How billionaires made - and invested - their billions

New York

BEING part of the global billionaire class is beyond the imagination of most people. At the threshold of US$1 billion, a 5 per cent return would yield an annual interest payment of US$50 million - without ever touching the principal.

But how billionaires, from those in the single digits to near the top, invest shows a range of options for the very wealthiest in the world. One thing they all have in common is a large amount of money in cash or equivalently liquid securities. Here is a look at how 10 billionaires have made and invested their money, according to public filings gathered by the financial research firm Wealth-X.