15 Of The Richest Women In The World

Life

For years, Liliane Bettencourt was the richest woman on the planet. As the daughter of Eugene Schueller, the founder of L’Oreal, Bettencourt inherited a massive fortune when her father passed away in 1957. With a combination of her own business sense and the groundwork that had already been put in by her father, L’Oreal quickly became one of the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty companies. With an estimated net worth of $44,000,000,000, Liliane Bettencourt could do just about whatever she wanted with her money. On 21 September 2017, Liliane Bettencourt passed away and everyone is unsure who will inherit her massive fortune. It’s believed that her daughter, Louise Doncieux, will take over her Liliane Bettencourt’s shares in L’Oreal, but that can’t be said for certain.

For now, since Liliane Bettencourt’s fortune is currently unaccounted for, we’re all left wondering: who is the new richest woman on the planet? It seems that many of the world’s richest women inherited their fortunes from their fathers or grandfathers. Though that’s the case for some, there are a number of women on this list who built their own fortune or used the millions of dollars they inherited and turned it into billions.

We’ve compiled a list of the richest women alive for you to scroll through. Whether you hate how they were born rich, admire their business skills, or are straight-up jealous with the life that these women live, one thing is for certain: these women are way too rich. The lowest earning billionaire on this list will have more money than every reader of this article will ever have, combined. It’s insane.

15. Margaretta Taylor — Cox Enterprises — $8,500,000,000

Margaretta Taylor entered the world as one of the luckiest women on the planet. The reason for this is because she was the daughter of Anne Cox Chambers, who owned 49.9% of Cox Enterprises, a company started by her father, James M. Cox. Though the company isn’t recognizable on a global scale, Cox Enterprises is a massive media conglomerate based in Atlanta, Georgia. Cox Enterprises focuses on broadcast media, telecommunications, journalism, and automotive services.

In 2015, Margaretta Taylor’s mother, Anne Cox Chambers, divided her 49.9% share in Cox Enterprises among her three children. Her children, Margaretta Taylor, Katharine Rayner, and James Cox Chambers, were given equal shares worth about $8.5 billion. Despite not having any involvement in the company, Margaretta was given nearly 17% of the company. While she tries to stay out of the spotlight, her son Alex is Cox Enterprises Chief Operating Officer and director. Instead of hoarding her inherited fortune, Margaretta Taylor regularly donates to the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Atlanta Humane Society.

14. Katharine Rayner — Cox Enterprises — $8,500,000,000

Katharine Rayner acquired her $8.5 billion fortune in the same way that her sister Margaretta Taylor did: she inherited it. Cut from the same cloth, Katharine Rayner and Margaretta Taylor are among the luckiest people ever born because they were born into one of the wealthiest families in the world. The Cox family owns Cox Enterprises, an automotive and media conglomerate. The company is known for controlling publications, like The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and owning brands such as Autotrader.com. Katherine and Margaretta never have to work a day in their lives or worry about not being able to survive. Even their great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren won’t have to worry about going poor.

Now 74 years of age, Katharine Rayner lives her life donating to charities. She currently sits on the board of the Morgan Library, the New York Public Library, and the Animal Rescue Fund. What a life Katharine Rayner must live!

...[ Continue to next page ]