22 Illinois Billionaires Make Forbes Richest List
I always look forward to reading the annual Forbes "World Billionaire's List." It's the reading equivalent of binge-watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. I don't even mind that my chances of making the billionaires list is just about the same as it was being adored on camera by Robin Leach.
According to the Forbes list, Illinois has got more than a few folks with a net worth in the 10-figure range, and surprisingly, they're not all carrying the last name of Pritzker. The governor is on the list, but he's not the richest guy in Illinois, or even the richest Pritzker. The title of Illinois' Richest Person goes to Ken Griffin.
Illinois' richest person, hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, is worth about $16 billion, up about $4 billion from a year ago. To put that into context, Griffin's 2020 income was about 192,000 times what someone working a minimum wage job would have earned last year.
As my grandfather used to say, "I wish I had a nickel for every nickel he has."
Back to Governor Pritzker and family for a moment. I mentioned that he wasn't the richest guy in the state, or even his own family. Forbes gives the nod on that score to Governor Pritzker's cousin, Executive Chairman of Hyatt Hotels, Thomas Pritzker, whose net worth is pegged at $4.5 billion. The governor comes in next in the family with a net worth of $3.5 billion, followed by his sister, Penny, whose estimated wealth is $3.1 billion, then comes cousin Jennifer Pritzker, at $2 billion.
Maybe it's just me, but if I could boast that level of wealth, the last thing in the world I'd want to do is hang around with a bunch of politicians down in Springfield. You'd catch me most summer days sitting in my box seats behind home plate at Wrigley Field. I would be the guy sitting next to the Pink Hat guy.