8 Richest Americans 2013-2014 | AmericaWakieWakie

"Within this culture wealth is measured by our ability to consume and destroy."

— Frank Castro | Start Searching, We’ll Need Two More Planets

“Only when the last tree has died, the last river been poisoned, and the last fish been caught, will we realize we cannot eat money.”

— Cree Proverb

1. Bill Gates
Net Worth: $67 billion (2013) $79.1 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: Microsoft

2.  Warren Buffett
Net worth: $53.5 billion (2013) $72.3 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway

3.  Larry Ellison
Net worth: $43 billion (2013) $54.5 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: Oracle

4.  Charles Koch
Net worth: $34 billion (2013) $43 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: diversified

5.  David Koch
Net worth: $34 billion (2013) $43 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: diversified

6.  Christy Walton & family
Net worth: $28.2 billion (2013) $40.8 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: Wal-Mart

7.  Michael Bloomberg
Net worth: $27 billion (2013) $35.8 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: Bloomberg LP

8.  Jim Walton
Net worth: $26.7 billion (2013) $39.8 billion (2014)
Source of wealth: Wal-Mart

Aggregated Total Net Increase: $94.9 billion

"All together the 400 wealthiest Americans are worth a staggering $2.29 trillion, up $270 billion from a year ago. That’s about the same as the gross domestic product of Brazil, a country of 200 million people." 

— Inside The 2014 Forbes 400: Facts And Figures About America’s Wealthiest | Forbes

Editor’s Note: The discrepancy between the photo’s increase in the 8 Wealthiest Americans and my 8 Richest Americans is likely due to the fact that Alice Walton rose while Michael Bloomberg dropped from the top 8, a shift not reflected above. Figures where gathered via Forbes.