The death of Sam Walton, which saw his fortune split five ways, leaves Bill Gates way out in front in Forbes magazine’s latest list of America’s wealthiest: Gates, whose net worth depends crucially on the Microsoft Corp share price, is listed as having a net worth of $6,300m – not too long ago that he was dipping in and out of the billionaire league; Ross Perot is not as wealthy as many had assumed, and comes in at 19 with $2,400m; Gates is the youngest Forbes topper yet.
