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Grizzly Bulls’ Billionaires Index

⬅ # 634 Willy Michel|# 636 Giuseppe De'Longhi ➡

# 635 Hansjoerg Wyss 

$4.97B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024
$3.7M (0.07%)

# 635 Hansjoerg Wyss 

$4.97B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024
$3.7M (0.07%)
OccupationChair, Wyss Foundation; Co-owner, Chelsea F.C.
Source of WealthMedical Devices
Age89
ResidenceWilson, Wyoming
Marital StatusDivorced
Children1
EducationMBA, Harvard University; MS, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Age-Adjusted Net Worth$698.60M
Hansjoerg Wyss
Hansjoerg Wyss
Switzerland
Net worth: $4.97B

Self-Made Score 

Wealth History

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Biography

Early Life and Career

Johann Georg Wyss, known as Hansjörg Wyss, was born on September 19, 1935 in Bern, Switzerland
Earned a master's degree in civil and structural engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (1959), MBA from Harvard Business School (1965)
Began his career in the textile industry, working in various positions including as a factory engineer and project manager for Chrysler in Pakistan, Turkey, and the Philippines.
Also worked in the steel industry in Brussels, Belgium, where he ran a side business selling airplanes.
Founded Synthes USA in 1977 after meeting a surgeon co-founder of Swiss medical device manufacturer Synthes.
Expanded Synthes USA's operations, focusing on training surgeons and expanding sales teams.
Served as Synthes' worldwide CEO and chairman until its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 2012.

Synthes USA and Sale to Johnson & Johnson

Founded and became president of Synthes USA in 1977, the U.S. division of Synthes.
Expanded operations by opening manufacturing plant in Colorado.
Not indicted in 2009 indictment of top Synthes executives for using untested bone cement, but four executives were convicted.
Sold Synthes to Johnson & Johnson in 2012 for $19.7 billion in cash and stock.
Received 97.4 million shares in Johnson & Johnson and $3.2 billion cash from the sale.

Philanthropy

Considered one of the most philanthropic individuals globally.
Signed The Giving Pledge in 2013, committing to give away the majority of his fortune.
Donated nearly $277 million between 2004 and 2008, with increased giving post-Synthes sale.
Major donations to environmental, scientific, and progressive causes, including $1 billion pledge for conservation efforts in 2018.
Assets of charitable foundations exceed $2 billion.

Environmentalism

Donated over $350 million to environmental protection efforts, particularly in conserving national forests and public lands.
Created Wyss Foundation in 1998, focusing on land preservation in the American West.
Donated to various conservation efforts globally, including river restorations, ocean conservation, and anti-poaching initiatives.
Contributed to the purchase of significant land for conservation, such as 310,000 acres in Montana in 2010.
Involved with organizations like The Wilderness Society and Rails-to-Trails, supporting land and wildlife conservation.

Personal Life and Other Ventures

Lives in Wyoming and enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, and backpacking.
Funds local conservation efforts in the Rocky Mountains and owns Halter Ranch and Vineyard in California.
Acquired ownership of Chelsea Football Club in 2022 as part of a new ownership group.

How long would it take you to become as rich as Hansjoerg Wyss?

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 Hansjoerg Wyss's net worth of $4.97B.

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

Hansjoerg Wyss 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 Hansjoerg Wyss, Medical Devices 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