Grizzly Bulls LogoGrizzly BullsHow it WorksCalculator🚀 PremiumBlog
Log In

Grizzly Bulls’ Billionaires Index

⬅ # 488 Wolfgang Marguerre|# 490 Jim Davis ➡

# 489 Gayle Benson 

$6.09B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024

# 489 Gayle Benson 

$6.09B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024
OccupationOwner, New Orleans Saints
Source of WealthNew Orleans Saints
Age77
ResidenceNew Orleans, Louisiana
Marital StatusWidowed
EducationHigh School Graduate, High School
Age-Adjusted Net Worth$1.93B
Gayle Benson
Gayle Benson
United States
Net worth: $6.09B

Self-Made Score 

Wealth History

Hover or tap to reveal net worth by year
Loading Chart

Biography

Overview

Gayle Marie LaJaunie Bird Benson was born on January 26, 1947, in Algiers, New Orleans, to Francis J. LaJaunie and Marie Folse LaJaunie.
She attended St. Joseph, St. Anthony, and Holy Name of Mary schools before graduating from Martin Behrman High School in 1966.
Gayle began her career in receptionist and secretarial roles before venturing into interior design.
She co-owned an interior decorating business called Gayle Bird Interiors, Ltd., with her second husband, Thomas Bird, renovating numerous properties together.
In 2014, Gayle founded GMB Racing, a thoroughbred horse racing company.
Gayle Benson married Tom Benson, the former owner of the NFL New Orleans Saints and NBA New Orleans Pelicans, on October 29, 2004, in San Antonio, Texas.

Business Ventures

Following Tom Benson's death in 2018, Gayle Benson inherited ownership of both the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans.
She is one of ten female NFL owners and one of five female NBA owners.
Gayle became the principal owner of the Saints and Pelicans after a dispute with Tom's daughter and grandchildren over family assets was settled in early 2017.
In July 2017, Gayle and Tom finalized an agreement to buy a majority share of Dixie Brewing Co., which had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Under her ownership, GMB Racing has participated in prestigious horse racing events, including the Kentucky Derby.
Despite legal challenges, Tom Benson was deemed mentally competent to change his will, leaving ownership of the Saints and Pelicans to Gayle.

Philanthropy

Gayle and Tom Benson funded the construction of the Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
In 2012, they were awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for their service to the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI.
The Bensons donated $7.5 million towards the construction of Tulane University's Yulman Stadium in 2012.
They contributed $20 million for cancer care and research in 2015.
The Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Trust made significant donations to various causes, including $5 million to Jesuit High School and $3.5 million to Second Harvest in 2019.
In December 2023, Gayle Benson made a substantial donation to Ochsner Health System for the construction of The Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children's Hospital.

Personal Life

Gayle Benson has been married three times, first to Nace Anthony Salomone, then to Thomas Bird, and finally to Tom Benson.
She and Tom renewed their vows on their tenth anniversary at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.
Despite being Tom Benson's third wife, Gayle inherited ownership of the Saints and Pelicans after his passing.
She has faced personal and legal challenges, including labor complaints and disputes over family assets.
Gayle's philanthropic endeavors reflect her commitment to various charitable causes, notably in education, healthcare, and Catholic institutions.
Her involvement in business spans interior design, property renovation, sports team ownership, and thoroughbred horse racing.

How long would it take you to become as rich as Gayle Benson?

If you started with $10,000 and invested an additional $500 each month at a 44.11% CAGR, it would take you 5 years to reach Gayle Benson's net worth of $6.09B.

Is this realistic? It depends how closely the VIX-TA-Macro Advanced model performs to its history in the future. Since Grizzly Bulls launched on January 1, 2022, it's returned 52.22% compared to 16.62% for the S&P 500 benchmark.

Enter data in all but one field below, then calculate the missing value

Gayle Benson is very wealthy, but what's stopping you from reaching that same level of success? As summarized in our five fundamental rules to wealth building, becoming wealthy in a modern capitalist economy is not complicated. There's actually only three variables:

  1. Your starting capital
  2. Your earnings after expenses
  3. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of your savings

Most people start with zero or very little, so if you weren't born into wealth, don't fret! The majority of the fortunate folks listed in our Grizzly Bulls’ Billionaires Index came from middle class or lower backgrounds. The most distinguishing characteristic of the group is their ability to consistently earn a high CAGR on their savings.

Every billionaire has a unique strategy to achieve high CAGR. For Gayle Benson, New Orleans Saints is the primary source. Whether you choose to invest your savings in your own businesses or the businesses of others is not as important. The salient piece of the puzzle is ensuring that your hard-earned savings are generating sufficient CAGR to reach your long term goals.

Most people simply invest their money in index funds and call it a day. There's nothing wrong with this approach, but it guarantees relative mediocrity. To achieve greatness, you need to invest your money to earn higher than average returns. In the long run, better investors will always finish ahead of better earners.

Source: Grizzly Bulls reporting

Methodology: Grizzly Bulls' Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world's billionaires and richest people. Grizzly Bulls strives to provide the most accurate net worth calculations available. We pull data from public equity markets, SEC filings, public real estate records, and other reputable sources.

The index is dynamic and updates daily at the close of U.S. stock market trading based on changes in the markets, economy, and updates to Grizzly Bulls' proprietary algorithm of personal wealth calculation. Stakes in public companies are tracked daily based on the relevant closing prices of the underlying securities. Additionally, stakes in private companies, cash, real estate, and other less easily valued assets are updated periodically through careful analysis of insider transactions, comparable public company sales / EBITDA multiples, etc.

Edited by: Lee Bailey