Lifestyles of the Very WealthyLook: Some people have so much money that they just can't possibly live normal lives or even behave like regular human people. These are their stories.
From low-profile investors to confectionery heirs, we present a list of highly secretive rich people. Some of them aren't even on the Forbes List—probably because they paid the magazine not to include them. Each and every one of these folks is a multi-billionaire, one of whom makes it a point not to let the world know of his real net worth. This same man holds significant stakes in Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and Wall Street. But he's just one in a slew of many under-the-radar monetary titans.
If you've ever wanted to know what the richest of the rich are like in person, maybe this will clue you in to the fact that they're not so different, at least not the little-known rich people mentioned here.
Spanish billionaire and founder of clothing and accessories retailer Zara, Amancio Ortega surpassed Warren Buffet as the world's second richest man in 2015. His apparel empire, which has expanded over the decades to house approximately 6,500 shops in 88 countries, goes by the simple philosophy of aggressively advocating for the customer, limiting advertising, and giving them what they want as soon as possible.
Although Ortega and Bill Gates routinely switch spots as the world's richest man, he still sits with his employees in the company cafeteria. He lives a humble life in La Coruna, Spain, visits the same coffee shop every day, and dresses in the same plain blue blazer and white shirt almost daily.
Maria Fissolo Probably Loves Nutella Even More Than You Do
Net worth: $24.6 billion
Tic Tacs, Nutella, and Kinder Eggs. In 2011, Maria Fissolo became the widower of Italian entrepreneur and candy magnate Michele Ferrero, who founded Ferrero SpA, Europe's second largest confectionery company.
Fissolo lives in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Karl Albrecht Quietly Made Billions And Stayed Out Of The Spotlight
Net worth: $20.9 billion
German billionaire Karl Albrecht was the founder of supermarket chain Aldi, Europe's Walmart. When he passed in 2014, he was the 21st richest person in the world. Like American billionaire Chuck Feeney, Albrecht lived a life of recluse, preferring to shun any accolades and transfer them to his employees.
After he passed, Aldi spokesman Sarah Twyman told Bloomberg, "He had a strong belief that everyone should be able to consume high-quality food and beverages at the lowest possible prices. He devoted his life to making his belief a reality." In 2014, there were more than 1,300 Aldi stores in the US and 3,500 in eight other countries.
Leonardo Del Vecchio likes to keep a low profile, perhaps because his company, Luxottica, price-fixes sunglasses and sells them at astronomical rates in proportion to what they cost to make them. More power to him. Luxottica owns (probably) every sunglasses chain store and brand you've ever heard of: Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters, Ray-Ban, Oakley, among others. Yep, they're all part of the same company.
Del Vecchio is the richest man in Italy and the 37th richest man in the world. Though he only has a high school education, he was smart enough to know people will buy $200 Ray-Bans because most people with money (and people who don't have money) care about the status involved in a price tag. Especially if that price tag is on a shiny new pair of Ray-Bans.
Abigail Johnson is the granddaughter of the founder of Fidelity Investments. In 2014, she became the president and CEO of the company. In 2016, Forbes ranked her as the 16th most powerful person in the world, probably because she oversees $2.1 trillion in worldwide investors' savings, pensions, and investments.
However, Johnson isn't ostentatious—she's a grinder. One of her most important philosophies, which keeps her grounded, is to know that your job is never done. Her friends call her Abby and she dresses, as one publication put it, "soberly."
When he was a kid, he used to buy candy in bulk and sell it to other kids. This curiosity for money led Nigerian-born Aliko Dangote to become the richest man in Africa with a net worth of $12.9 billion as of June 2016. The Dangote Group is a world leader in cement production with other companies manufacturing salt, sugar and flour.
As recently as September, Dangote invested more than $170 million in the production of rice and sugarcane in Nasarawa, Nigeria.
