The Waltons – who became the richest family in the world by inheriting Wal-Mart – are going to make a stealth appearance in the State Of The Union tonight when President Obama discusses his proposals to close tax loopholes that unfairly benefit the ultra-rich.
The new Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America is out today and the four Walton heirs who own Walmart are all in the top ten once again.
The Walmart heirs are donating very little of their growing $145 billion1 in wealth and lag far behind their peers at the top of The Forbes 400, according to a new analysis by the Walmart1Percent of charitable giving by America’s ten richest people between 2008 and 2013.
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down certain limits on individuals’ federal campaign contributions, with a ruling on McCutcheon v. FEC. The Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the cap on the aggregate amount that an individual can give directly to candidates for federal office, federal political action committees, and federal party committees.
City officials in Green Bay, WI, are fighting a proposed Walmart in the city’s historic Broadway district, but one state lawmaker has voiced a different opinion. State Representative John Klenke has said this week that he will ask the state’s Building Commission to reconsider $2 million set aside for the expansion of the city’s convention center if the city blocks the Walmart opening.
Today, Forbes released its annual list of the 400 richest Americans. Not only can the Waltons still count themselves as the richest family in America, but their net worth rose 25% in the last six months. The six Waltons on the list—Christy, Alice, Jim, Rob, Ann, and Nancy—are worth a combined $144.7 billion, up $29 billion from the last Forbes tally in March. It’s as if the richest Waltons found a long-lost, equally affluent sibling.
This week, Forbes released its annual billionaires issue. Predictably, the Waltons, whose wealth is derived almost exclusively from their holdings in Walmart, rank among the richest people on the planet. Six of them appear on the Forbes Billionaires list, and they are collectively worth $115.7 billion. Sam Walton’s heirs rank among the top 20 richest people on the planet and his brother Bud’s children are further down the list—but still miles above the rest of us:
Forbes came out with their list of wealthiest Americans today, and it’s been another good year for the Waltons. Four Waltons—Christy, Jim, Alice, and Rob—find themselves in the top ten, and two more Waltons round out the top 100. The Waltons are now worth $115 billion, making them far and away the richest family in America.
Walton Family now richer than nearly 50 million American families combined
Walmart’s stock has been trading near record highs over the past few weeks, which got us thinking about the Waltons’ wealth. Sam Walton’s three living children—Alice, Jim, and Rob—own or control over half of the company’s shares. They, along with their sister-in-law Christy Walton and cousins Ann Walton Kroenke and Nancy Walton Laurie, regularly make appearances on the Forbes 400. Walmart is the source of much of their wealth—when Walmart’s stock price soars, so does the family’s wealth.
