Top 10 richest Americans - CSMonitor.com

 

10. Sheldon Adelson

Net worth: $24.3 billion

Wealth source: Casinos

Residence: Las Vegas

World ranking: 19th

Mr. Adelson is the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands

9. Alice Walton

Net Worth: $26.1 billion

Wealth source: Wal-Mart

Residence: Fort Worth, Texas

World Ranking: 16^th

Ms. Walton is the youngest daughter of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. founder Sam Walton and the first of four Walton family heirs on the list

8. Rob Walton

Net Worth: $26.6 billion

Wealth source: Wal-Mart

Residence: Bentonville, Ark.

World Ranking: 15th

The eldest Walton son has been chairman of the retailer since his father Sam Walton’s death 20 years ago

7. Jim Walton

Net Worth: $27.1 billion

Wealth Source: Wal-Mart

Residence: Bentonville, Ark.

World Ranking: 13th

The younger Walton son manages the family’s private business ventures and serves as the chairman for the Walton-owned Arvest bank

6. Christy Walton

Net worth: 28.7 billion

Wealth source: Wal-Mart, First Solar

Residence: Jackson, Wyo.

World Ranking: 11^th

Christy Walton is the widowed second wife of John T. Walton, who passed away in 2005. In addition to a 9.8 percent stake in Wal-Mart, she has made a fortune in shares from First Solar, the second-largest solar panel manufacturer in the world

5. Larry Ellison

Net worth: $40.3 billion

Wealth source: Oracle

Residence: Woodside, Calif.

 

World Ranking: 8^th

Mr. Ellison holds a 23.5 percent stake in Oracle, the largest database company in the world. He also owns nearly half of NetSuite and a shares of LeapFrog, maker of educational software and tablets for children.

4. David Koch (tie)

Net worth: $41.3 billion

Wealth source: Koch Industries

Residence: New York

World Ranking: Tied for 6th

Koch co-owns Koch Industries with his brother Charles and serves as the company’s executive vice president. A Manhattan resident, he is on the board of several charitable organizations in the city, including Lincoln Center, Sloan Kettering, and the American Museum of Natural History, which named its dinosaur wing after him. He was the vice presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party in 1980

3. Charles Koch (tie)

Net worth: $41.3 billion

Wealth source: Koch Industries

Residence: Wichita, Kan.

World ranking Tied for 6^th

The elder Koch brother is the CEO of Koch industries and, like his brother David, owns a 42 percent share in the company. The siblings have expanded dramatically the business they inherited from their father, Fred. Originally involved mainly in oil refining, Koch Industries is involved in a wide variety of ventures, including pollution control, minerals, and ranching.

2. Warren Buffett

Net worth: $50.2 billion

Wealth source: Berkshire Hathaway

Residence: Omaha, Neb.

World Rank: 4^th

Mr. Buffett is widely considered the best investor of the past century. His investment firm Berkshire Hathaway operates a broad range of businesses, including Geico insurance and MidAmerican Energy. It also owns over $1 billion in Coca-Cola stock, as well as shares of Procter & Gamble and American Express.

Buffett has pledged to give away nearly all of his wealth to charitable causes, and is lately famous for being an outspoken advocate of higher tax rates for wealthy Americans.

1. Bill Gates

Net worth: $63.3 billion

Wealth source: Microsoft

Residence: Medina, Wash.

World rank: 2nd

He’s famous for dropping out of Harvard and founding Microsoft, the largest software company in the world. But since stepping down as Microsoft’s chief executive officer in 2000, Mr. Gates’s energies have been largely devoted to philanthropic work through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He and his wife, Melinda, had given nearly $28 billion to charity as of 2007, and reportedly plan to give away 95 percent of their wealth.

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These 2 Tax Charts Tell You Exactly Who Won the Fiscal-Cliff Deal - Matthew O'Brien - The Atlantic

 

There are three big tax stories here, all adding up to modest tax increases for the bottom 99 percent, and much bigger tax increases for the top 1 percent.

(1) Five-year extension of the stimulus tax credits. The 2009 stimulus expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and the 2012 fiscal cliff deal extended all of them for an additional five years. ….a big deal to households earning $20,000 and less. It's a safety net done the way conservatives like it, since households have to work to get these credits.

(2) Expiration of the payroll tax cut holiday. The worker's half of the payroll tax had been cut two full percentage points, from 6.2 to 4.2 percent, the past two years. Now that's over. …

(3) Return of Clinton-era rates (or more) for income over $400,000/$450,000. …..The deal also brought back limits on deductions and exemptions for high-earners, known as Pease and PEP, …..capital gains and dividends -- rates rise from 15 to 23.8 percent, with the last 3.8 percent due to the Obamacare surtax, for individual/joint filers making $400,000/$450,000. Remember, the top 0.1 percent of households account for half of all capital gains, so this is no small thing

Click on the following to read all of the story:  These 2 Tax Charts Tell You Exactly Who Won the Fiscal-Cliff Deal - Matthew O'Brien - The Atlantic

2013 District 100 Board Election

Mr. Van Evera, Mr. Smiley, Mrs. Norem, Mr. Fox have terms that are expiring and are not running.

Mr. Cunningham, a previously elected board member, who was appointed after Mr. Powell’s resignation, will be running unopposed for a two year term.

Kelly Diamond will be running unopposed for a four year term.

Five candidates (McGowen, Baird, Torbert, LaPier and Maville) are vying for the three, four year terms for the Belvidere Township positions.

Voters from the entire district will be voting for all of these positions.

 

 

Poplar Grove eyes code regulating property maintenance | Belvidere Daily Republican

The administration committee took a look at a proposal from the village’s new code enforcement officer, Phil Long, while agreeing Dec, 27 that more study was required before it could offer a recommendation

Poplar Grove eyes code regulating property maintenance | Belvidere Daily Republican

Some escape expense of having elections in 2013 | Belvidere Daily Republican

The election field changed in the past week in the city of Belvidere, with two Independent candidates joining the list of those running for mayor. They were Ed Marx and Mark Sanderson. Also running are Republican Mike Chamberlain and Democrat Andy Racz.

They won’t be on the ballot until the April 9 general election.

That’s also true of the various contests for seats on the city council.

In Ward 2 newcomers Samantha J. Brown, a Republican, is running against Independent Verla Olson for the seat being vacated by Bob Bowley, who is not seeking re-election.

The Ward 4 race has incumbent Republican George F. Crawford being challenged by Democrat Francis J. Egan.

And in Ward 5 newcomers Chris Berner, a Republican, is competing with Independent James O. Campbell for the seat given up by Sanderson, so he could run for mayor.

Incumbent Republican Clinton Morris is unopposed in Ward 1 as is newcomer Thomas F. Ratcliffe, also a Republican, in Ward 3. Frederic C. Brereton Jr. is unopposed for city treasurer.

 

See the other elections by clicking on the following:  Some escape expense of having elections in 2013 | Belvidere Daily Republican

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Dereliction of Duty - More Fiscal Battles Ahead - NYTimes.com

Republicans won more in the fiscal-cliff deal than they had any right to expect. Permanent tax cuts for the middle class and millions of wealthy families, a permanent break on the estate tax and dividends, a five-year limit on tax credits for low-income families, and only a single year of extended unemployment insurance. Yet 64 percent of House Republicans voted against it Tuesday night.

Click on the following to read all of this editorial:  Dereliction of Duty - More Fiscal Battles Ahead - NYTimes.com