Wisconsin Billionaires Not Doing Much About Coronavirus: Forbes

WISCONSIN — The new coronavirus is affecting Americans from all walks of life. Even the richest people on Earth are not immune to the fallout caused by the disease, which is having a notable impact on the members of this year’s recently released Forbes World's Billionaires List.

However, many of the same billionaires in Wisconsin and others are using their positions to become agents of change by donating significant portions of their wealth and dedicating resources to help the United States battle the effects of the ongoing pandemic.

According to the 34th annual list, released Tuesday, there are a total of eight billionaires in Wisconsin. Among them are:

• John Menard Jr., Menards, $11.5 billion
• Diane Hendricks, Hendricks Holding Company,$6.9 billion
• Herbert Kohler Jr. and Family, Kohler Company,$5.9 billion
• H. Fisk Johnson, S. C. Johnson & Son, $3.3 billion
• S. Curtis Johnson, S. C. Johnson & Son, $3.3 billion
• Helen Johnson-Leipold, S. C. Johnson & Son, $3.3 billion
• James Cargill II, Cargill, Incorporated, $2.7 billion
• Judy Faulkner, Epic Systems, $2.5 billion

According to the Forbes Billionaire Tracker, none of Wisconsin's billionaires have donated money or led efforts to raise funds to battle the coronavirus.

There are 2,095 billionaires on this year’s list, down from 2,153 in 2019. The total combined net worth of this year’s billionaires is $8 trillion, down from $8.7 trillion in 2020. There are 178 billionaires who made the list for the first time.

More than 250 people dropped off this year’s list, and a record 1,062 have seen a drop in their fortunes, a reflection of the turbulent markets and the coronavirus pandemic.

Centi-billionaire Jeff Bezos maintains the top spot on this year’s ranking for the third consecutive year, despite his net worth plunging by $18 billion. The Amazon CEO is valued at $113 billion. The decrease in his net worth is primarily due to his recent divorce.

Bill Gates remains in the No. 2 position with a fortune of $98 billion, up $1.5 billion from last year.

Bernard Arnault of LVMH moves up on this year’s ranking as the third-wealthiest person in the world, after Warren Buffett’s fortune fell by $15 billion. Buffett is valued at $67.5 billion, down from $82.5 billion from last year.

Rounding out the top five is Larry Ellison, founder, chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle Corp. While the software executive moved up on the ranking, his fortune is down $3.5 billion this year to $59 billion.

See the full 2020 Forbes Billionaires List.