This archive report was first published on 30 August 2019.
Imagine having more money than you could spend in a lifetime, yet choosing to live a humble life. For some, wealth brings a desire for even more excitement and eccentricity.
Take the case of Nina Wang, the widow of a Hong Kong chemical magnate, who was one of the richest women in the world until her passing in 2007. At the time of her death, her net worth was approximately $4.7 billion (Ksh.485 billion), making her five times richer than the Queen of Britain.
Despite her immense wealth, Wang and her husband led a frugal life, eating at McDonald's, shopping at outlet stores, and buying cut-price tickets to shows. They reportedly kept their monthly expenditure below Ksh.290,000.
Robert Klark Graham: The Visionary with a Vision ¶
Robert Klark Graham, an optometrist, made a fortune by inventing shatter-proof lenses for eyeglasses. However, his true passion was creating a generation of geniuses by breeding them using selected sperm from Nobel prize-winning donors. His sperm bank, the 'Repository for Germinal Choice', was active until 1999, two years after his passing.
Jocelyn Wildenstein: The Beauty with a Taste for Plastic Surgery ¶
Jocelyn Wildenstein, a Swiss socialite, was married to American billionaire Alec N. Wildenstein. To please her husband, she underwent a series of plastic surgeries to look like a big cat. Unfortunately, these procedures left her unattractive, and her husband sought consolation in the arms of a 19-year-old model. The affair ended in a divorce, with Jocelyn pocketing $2.5 billion in settlements.
However, her wealth didn't last forever. After leading an extravagant lifestyle, Jocelyn filed for bankruptcy last year.
