The Forbes 400 Richest Americans

©AP Photo/April L. Brown

7. Alice Walton Net Worth: $23.2 billion Source: Wal-Mart Residence: Fort Worth, Tex. Age: 59 Marital Status: Twice divorced

More from Forbes.com: • In Pictures: Secrets of the Self-Made Billionaires • In Pictures: 25 Years of Wealth • In Pictures: Service Industry Billionaires In Pictures: The 400 Richest Americans

• Daughter of Wal-mart pioneer Sam Walton (d. 1992) reclaims spot in Forbes 400 Top 10 after falling off last year.
• Wal-Mart shares up 45% since last September, as cash-strapped consumers head to discount-driven superstores in droves.
• Also profiting from stake in solar-paneling outfit First Solar; shares up 120% in past 12 months.
• Today Wal-Mart is world’s largest retailer: 7,300 stores, 2 million employees serve 200 million customers. Sales: $378 billion.
• Alice: Building Crystal Bridges art museum in Bentonville.

©Sipa via AP Images

8. Michael Bloomberg Net Worth: $20 billion Source: Bloomberg LP Residence: New York City Age: 66 Marital Status: Divorced, 2 children

• Mayor Mike has become America’s 8th-richest citizen after a transaction put a solid valuation on Bloomberg LP; he borrowed to buy a 20% stake in his company from Merrill Lynch in July for $4.5 billion.
• Today he owns 88% of the financial data and news outfit he founded in 1982.
• Boston-born son of accountant got engineering degree from Johns Hopkins, M.B.A. from Harvard.
• Became a trader at Salomon Brothers 1970s, quit with $10 million in stock after merger.
• Created financial information services firm Innovative Market Systems to sell financial data, analytic tools to Wall Street.
• Renamed Bloomberg LP 1987; added news service, magazine, cable network, radio station.
• Spent $74 million to become mayor of New York City in 2001 and $85 million on reelection in 2005. Enjoying 71% approval rating, appears to be looking for ways to do away with term limits as November 2009 election looms.
• Since last June former Republican no longer affiliated with any political party.
• Has given away nearly $800 million to charity in the past 5 years; with Bill Gates, planning to invest hundreds of millions to combat smoking worldwide.

©AP Photo/Topeka Capital-Journal, Mike Burley

9. Charles Koch Net Worth: $19 billion Source: Manufacturing, energy Residence: Wichita, Kans Age: 72 Marital Status: Married, 2 children

• With brother David, transformed family refining business into America’s largest private company.
• Father, Fred C. Koch (d. 1967), invented method of turning heavy oil into gasoline.
• Sons Charles, David, Frederick and William inherited Koch Industries after father’s death.
• Charles and David bought out William and Frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983; fraternal fight over deal settled in 2001.
• Today Koch Industries has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, forest and consumer products, chemical technology.
• Brothers each own 42%; collective fortune up $4 billion as oil and fertilizer prices soar. Sales last year: $98 billion.
• Employs 80,000 workers in 60 countries.
• Purchased Invista, maker of Lycra and Coolmax fabric, in 2004 for $4.2 billion.
• Dropped $21 billion on paper and building-supply vendor Georgia-Pacific the following year.
• Charles: studied nuclear and chemical engineering at MIT, chief executive since 1967; cofounder of conservative think tank Cato Institute.

10. David Koch Net Worth: $19 billion Source: Manufacturing, energy Residence: New York City Age: 68 Marital Status: Married, 3 children

• With brother Charles, transformed family refining business into America’s largest private company.
• Father, Fred C. Koch (d. 1967), invented method of turning heavy oil into gasoline.
• Sons Charles, David, Frederick and William inherited Koch Industries after father’s death.
• Charles and David bought out William and Frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983; fraternal fight over deal settled in 2001.
• Today Koch Industries has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, forest and consumer products, chemical technology.
• Brothers each own 42%; collective fortune up $4 billion as oil and fertilizer prices soar. Sales last year: $98 billion.
• Employs 80,000 workers in 60 countries.
• Purchased Invista, maker of Lycra and Coolmax fabric, in 2004 for $4.2 billion.
• Dropped $21 billion on paper and building-supply vendor Georgia-Pacific the following year.
• David: executive vice president.
• Chemical engineering degrees from MIT; pledged $100 million to alma mater for cancer research last year. Pledged another $100 million to New York’s Lincoln Center this July.

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