Our Writers · 2026-10-22
How to Become Rich in 2026: What the World's Richest People Actually Did
Everybody wants the short answer to "how do I become rich?". The honest one is visible in our own rankings: on 22 October 2026 nine of the ten richest people in the world owe their fortune to one company they founded or led, and almost all of it is still held in that company's shares.
They own, they don't earn
Elon Musk ($989 B), Jeff Bezos ($381 B), Larry Page ($275 B), Sergey Brin ($253 B), Michael Dell ($249 B), Mark Zuckerberg ($239 B), Jensen Huang ($192 B) and Larry Ellison ($170 B) are founders. None of them is rich because of a salary. The lesson for a normal income is the same at a smaller scale: a share of something that grows beats any pay rise.
They started small and early
The founders on the list were in their twenties or early thirties when they started, and most of the value came decades later. Time is the one ingredient everyone has; the rich simply used it longer. Charlie Munger's famous advice, reported by Tianxia (天下雜誌), is to save the first $100,000 before expecting anything to compound.
They stayed in their lane
Technology produced 14 of the 50 largest fortunes on our list, finance and investments 11, fashion and retail 9. Each fortune comes from one industry the founder understood better than anyone. The 16 industries that have made America's richest people, from tech to trucking (Business Insider) makes the same point for the United States.
They are patient when others are not
The billionaire investor David Einhorn, quoted by Business Insider Japan (Business Insider Japan), complains that young people lack patience for building assets and buying a home. Patience is unglamorous, and it is exactly what the rankings reward.
They keep the habits boring
Lists such as Chosun Ilbo: 7 habits of Americans who quietly build wealth (조선일보) and Epoch Times: 3 things the rich avoid buying (大紀元) agree on the basics: spend less than you earn, avoid expensive debt, invest the difference regularly. The math is simple; the discipline is the hard part.
They accept risk
A founder's fortune can fall as fast as it rises: Los más ricos del mundo perdieron US$ 50.000 millones en pocas horas tras un dato que sacudió a Wall Street (Forbes Argentina) reported that the richest lost $50 billion in a few hours after a single market data point. Becoming rich means owning assets that move — and not selling in panic when they do.
What you can do this year
Own a slice of growth (a business, or broad shares through a fund), give it years, keep costs low and add to it every month. It is slower than a lottery ticket, and it is the method the people on our list actually used.
Figures: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires and companiesmarketcap.com as shown on our rankings on 22 October 2026; net worth is an estimate and moves every trading day. This article is information, not financial advice.
Sources:
our richest people ranking; 查理蒙格：想致富就先存到10萬美元 (天下雜誌); The 16 industries that have made America's richest people, from tech to trucking (Business Insider); 「若者たちは、資産形成や住宅購入への忍耐が足りない」。億万長者投資家アインホーン氏が苦言 (Business Insider Japan); 静かに富を築く米国人の7習慣 (조선일보); 富人避而不買而普通人常消費的3種東西 (大紀元); Los más ricos del mundo perdieron US$ 50.000 millones en pocas horas tras un dato que sacudió a Wall Street (Forbes Argentina).