Do billionaires own stocks?
“The rich now own a record share of stocks,” Axios reported on January 10, noting that the top 10 percent hold about 93 percent of U.S. households stock market wealth. “The running of the bulls in 2023 was more like the waddle of the fat cats,” quipped Irina Ivanova in Fortune.
Billionaires have access to another investment avenue, called hedge funds, that the average person doesn't. You can invest in a variety of things through a hedge fund, including individual stocks, land, commodity futures, bonds, and currencies.
- Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)
- Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
- Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA)
- Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG)
- Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)
- Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META)
- Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA)
The wealthiest Americans have never owned so much of the stock market, with the top 10% now holding a record 93% of US equities, according to Federal Reserve data.
Warren Edward Buffett (/ˈbʌfɪt/ BUF-it; born August 30, 1930) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist who currently serves as the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is one of the best-known investors in the world.
- Renaissance Technologies (Jim Simons).
- Bridgewater Associates (Ray Dalio).
- BlueCrest Capital Management (Michael Platt).
- Millennium Management (Israel Englander).
- Tiger Global Management (Chase Coleman).
- E. Shaw & Co.
Billionaires (usually) don't sell valuable stock. So how do they afford the daily expenses of life, whether it's a new pleasure boat or a social media company? They borrow against their stock. This revolving door of credit allows them to buy what they want without incurring a capital gains tax.
| Stock | Market capitalization | Year-to-date performance as of April 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Rivian Automotive Inc. (RIVN) | $9.1 billion | -59.2% |
| Sana Biotechnology Inc. (SANA) | $2.1 billion | 129.4% |
| Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) | $160 billion | 23.7% |
| Workday Inc. (WDAY) | $70.6 billion | -2.7% |
"Billionaire CEOs like [Jeff] Bezos, [Mark] Zuckerberg, Jamie Dimon, and the Walton family are selling off massive amounts of their own stocks, and analysts think the CEOS may be bracing for an economic downturn," he said, adding, “An overheated stock market continues to climb to new heights as investors feed that ...
| Ticker | Company | Number of Shares |
|---|---|---|
| BRK.B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | 19,916,349 |
| CNI | Canadian National Railway Co. | 54,826,786 |
| WM | Waste Management Inc. | 35,234,344 |
| CAT | Caterpillar Inc. | 7,353,614 |
Why are rich people selling their stock?
He is not the only billionaire who has sold stocks and opted to accumulate cash. In mid-2023, news began to spread about the world's super-rich reducing their ownership of shares in public companies. The reason behind this move is to secure their wealth amidst rising interest rates and economic uncertainty.
The top 10% own 88.6% of stocks ($28 trillion). Americans in the 50th to 90th percentile of wealth own 10.8% of stocks ($3.4 trillion). Americans in the bottom 50% own 0.6% of stocks ($19 billion).
Older Americans Now Own 80% of the Stock Market — Here's Why That's a Problem.
| Stock | 2024 return through March 31 |
|---|---|
| MicroStrategy Inc. (MSTR) | 169.9% |
| SoundHound AI Inc. (SOUN) | 177.8% |
| Vera Therapeutics Inc. (VERA) | 180.4% |
| Avidity Biosciences Inc. (RNA) | 182% |
Can You Make a Lot of Money in Stocks? Yes, if your goals are realistic. Although you hear of making a killing with a stock that doubles, triples, or quadruples in price, such occurrences are rare, and/or usually reserved for day traders or institutional investors who take a company public.
The most expensive stock is Berkshire Hathaway's Class A stock. Luckily, its Class B stock is much more affordable. Alana Benson is an investing writer who joined NerdWallet in 2019.
- DaVita Inc. ( ticker: DVA)
- DraftKings Inc. ( DKNG)
- Extra Space Storage Inc. ( EXR)
- First Solar Inc. ( FSLR)
- Gen Digital Inc. ( GEN)
- Microsoft Corp. ( MSFT)
- Nvidia Corp. ( NVDA)
- SoFi Technologies Inc. ( SOFI)
| Company name & symbol | Percent change in share count over quarter | Value of investment at end of quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Sirius XM (SIRI) | 316% | $220,129,000 |
| Chevron Corp. (CVX) | 14% | $18,808,080,000 |
| Occidental Petroleum (OXY) | 9% | $14,552,270,000 |
| Company Name | LTP | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| DIL | 8.25 | 0.61 |
| Kanani Industries | 3.75 | -1.32 |
| Dynamic Cables Ltd | 441.05 | 0.15 |
| Hilton Metal Forging | 117.85 | 0.86 |
According to a 2021 White House study, the wealthiest 400 billionaire families in the U.S. paid an average federal individual tax rate of just 8.2 percent. For comparison, the average American taxpayer in the same year paid 13 percent.
Are there secret billionaires?
While some billionaires happily share their financial details, others take a more secretive approach. They use clever financial tricks, move their money around, and even create new tax strategies. These tactics make it hard to pinpoint their actual wealth, resulting in Forbes having to make educated guesses.
The newly released report covers Tax Year 2021 (for tax forms filed in 2022). The newest data reveals that the top 1 percent of earners, defined as those with incomes over $682,577, paid nearly 46 percent of all income taxes – marking the highest level in the available data.
The largest individual shareholder of Meta is its founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.
Yet those sales were done mainly for tax purposes, and that's likely why he sold again. That is why the sales occur late in the year. But Buffett may have made a mistake again as Apple shares will certainly rise again. Fortunately, he can make up for the error if he repurchases the stock as he has done after selling.
Bill Gates sold off all of his “Magnificent Seven,” big-cap, tech stocks holdings. He sold all of his shares in Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Meta (META), and, yes, Nvidia.
