The Waltons, the folks behind Walmart, just retained their crown as the richest family in the world, with a jaw-dropping $432 billion.
That’s more than Elon Musk’s fortune and more than the entire GDP of countries like Greece or Hungary. Wild, right? So, who are the people behind all this money?
Well, it all began in 1962 in the United States, when two brothers, Sam and Bud Walton, started Walmart in a small town in Arkansas. Fast forward a few decades, and their family now runs the show across continents. The fortune is currently held by six major heirs:
Rob Walton – Sam’s eldest son. Former Walmart chairman. Also part-owner of the Denver Broncos NFL team. His net worth stands at $116.7 billion.
Jim Walton – Sam’s youngest. He runs Arvest Bank — kind of like the family vault. His net worth is at $115.5 billion.
Alice Walton – The art lover. Her collection is worth millions, and she’s big into museums. Her fortune stands at $107.6 billion.
Lukas Walton – Grandson of Sam. His dad John passed away in a plane crash, and Lukas inherited a big chunk of the wealth, which now totals to $40.1 billion.
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The other two key heirs of Walton family are the daughters of Sam’s brother, Bud Walton.
Ann Walton Kroenke is married to Stan Kroenke, who owns sports teams like Arsenal. Her net worth is around $10 billion.
Nancy Walton Laurie – Bud’s other daughter. She owns Kaos, a 300 million dollar mega-yacht that literally looks like a Bond villain’s HQ. Her fortune is also just shy of $10 billion, at $9.1 billion.
Together, these six control Walmart through Walton Enterprises and the Walton Family Holdings Trust, giving them majority control and long-term influence.
So yeah… from one small-town store to dominating global retail, the Walton family’s journey is one of vision, control, and crazy generational wealth.
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