03-11-2010, 05:32 PM | #1 (permalink) | |
warrior bodhisattva
Super Moderator
Location: East-central Canada
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Bill Gates no longer the world's richest person
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Not only has a Mexican telecom tycoon taken over as the world's richest person, but two billionaires from India are ranked 4th and 5th. What's more, 64% of new billionaires are from Asia, and, for the first time, China has the most billionaires after the united states, with 64, followed by Russia, with 62. (Source: Carlos Slim tops annual list of billionaires - dnaindia.com) Much of this shakeup in the world of wealth-building can be attributed to the huge surge in emerging economies. I find this interesting, because often when we think of Mexico, India, and China, we think of the poverty and Third World conditions that have plagued them for so long. But now this? China is booming. Its citizens have double-digit savings rates. India is booming as well. I can't help but think that the world economy and politics as we know it will see a shift over the next decade or so if things continue as they have.
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 03-11-2010 at 05:37 PM.. |
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03-11-2010, 05:57 PM | #2 (permalink) |
The Reforms
Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition
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The ranks of millionaires, now more than ten million strong, are swelling one BRIC at a time. That's because Brazil, Russia, India, and China are enjoying some of the highest rates of growth in millionaires. According to an annual report on world wealth, the population of those with a million U.S. dollars in assets, not including home value, rose most last year in stock-strong India (up 23%), manufacturing giant China (20%), and ethanol-exporting Brazil (19%), with gas-and oil-rich Russia (14%) surging too. They're joining the usual suspects: the U.S. (the most millionaires total), Switzerland (most per capita), North America (per continent).
But whether you’re from a BRIC or an Old Money nation, a million bucks isn’t what it used to be. Thanks to global inflation, it's now worth a mere $455,000 in 1983 dollars. So has being a millionaire lost its cachet? That’s rich. “The word is fixed in the popular imagination,” says sociologist Leonard Beeghley. “It’s still what people aspire to. Perception hasn’t caught up with economic reality.” —Jeremy Berlin millonarios%2Bdel%2Bmundo.jpg SHOW ME THE MONEY In 2007, the world's 10.1 million millionaires were worth $40.7 trillion. These are the nations with the most millionaires per capita: 1 Switzerland (2.7% of population) 2 United Arab Emirates (1.8%) 3 Singapore (1.7%) 4 Norway (1.3%) 5 Japan (1.2%) 6 United States and Germany (1%) GRAPHIC: OLIVER UBERTI, NG STAFF; ZACH FERRIOLA-BRUCKENSTEIN SOURCE: CAPGEMINI/MERRILL LYNCH, WORLD WEALTH REPORT, 2008 [Nat'l Geo.]
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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 03-11-2010 at 06:40 PM.. Reason: Merged double post. |
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