Forbes – According to Forbes, Carlos Slim Helu from Mexico is the richest man on the planet today.

Carlo Slim, World's New Richest Man

Carlos Slim beat Bill Gates and Warren E. Buffett for the coveted top spot for the Forbes Annual Magazine List of Billionaires.

He is the first person outside the United States to be on the top spot for the past 16 years.

Mr. Slim, 70 years old, created a telecommunications empire after buying Mexico’s state-run phone 20 years ago and he has now a net worth of $53.5 Billion.

On the otherhand, Bill Gates, 54 years old, is in second place with a net worth of $53 Billion with his Microsoft empire. The chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Mr. Buffett who is 79 years old, placed third with $47 Billion of net worth.

 According to Luisa Kroll, Senior Editor at Forbes, “We’ve been watching Slim for a while and kind of wondered when the stars would align and he would take over.”

America Movil, the wireless carrier that Mr. Slim is controlling, have gained almost 56% last year.

In Mexico, his holdings include retail operations like the Sanborns department store chain as well as banking and construction.

All the information about The Forbes rankings are based on records of real estate holdings, investments and stakes in publicly tradedand privately held companies.

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