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Grizzly Bulls’ Billionaires Index

⬅ # 566 Udo Tschira|# 568 Tahir ➡

# 567 Russ Weiner 

$5.40B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024

# 567 Russ Weiner 

$5.40B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024
OccupationFounder, Rockstar
Source of WealthEnergy Drinks
Age54
ResidenceDelray Beach, Florida
Marital StatusSingle
EducationBS, San Diego State University
Age-Adjusted Net Worth$8.11B
Russ Weiner
Russ Weiner
United States
Net worth: $5.40B

Self-Made Score 

Wealth History

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Biography

Overview

Russ Weiner founded the energy drink company Rockstar in 2001, which he later sold to PepsiCo in 2020 for over $4 billion.
Weiner's entrepreneurial journey began when he quit a job after his idea for an energy drink was rejected, using a $50,000 mortgage on his condo to launch Rockstar.
Apart from his business ventures, Weiner is known for his involvement in political fundraising and his family ties to conservative talk-radio.
He ran unsuccessfully for the California State Assembly in 1998, catching attention despite the loss, leading to his eventual entry into the beverage industry.

Early Life and Education

Born on February 15, 1970, Russ Weiner is the son of Michael Savage, a prominent conservative radio talk show host, and Janet Weiner.
He attended Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, and later graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor's degree in political science.
During his college years, Weiner organized events for the Paul Revere Society and worked as a travel consultant.

Career

Weiner is the creator and former CEO of Rockstar, headquartered in Purchase, New York.
Apart from Rockstar, Weiner is involved in real estate, buying and selling properties.
His business acumen extends to political fundraising, co-founding the Paul Revere Society and running for political office in 1998.

Political Endeavors

Co-founding the Paul Revere Society with his father, Weiner ventured into politics, running as a Republican for the California State Assembly in 1998.
Despite losing the race, Weiner's campaign drew attention, earning him endorsements and recognition.
His political positions included advocating for Proposition 227 and environmental issues like protecting old-growth forests.
Weiner's involvement in politics extended to donations, including a $25,000 contribution to Gavin Newsom's gubernatorial campaign in 2009.

Personal Life and Investments

Outside of business and politics, Weiner has investments in real estate, including purchasing and selling high-value properties.
In 2006, he acquired the West Hollywood home of basketball player Carlos Boozer for $10 million.
Weiner resides in Delray Beach, Florida, where he presumably continues his entrepreneurial and investment endeavors.

Rockstar Energy Drink

Founded by Russ Weiner in 2001, Rockstar became one of the top three energy drink brands in North America by 2007.
Weiner's approach differentiated Rockstar by offering a larger 16 oz can for the same price as competitors, notably Red Bull.
The brand's success led to its availability in over 30 countries and a significant market share globally.
In 2020, PepsiCo acquired Rockstar for $3.85 billion, marking a substantial milestone in Weiner's entrepreneurial journey.

Corporate Governance and Controversies

Rockstar faced criticism due to its founder's association with conservative politics, leading to boycotts and controversies.
Allegations of homophobia, racism, and discrimination against Michael Savage, Weiner's father, prompted backlash against Rockstar.
In response to criticism, Rockstar introduced new products and initiatives, such as low-calorie energy drinks and sponsorship of diverse events.
Weiner's political affiliations intersected with business, as seen in the return of a $25,000 donation to Gavin Newsom's campaign in 2009.

How long would it take you to become as rich as Russ Weiner?

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 Russ Weiner's net worth of $5.40B.

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

Russ Weiner 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 Russ Weiner, Energy Drinks 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