Blog

To understand just how successful Warren Buffett has been during his six-decade run atop Berkshire Hathaway Inc., consider this: Even his $167 billion fortune doesn’t come close to capturing his wealth and influence.

Over the course of nearly 20 years, Buffett, 94, has gifted Berkshire shares worth more than $60 billion at the time of donation. That stock would now be worth some $230 billion, according to Bloomberg calculations.Warren has demonstrated through word and deed how to live an impactful and fulfilling life,” said Seth Klarman, chief executive officer of hedge fund Baupost Group, one of many billionaires to offer emotional tributes in the wake of news that Buffett will retire from running Berkshire at the end of the year.

Although Buffett had long stated his fortune would go to charity when he died, his giving was modest for much of his career, made through a foundation he set up in the 1960s that he later renamed for his late wife, Susan. But in 2006 he changed tack sharply, announcing he intended to give away 85% of his wealth, then valued at around $44 billion, starting immediately.Were we to use more than 1% of my claim checks on ourselves,” he wrote in the letter, referring to Berkshire stock, “neither our happiness nor our well-being would be enhanced. In contrast, that remaining 99% can have a huge effect on the health and welfare of others.”

Last year, he outlined in more detail in a letter to Berkshire shareholders what would happen to his remaining fortune when he died. His three children, Howard, Peter and Susie, will be tasked with donating his remaining shares, and will have to be in unanimous agreement on every decision. Separately, he confirmed the Gates Foundation, whose board he resigned from in 2021, would stop receiving gifts upon his death. Gates announced last week he plans to double his foundation’s giving and close it down in 2045.

Buffett never strayed too far, physically or in spirit, from his modest Nebraska roots. The son of a politician, he delivered papers and sold candy door-to-door as a boy to support his early fascination with the stock market and investing. He attended graduate school at Columbia University, where he studied under economist Ben Graham, the vaunted father of value investing.

Britain’s King Charles III saw his wealth grow by around GBP 30 million over the past year to hit GBP 640 million in the 2025 ‘Sunday Times Rich List’ released on Friday, with the 76-year-old monarch climbing 20 places to rank 238th alongside former prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty.

The annual tally of the country’s 350 wealthiest individuals and families was topped for the fourth consecutive year by the Indian-origin Hinduja family, with an estimated fortune of GBP 35.3 billion, despite taking a hit of GBP 2 billion since May 2024.Awarding licences to build wind farms has helped the Crown Estate double its profits, increasing the sovereign grant, which funds the royal family’s official activities,” the newspaper notes with reference to Charles’ boosted fortunes.

“We exclude the majority of royal assets from the King’s valuation because they are owned ‘in the right of the Crown’ and are not personal holdings. His Balmoral and Sandringham estates in Scotland and Norfolk, as well as an investment portfolio also inherited from his late mother [Queen Elizabeth II], account for the bulk of his wealth,” it notes.

Meanwhile, Sunak saw a dent in his family fortunes since last year with Murty’s stake in Infosys losing some of its value on the stock market, but the couple’s combined estimated fortunes of GBP 640 million means they improved their rank from last year’s 245th.

“Since leaving Downing Street, Sunak has taken a part-time role at Stanford University and signed up to the lucrative Washington Speakers Bureau,” reads ‘The Sunday Times’ analysis.His wife’s stake in Infosys, her father’s Bangalore-based IT firm, paid out GBP 7.5 million of dividends last year but has lost some of its value. The couple have launched a charity to tackle numeracy problems,” it adds.

Besides the Hinduja family, the top 10 of the 2025 ‘Sunday Times Rich List’ sees another set of India-born brothers, David and Simon Reuben, build on their wealth to rise to second place from last year’s third, with a fortune estimated at around GBP 26.87 billion.

At No. 8 is NRI tycoon of Arcelor Mittal steelworks Lakshmi N. Mittal, who holds on to his rank with an estimated GBP 15.44 billion. Vedanta Resources’ industrialist Anil Agarwal with an estimated GBP 7.5 billion is at No. 25.Other Indian-origin billionaires on the 2025 list include textiles entrepreneur Prakash Lohia at No. 31 with an estimated GBP 6.02 billion; retail majors Mohsin and Zuber Issa at No. 32 with GBP 6 billion; and pharma chiefs Navin and Varsha Engineer at 48 with GBP 3.45 billion. Among the top 100 richest Britons are brothers Simon, Bobby and Robin Arora at No. 69 with GBP 2.57 billion and leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul and family ranked 81st with an estimated wealth of GBP 2 billion.

On the whole, the latest edition of the rich list reveals the sharpest fall in billionaire numbers in its 37-year history – sliding to 156 this year from 165 in 2024.This year – the 37th edition – has been one of the toughest to compile due to [US President] Donald Trump’s tariffs and the ensuing stock market turbulence,” said Robert Watts, compiler of the annual rankings for ‘The Sunday Times’.

“It shows the third year in a row that collective wealth has fallen and the biggest drop in the number of UK billionaires in the Rich List history. It is a stark reflection of the state of UK wealth,” he said.

The valuations for this year’s list were carried out between November 2024 and April 2025.

Cathy Chui, a former actress and now a prominent Hong Kong socialite, received gifts worth over HK$2 billion (Rs 2,134 crore rupees) from her billionaire father-in-law, Lee Shau Kee, before his death on March 17. Married to Martin Lee, Chui was gifted a HK$50 million education fund, land valued at HK$1.82 billion, a HK$110 million luxury yacht, and a mansion, among other lavish presents, according to reports from The Standard and VnExpress. She earned the nickname “Hundred-billion daughter-in-law” in the tabloids due to the extravagant gifts she received over the years.

In 2006, Chui tied the knot with Martin Lee in a union dubbed the “wedding of the century.” Initially, tabloids reduced her role to that of a “baby machine” after she had four children in rapid succession. However, she has since evolved into a pivotal figure in the family, recognised for her discretion, resilience, and calculated presence in both business and high society.

Cathy Chui, also known as Cathy Tsui or Cathy Lee, is a former Hong Kong actress turned socialite, born in 1982 in Sydney, Australia. She gained prominence after marrying Martin Lee Ka-shing, son of the late billionaire property tycoon Lee Shau Kee, founder of Henderson Land Development. Their 2006 wedding, dubbed ”the wedding of the century” by the media, was a lavish event costing millions.

Chui is the only daughter-in-law in the Lee family, one of Hong Kong’s wealthiest, and has four children with Martin, born between 2007 and 2015. 

Now 43, Chui is taking on more prominent roles in investments and family business, according to Malaysia’s Sin Chew Daily. Recently, she leveraged several properties gifted by her late father-in-law to secure HK$5 billion for a UK retirement real estate project. Chui is focused on securing her children’s futures within the family business, with her 15-year-old daughter studying at the University of Cambridge and her eldest daughter interning at Henderson Land, the family’s flagship company. She has also appointed her father to the company’s board of directors.Beyond business, Chui maintains her elite status through charity events and family business promotions. Despite a low-key social media presence, she holds honorary roles as chairperson and event ambassador, solidifying her position among the elite alongside prominent women like Olympic champion Guo Jingjing and Kimbee Chan. 

Tatler Asia has highlighted her as a prominent figure in philanthropy, and in 2018, she was honoured with the amfAR Award of Courage for her contributions to society.

Liechtenstein is examining tightening control of scores of Russian-linked trusts abandoned by their managers under pressure from Washington, according to several people familiar with the matter.

The country, one of the world’s smallest and richest, is home to thousands of low-tax trusts, hundreds of which have links to Russians, two of the people with direct knowledge of the matter said, putting it in the crosshairs of Western efforts to sanction Moscow.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US Treasury has sanctioned several individuals and trusts in Liechtenstein it said were linked to Russian oligarchs, including Vladimir Potanin, and a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Gennady Timchenko.

The US Treasury had no immediate comment. 

Potanin’s Interros holding company did not respond to a request for comment, while Timchenko could not be reached.     

That sanctioning has prompted other directors fearing such punishment to quit hundreds of Russian-linked trusts, according to several people familiar with the matter, exposing a far wider problem with Russian money in the tiny country with a populated of about 40,000

The episode, in a sleepy Alpine enclave ruled by a billionaire royal family, also shows how deep and opaque Russia’s business ties to Europe remain more than three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

It is a setback for the microstate that had long sought to shed its image as a safe haven for foreign wealth.

The mass resignations have put scores of trusts in limbo, essentially freezing swathes of Russian wealth. The trusts are the linchpin for fortunes, including yachts or property, that are scattered around the globe. 

Their suspension puts that property beyond reach, a further potential lever over Russia, amid attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to strike a peace deal.

Reuters has spoken to several people with direct knowledge of these events, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

They outlined how a push by Washington had led scores of directors to quit trusts with links to Russia and how the government was scrambling to resolve the crisis.

belonged to a powerful regional family near Mattsies, Bavaria. Genetic analysis showed he had light hair and blue eyes, and anatomical studies suggest he died from an ear infection that developed into a chronic illness.

Aristocratic Bavarian Toddler Buried With Sword, Silk, and Piglet in Roman-Era Villa Tomb

As per a translated statement from Bavarian state archaeologists, the child’s tomb was found within a Roman-era villa that had later been repurposed, possibly reflecting the family’s desire for a high-status burial. The sealed stone chamber was frozen in liquid nitrogen, then excavated as a single block to preserve its immaculate contents. Radiocarbon dating puts the burial between A.D. 670 and 680; enamel isotopes point to the infant having lived and died locally.Inside the grave, the boy was placed on a fur blanket and dressed in leather and silk — a textile linked to Byzantine trade and exceptional wealth. Silver spurs were found on his shoes, and a small sword hung from an ornate belt. A gold cross was embedded in fabric placed near the body, possibly reflecting early Christian practices, although Bavaria wasn’t fully Christianised until after Charlemagne’s rule.The burial chamber also held nuts, apples, and a pear, suggesting ceremonial food offerings. What were once thought to be dog bones turned out to be those of a dismembered piglet, potentially cooked as part of burial rites. The inclusion of a bronze basin, comb, bowl, and silver-fitted cup further suggests an elite burial.

Renovations to the Roman villa site after the death of the lad testify to its long-term usage as a family monument. The great preservation and abundance of burial goods reflect the aristocratic origins of the child and provide uncommon understanding of early mediaeval Bavarian society.

The burial chamber also held nuts, apples, and a pear, suggesting ceremonial food offerings. What were once thought to be dog bones turned out to be those of a dismembered piglet, potentially cooked as part of burial rites. The inclusion of a bronze basin, comb, bowl, and silver-fitted cup further suggests an elite burial.

Renovations to the Roman villa site after the death of the lad testify to its long-term usage as a family monument. The great preservation and abundance of burial goods reflect the aristocratic origins of the child and provide uncommon understanding of early mediaeval Bavarian society.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!