How world’s richest woman that hardly anyone has heard of made her fortune
It seems that the phrase 'money talks, wealth whispers' rings true when it comes to the richest woman in the world, as hardly anyone has heard of her.
Alice Walton has got her fingers in more than a few pies and is absolutely flush with cash.
Although she's a few billion shy of giving the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, a run for his money, she's not doing half bad.
The 75-year-old, from the US state of Arkansas, has just dethroned L'Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers as the richest female on the planet.
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Despite bearing a name that made her stinking rich and would open more than a few doors upon her introduction, Alice largely stays under the radar.
And in a world full of flexers, that's no small feat.
Who is Alice Walton?
Alice is the daughter of the late Walmart founder Sam Walton, and by extension, is one of the heirs to his retail fortune.
She and her surviving brothers, Rob and Jim, as well as her nephew Lukas, have all reaped the rewards of their father's business acumen.
Their combined wealth totals nearly $400 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index - but none of them garishly flash their cash.
Alice in particular prefers focusing on philanthropic endeavours rather than Walmart's profits, while she's also extremely passionate about art.
After wrapping up her career as an equity analyst, money manager and broker, she went on to become the first person to chair the Northwest Arkansas Council.
How did Alice Walton make so much money?
The short answer to how Alice made so much money is obviously her extraordinary inheritance - but there's a few other things to unpack, too.
Her dad set up the ownership of Walmart's stock into a family partnership prior to his death, so each of his children held 20 percent.
In his 1992 autobiography Made in America, Alice's father described her as being 'the most like me - a maverick - but even more volatile than I am'.
The richest woman in the world has managed to retain and increase her wealth in the years since Sam's death, despite donating hundreds of millions to good causes.
As well as this, she's got an immense private art collection which would be the envy of some of the world's most respected galleries.
Works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Georgia O'Keeffe are among Alice's prized possessions.
She also opened up the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in her hometown in July this year - and she's footing the bill for tuition for the first five graduating classes.
What is Alice Walton’s net worth?
In case you hadn't gathered, Alice could buy and sell the lot of us, as she boasts a staggering net worth of $101billion, according to Forbes.
Her bank balance got a sweet $28.7 billion boost this year after Walmart's stock soared by 40 percent.
Hot on her heels for the title of the richest woman in the world is Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who's believed to be worth $81.6billion.
Taking the bronze is Julia Koch, who has a fortune of $74.2billion after she inherited a stake in Koch Industries from her late husband David.
Only a measly 13 percent of billionaires are women, so let's get going, girls!
Topics: News, US News, Money, Celebrity Net Worth
Olivia Burke