I live a pretty decent life, but alas I’m only a multi-millionaire
As I wrote here,
I don’t think you need to make more than a few million to live VERY
well, but for all you over-achievers out there, this blog post is for
you.You seriously cannot miss this chain of blog posts. You won’t believe some of the facts I dug up about the world’s wealthiest individuals!
Image via allthingsd.com
Let’s start out with my favorite billionaire, Mr. Larry Ellison, full name Lawrence Joseph Ellison. The outspoken and flamboyant CEO of Oracle is worth approximately $43 billion. Not too shabby for having started out in a very middle class life. Born in New York City to an unwed mother on August 17, 1944, he was put up for adoption to his aunt and uncle. He was then raised in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, where he did not learn until the age of 12 that he was adopted and did not meet his biological mother until the age of 48. He was described as a bright but absent-minded student. He’s currently number three on the Forbes 400 list , and is divorced with two children (any eligible ladies out there, he’s pretty good looking for being 69??) The inspiration for his company, Oracle, was a 1976 white paper by IBM Research, according to CNN. In 1977, Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates founded Software Development Laboratories (SDL), and were contracted by the CIA to build a database program that was code-named “Oracle.” In the same year, he became CEO of Oracle Corporation. From 1978 to 1996, Ellison was President of Oracle, during which Oracle went public, raising approximately $31.5 million in the initial public offering (IPO).
A college dropout, Ellison currently resides in Woodside California, although he has been on a recent real estate buying spree. His most extravagant purchase to date was 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The 141-square mile island, its two resort hotels and a housing development cost Ellison around $500 million, according to Forbes and other sources. This is amongst the most expensive private island purchased every recorded.
Image via Forbes.com
Based on what bornrich.com says, Ellison has eight homes and estates placed in extremely desirable areas such as Malibu, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe. His first Malibu home has a guesthouse, pool, tennis court, and a self-contained cable railway that is used to move guests from the mansion down to the pool. The second Malibu palace has is situated right on the beach and has 9 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms spread over 10,317 square feet of living space. His San Francisco home is located in an area called Pacific Heights and was purchased in 1988 for $3.9 million. His Lake Tahoe estate has approximately 420 feet of lake frontage, pool, spa, cottage, and 18,000 square feet of living space.
Image via bornrich.com
Image via bornrich.com
Image via latimes.com
One of his purchases in a lesser known area was a 249-acre estate in Rancho Mirage, California. Purchased is 2011 for an estimated $42.9 million, it has an 18,430 home with four two-bedroom guest homes and an 18-hole golf course.
Good things come in twos for this billionaire, as Ellison also owns two yachts, two private jets, has supported both the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund and government software donation after September 11, and enjoys sailing and professional tennis. His first yacht is a Sayonara racing yacht. It is 180-feet and was used by Ellison to race in the 94th annual race to Mackinac. The second yacht is a Musashi and measures 88m. It has four propellers and total joint power of 10,887 kilowatts. Some of the notable accommodations include an upper deck that can hold 18 guests, large windows that supply a great deal of natural light, and handpicked paintings and furniture. His first private jet is the Gulfstream V. This cost his a cool $41 million. The second jet is the Citation X. This beauty has a top speed of 530 Knot true air speed. Going back to his hobbies, just a short time ago, the billionaire threw a party in San Francisco for the premiere of a documentary that also called attention to a whole lot of high-tech sailing set to take place starting in July in the San Francisco Bay, and in August of 2000, he founded Oracle Racing, Inc., a sailboat racing organization. He also owns the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Below is a picture of him shaking hands with tennis superstar Roger Federer.
Image via wsj.com
Image via bornrich.com
He also has four cars and has had four weddings. Larry owns a Lexus LFA, Acura NSX, McLaren F1, and Audi R8. The Lexus has a V10 engine and can reach a top speed of 325 km/hr. The Acura is a sports car that can reach 60mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 165 mph. The McLaren not only has a sleek design, it holds the title of the fastest naturally aspirated production car in the world. With a power output of 627 horsepower, this car has a top speed of 240 mph. Just to add a little extra to this beauty, it has 24 caret gold plated cylinders. IT was auctioned for $3,575,000 in 2005. The Audi has power of 420 metric horsepower and a top speed of 330 km/hr.
Image via bornrich.com
We can’t forget to mention that Ellison has a philanthropic side as well, with his own Ellison Medical Foundation. The focus of the foundation is to fight diseased related to aging, trying to find cures for things such as Alzheimer’s and arthritis. Last but not least, the man also like to dress to impress, often wearing tailor made Italian suits
