TO MAKE THE FORBES LIST, YOU NEED A BILLION - A billion dollars just doesn't go as far as it used to. For the first time, it takes more than $1 billion earn a spot on Forbes magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans. The minimum net worth for inclusion in this year's rankings released Thursday was $1.3 billion, up $300 million from last year.
The new threshold meant 82 of America's billionaires didn't make the cut. Collectively, the people who made the rankings released Thursday are worth $1.54 trillion, compared with $1.25 trillion last year. The very top of the list was unchanged:
1. Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates, net worth estimated at $59 billion
2. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., an estimated $52 billion
3. Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, an estimated worth of $28 billion
4. Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp., an estimated net worth of $26 billion
5. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, an estimated $18.5 billion
