2 billionaire Waltons rise on top-10 list

Christy Walton held on to her title as the world's richest woman, and she and Jim Walton both moved up one spot in the top 10 of the 2015 Forbes list of the world's billionaires released Monday.

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, kept his spot at the planet's richest man with $79.2 billion, a gain of $3.2 billion from last year. He has been ranked No. 1 for 16 of the past 21 years.

Gates' rival for the list's top spot, telecommunications giant Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico, remained at No. 2, with $77.1 billion. He has topped the list four times in the past.

Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of holding company Berkshire Hathaway, held steady at No. 3, with $72.7 billion. Mark Zuckerberg, the man behind Facebook, pushed into the top 20 for the first time, landing at No. 16 with $33.4 billion.

There were a record 1,826 billionaires on the 2015 count and ranking, with a total worth of $7.05 trillion, up from $6.4 trillion last year. The average worth of those making the list this year was $3.86 billion, a drop of $60 million from 2014's ranking. All told 138 people dropped off the list, while 19 died.

The magazine said currency markets and political upheaval around the world influenced the list, a strong dollar helping the U.S. and a weaker euro hurting Europe. This is the 29th year Forbes has produced tallies of the richest people in the world.

The U.S. leads the list with 536 billionaires, China followed with 213, Germany had 103, India 90 and Russia 88.

There were 197 women who made the list this year, a new record, up from 172 in 2014. Women made up 11 percent of the billionaires on the 2015 list. The United States had the most women billionaires with 67.

The richest woman on the list is Christy Walton of Jackson, Wyo., now No. 8 on the list with a net worth of $41.7 billion, up one spot from 2014. Last year, she regained the top spot from France's Liliane Bettencourt of L'Oreal, who now ranks 10th with $40.1 billion.

Christy Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. founder Sam Walton's son who died in an ultralight aircraft crash in 2005. She has ranked as the richest woman in the world on the Forbes list five of the past six years.

Jim Walton of Bentonville, chairman and CEO of Arvest Bank Group and a son of Sam Walton, moved up one spot in the top-10 list to No. 9 with $40.6 billion.

Much of the wealth of the Waltons and their relatives comes from Wal-Mart stock. In 2014 shares saw steady gains and have traded between $72.61 and $90.97 over the past year. Wal-Mart shares closed Monday at $83.96 on the New York Stock Exchange.

The only daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton of Fort Worth, the founder of Bentonville's Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, ranked No. 11 with $39.4 billion, up from No. 13 last year. S. Robson Walton of Bentonville, the eldest son in the family and Wal-Mart's chairman, ranked No. 12 with $39.1 billion, up from No. 14 in 2014.

The biggest gainer is Warren Buffett who saw $14.5 billion added to his wealth.

China was home of four of the overall list's top 10 gainers and had the most newcomers with 71. Russia had 28 billionaires fall off the list, the most for the year.

Self-made billionaires accounted for about two-thirds of the list. Inheritance accounted for 230 on the list, and 405 inherited some of their money but are still adding to it. There were 46 on the list who were 40 years old or younger, a record.

Five people who call Arkansas home or have ties to the state saw their rankings increase, some quite dramatically.

Ann Walton Kroenke of Columbia, Mo., daughter of Wal-Mart co-founder James "Bud" Walton, Sam's brother, ranked No. 265 with $5.6 billion, up significantly from No. 305. Nancy Walton Laurie of Henderson, Nev., another daughter of Bud Walton, ranked No. 341 with $4.7 billion, up from No. 367.

Warren Stephens, chief executive officer of Little Rock-based investment bank Stephens Inc., ranked No. 628 with $2.9 billion, up from No. 687 in 2014. Las Vegas-based Stephens' Media is in the process of selling most of its operations, including 19 publications in Arkansas, to the New York-based New Media Investment group for $102.5 million.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and a former Arkansas Razorback, ranked No. 393 with $4.2 billion, jumping nearly 160 places from No. 551 last year. He owns oil and gas wells and has invested in real estate in the Dallas suburbs.

Johnelle Hunt of Rogers, an entrepreneur and the widow of J.B. Hunt, founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. in Lowell, ranked No. 810 with $2.3 billion, up from No. 828 last year.

The Forbes list is based on an assessment of the billionaires' wealth as of Feb. 13, according to the magazine. The list ranks individuals and not large families that share substantial fortunes. It does not include royal family members, royalty or dictators.

A Section on 03/03/2015

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