on his creative passions, and chooses great partners to focus on the things he doesn’t do well. That has made him a very rich Sagittarian – and a great example to follow.
Capricorn
December 22nd – January 20th
You share your sign with one of the first and most famous billionaires, Howard Hughes. Howard was a billionaire when having a billion meant something, and there were only a couple in the world. Now, of course, we’re infested with billionaires. In fact, Forbes magazine, which tracks such things, lists 244 billionaires in the United States and 15 more in Canada. Howard was born on December 24th, 1905, and managed to distinguish himself in the worlds of business, aviation, and motion pictures before becoming a reclusive nut job. He died worth some $2 billion in 1976, which made him one of the richest men in the world. That amount would be equal to $6.5 billion today, which not incidentally is a terrible lesson in the dastardly effects of inflation.
Courtesy MSN Money
