This list of the 10 wealthiest people is a list of the world's 10 wealthiest people as of February 11, 2008, based on each person's total net worth. The total net worth is an estimate measured in United States dollars, based on the closing stock prices of the stock exchanges on which each person's company is listed, and exchange rates on February 11, 2008. Stock prices are defined as shares of ownership in a corporation, and exchange rates are defined as how much one currency is worth in terms of another. This list only represents each person's valuation on a single day due to daily fluctuations among exchange rates and stock valuations. The list does not include heads of state whose wealth is tied to their position (see list of heads of government and state by net worth).
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Ivanka Trump
Ivanka Marie Trump (born October 30, 1981 in New York City, New York) is an American businesswoman and one-time fashion model. She is the daughter of Ivana and Donald Trump, and is currently Vice President of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at the Trump Organization. Before working for her father, she worked for Forest City Enterprises.[1] Trump joined forces with Dynamic Diamond Corp., a diamond trading company sightholder, to design and introduce a line of jewelry at the brand's first flagship retail store called 'Ivanka Trump' on Madison Avenue. Ivanka Trump was reported in December 2007 to be in a relationship with Jared Kushner, owner of The New York Observer.[2] However, it was reported that the couple split in April 2008.
Education
Trump attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, as well as Chapin in New York City. After graduation, she spent two years at Georgetown University, then transferred to and graduated[4][5][6] from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor of science in economics in 2004.
Modeling
Trump's first cover was a 1997 issue of Seventeen. Since then, she has made her way down fashion runways for Versace, Marc Bouwer and Thierry Mugler. She has done ad campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger and Sassoon Jeans and was featured on the cover of Stuff in August 2006 and again in September 2007. She was also recently featured on the covers of Forbes, Golf Magazine, Avenue Magazine, Elle Mexico and in the October 2007 issue of Harper's Bazaar.[7] She placed #83 in the 2007 Maxim Hot 100. She has also placed #99 in the Top 99 Women of 2007 and then #84 in the 2008 edition on AskMen.com.
TV appearances
In 1997, she hosted the Miss Teen USA Pageant, which is partially owned by her father.In 2003, she was featured in Born Rich, a documentary about the experience of growing up as a child in one of the world's most affluent families.
During an April 2006 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Trump said that she and former boyfriend Bingo Gubelmann had broken up, yet they remain good friends. Leno commented that he could hear her father's influence and inflections in her. David Letterman also made a similar comment when she appeared on Late Show with David Letterman on April 24, 2007.
Trump was a featured guest-judge on Project Runway Season 3.
She was also at a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, event in April 2007 called the Creating Wealth Summit in which she spoke for about 30 minutes about making money and her latest projects.
She has been offered to appear on The Bachelorette, but she declined.
The Apprentice
In 2006, she filled in for Carolyn Kepcher on five episodes of her father's television program The Apprentice 5, first appearing to help judge the Gillette task in week 2.[9] Like Kepcher, Trump visited the site of the tasks and spoke to the teams, asking them pointed questions. She also evaluated contestants in the boardroom, pointing out critical errors and rebutting excuses they offered for losing the tasks. Though initially unsympathetic to the contestants, Trump later said,
- “Whenever I see their breakdowns, I understand. They go virtually 24 hours a day, and each task takes about three days. Unless they win, they don’t get a day off... It’s an incredible amount of work...”
Ivanka now collaborates with season 5 winner Sean Yazbeck on his winner's project of choice, Trump Soho Hotel-Condominium.
Trump replaced Carolyn Kepcher as a primary boardroom judge during the Apprentice 6 and The Celebrity Apprentice.
Personal life
Ivanka Trump was reported in December 2007 to be in a relationship with Jared Kushner, owner of The New York Observer.[11] However, it was reported that the couple split in April 2008.
Comparisons to Paris Hilton
While the media have often compared Trump to Paris Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, Trump has objected to the comparison, explaining, “I work 13-hour days for my money,” in an interview with the London Express in 2007, and “I bought my house from my father — I have a mortgage, you know.” Trump asserted, “I think we are totally different individuals... If I were to go off the rails and become this party kid, I would not be able to afford my lifestyle. I’ve never had a sense of entitlement. I saw how hard my father worked for his money and it was always made very clear to me that things wouldn’t just be given to me.”[13]
Donald Trump, Jr.
Donald John "Don" Trump, Jr., (born December 31, 1977, in New York City, New York) is the eldest child and son of famed real estate developer Donald Trump and his first wife Ivana Trump. He currently works along with his sister and brother from the same marriage, Ivanka and Eric, as an executive vice president in the Trump Organization.
Personal life
He attended The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1996. Trump, Jr. attended the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate. He had a double concentration in finance and marketing. In addition to younger sister Ivanka, he has one brother, Eric, a half-sister, Tiffany, and a half-brother, Barron. He married model Vanessa Haydon on November 12, 2005 at Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.[1] Haydon graduated from the Dwight School[2] and was an undergraduate studying psychology at New York's Marymount Manhattan College. In November 2006, Trump, Jr. and his wife revealed to People that she was pregnant with the couple's first child.[3] Vanessa gave birth to a baby girl, Kai Madison Trump, on May 12, 2007 in New York City, New York.[4] Kai is named after Haydon's grandfather, who was of Danish descent.
Trump and his wife are expecting their second child, due in February of 2009.
Career
Trump, Jr., began work for the Trump Organization on projects such as the West Side Yards and Trump Place on Riverside Drive. Recently, he has focused on the redevelopment of the old Delmonico Hotel and the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago project seen on The Apprentice. He is expected to oversee the Trump International Hotel and Tower SoHo project along with his sister and Sean Yazbeck, The Apprentice Season 5 winner. He served as an observer in two episodes of The Apprentice 5, and was a full-time observer during The Apprentice 6 and The Apprentice 7, with himself and Ivanka largely replacing George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher.
The Apprentice
The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC. Billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview," the show stars sixteen to eighteen businesspeople competing in an elimination-style competition for a one-year, $250,000 starting contract of running one of business magnate Trump's companies.
On May 14, 2007, the series was left off of NBC's schedule but NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said he was still in discussions with Mark Burnett and Trump.[2] However, on May 19, 2007, Trump announced that he was "moving on from The Apprentice to a major new TV venture", effectively ending the series in the United States.[3][dead link] But on May 22, 2007, NBC announced The Apprentice might return next season even though Trump had said he quit.[4]
On May 29, 2007, Trump said that NBC wanted a seventh season and he would be returning as the host.[5]On July 6, 2007, it was announced that The Apprentice has been officially renewed for a seventh season with a possibility of an eighth season.[6] On July 16, 2007, NBC confirmed that the show is renewed for a seventh season to run mid-season. In an effort to revitalize interest in the series, the seventh season will feature celebrities playing the game to raise money for charities.[7] On January 28, 2008, NBC confirmed that the show is renewed for an eighth season to start in January 2009 and will feature high profile celebrities playing the game to raise money for charity.[8]
Premise
Each season begins with a group of contestants with backgrounds in various enterprises, typically including real estate, restaurant management, political consulting, sales, and marketing. During the show, these contestants live in a communal penthouse, allowing their relationships to build. In Season 6, however, the teams were separated, with the winning team living in the LA mansion and the losing team taking up residence in tents located in the mansion's backyard. They are placed into teams, and each week are assigned a task and required to select a project manager for the task. The winning team receives a reward, while the losing team faces a boardroom showdown in order to determine which team member should be fired (eliminated from the show).
Elimination proceeds in two stages. In the first stage, all of the losing team's members are confronted. The project manager is asked to select up to three (one, two, or three) of the team members who are believed to be most responsible for the loss. In the second stage, the rest of the team is dismissed, and the project manager and the selected members face a final confrontation in which at least one of the two-to-four is fired.
Trump reserves the right at times to do the following: not allowing the project manager to choose who goes to the boardroom for a final hearing, fire/eliminate any candidate without a final boardroom session if there's enough information to warrant so, and fire multiple people if two or more people are found liable for the weak performance. Trump also reserved the right to fire all candidates inside the boardroom if all candidates performed badly. In season 6, the project manager of the winning team got the opportunity, and was mandated, to sit with Donald in the board room and help make the decision of who from the losing team gets fired. The winning project manager was expected to ask questions and give opinions in the board room during this process.
When the final candidates are left, an interview process begins, involving executives from various companies who interview each of the finalists and report their assessments of them to the host. After that, a firing takes place. In the event four are left, a double firing occurs. Seasons 4-6 were the exception to this rule as Seasons 4-5 foresaw Trump jettisoning the remaining members of a losing team (eliminating the need for interviews), and Trump utilized three pairs of two and a final four for Season 6.
Save Season 6, the final two are then assigned different tasks, along with support teams composed of previously fired candidates. After the tasks are done, a final boardroom occurs, with testimonials from the team members and a last chance for the final two candidates to prove themselves to the target CEO. Finally, Trump hires one of the two candidates to become the apprentice for the season (save Season 6, in which Trump fired two people from the final six to decide the final four, and hires one of the four candidates to be the apprentice).
The opening theme music used on the show is "For the Love of Money" by The O'Jays.[1]
History
The first season aired during the winter and the spring of 2004. The Apprentice is produced and created by Mark Burnett and is hosted by real estate magnate, Donald Trump, who also serves as co-producer of the show. The premise of the show, which bills itself as the "ultimate job interview" in the "ultimate jungle," is to conduct a job talent search for a person to head one of Trump's companies. The position starts with an introductory 1-year contract with a starting yearly salary at six figures ($250,000 USD to be exact, roughly about $4807.70 USD per week assuming a 52-week work-year). The show led Trump to become known for his fateful catch phrase, "You're fired!" The contestants live communally in a suite at Trump Tower in Manhattan and the boardroom showdown is with Trump and two of his associates (originally Carolyn Kepcher, Former Chief Operating Officer and General Manager for the Trump National Golf Club, and George H. Ross, Executive Vice President and Senior Counsel, The Trump Organization). Season 6 saw the show move to Los Angeles.
In late August, 2006, Donald Trump released Carolyn Kepcher from her duties at the Trump organization saying only that he "wishes her the best." No official reason has been given for her being fired from the company, but Kepcher was quoted as saying "After 11 years with the Trump Organization, Donald and I had different visions for my future role in the company." Her future role on the Apprentice TV show has not been confirmed, although Kepcher has appeared on tape for the 6th season one or two times. Ivanka Trump appeared in a similar role on the show as Kepcher's, but was not an official replacement.[1]
Known for his tendency to surround himself with beautiful women, Trump's on-screen (and real-life) assistants have each grown in personal fame. Two assistants appeared jointly for the first five seasons: Rhona Graff and Robin Himmler. In the sixth season, Trump elected to have his newest executive assistant, Andi Rowntree, star in the LA-based show.
A spin-off, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart followed the same concept, with Martha Stewart as the host and eventual employer. It debuted in September 21, 2005, following Stewart's release from prison and home detention. The last episode aired December 21, 2005, but due to dismal ratings, it was not renewed for a second season.
U.S. television ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of The Apprentice on NBC.
Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
| Season | Winner | Winner's Project | Timeslot | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) | Finale Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bill Rancic | Trump Tower Chicago | Thursday 9:00PM | January 8, 2004 | April 15, 2004 | 2003–04 | #7 | 20.70 [9] | 28.05 [10] |
| 2nd | Kelly Perdew | Trump Ice | September 9, 2004 | December 16, 2004 | 2004–05 | #11 | 16.14 [11] | 16.93 [12] | |
| 3rd | Kendra Todd | Palm Beach Mansion | January 20, 2005 | May 19, 2005 | #15 | 13.96 [11] | 14.02 [13] | ||
| 4th | Randal Pinkett | Trump Entertainment | September 22, 2005 | December 15, 2005 | 2005–06 | #38 | 11.01 [14] | 12.81[15] | |
| 5th | Sean Yazbeck | Trump Soho | Monday 9:00PM | February 27, 2006 | June 5, 2006 | #51 | 9.73 [14] | 11.25 [16] | |
| 6th | Stefani Schaeffer | Cap Cana | Sunday 10:00PM | January 7, 2007 | April 22, 2007 | 2006–07 | #75 | 7.5[17] | 7.94[18] |
| 7th | Piers Morgan | N/A | Thursday 9:00PM | January 3, 2008 | March 27, 2008 | 2007–08 | #48 | 11[19] | 12.1 |
| 8th | 2008–09 |
The Apprentice was the breakout rookie hit of the 2003-2004 U.S. television season and helped NBC at a time when the network's two long-running successful comedies, Friends and Frasier, were ending their series' runs. The Apprentice filled the void on Thursday nights as NBC held on to the tagline Must See TV, even though CBS was quickly becoming the most-watched network on Thursday night. An example of its cultural influence at the time was a spike in popularity of Tasti D-Lite frozen dessert as a result of its appearance in Season 2, Episode 18.
Although the series is still one of the most-watched programs on NBC in the advertiser-friendly 18–49 age demographic, the franchise's total audience gradually dissolved, starting in late 2004, when it aired its second season that culminated in, what most Apprentice fans deem, an "overextended"[20] 3-hour season finale on December 16, 2004.
The audience numbers (11.25 million viewers)[21] for the June 5, 2006 fifth season finale were not factored in the fifth season average because it aired after the official television season ended.
The audience numbers for the show have still remained on the decline since its first season. Originally, NBC aired the sixth season of The Apprentice, competing against both immensely-popular series, Desperate Housewives and Cold Case, just a few weeks before competing against Brothers & Sisters and Cold Case.
Criticism
The chief criticism of the U.S. version of The Apprentice is that the challenges often amount to nothing more than commercials and product placements. This became more evident starting from the second season. The companies that have supplied challenges to the show include Planet Hollywood, Lamborghini, Domino's Pizza, Staples, Burger King, Yahoo!, Nestle, Visa, Sony, Home Depot, Walmart, Microsoft, Lexus, and many others. These companies pay NBC to showcase their brands on the show, and usually the challenges revolve around the teams marketing existing or new products for the sponsors[22]. The show also, of course, provides massive publicity for Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, and the carefully-edited portrayal of Trump is flattering. The second half of the show is usually set entirely in the boardroom, which typically degenerates into finger-pointing and name calling amongst the contestants.
There is also controversy regarding the jobs given to the hired Apprentices. Instead of becoming the CEO of one of Trump's companies, the winners of the show are hired as PR spokesmen for Trump and his brand. For example, Kelly Perdew, winner of the second season and Bill Rancic, the first season's winner, were given the title of 'owner's representative', and were also named executive vice presidents. On Perdew's first day, his boss introduced him to Florida developers working on a Trump-branded condo in Tampa. "Mr. Trump said, 'OK, Kelly, you're going to go help promote sales of the building'," Perdew recalls.[2]
Another controversy revolves around age discrimination. In January 2007, a class action lawsuit was filed against Trump on behalf of those who did not make the cut for the show due to what they contend was their age.
Sir Alan Sugar, the star of the British version of The Apprentice has criticised it because "they’ve made the fatal error of trying to change things just for the sake of it and it backfired"[23]
Video game
Legacy Interactive created a video game version of The Apprentice for the PC. It features Donald Trump and his advisors, as well as past candidates, and is currently available on Yahoo! Games. The player selects either a male or a female character to play and must control the character through a number of tasks including puzzles. The character must create a billboard; sell ice cream, Italian food, or hamburgers; help create toys, chocolates and lamps; and sell items in different neighborhoods.
Trump Entertainment Resorts
Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc. is a holding company which owns, operates and manages casinos/hotels in the United States The company was formed in 2005 as a result of the restructuring of its predecessor Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts. Donald J. Trump is Chairman of the Board and Mark Juliano is President and Chief Executive Officer.
History
In 2004 Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts explored various options for restructuring its debt, amid speculation that it might file for bankruptcy. A possible arrangement with Credit Suisse First Boston was not completed because the bondholders rejected it.
On October 21, 2004 the company announced a preliminary agreement with its investors. Trump, who has been the majority owner, would reduce his stock ownership from 56 percent to 27 percent. Bondholders would surrender some of their debt in exchange for stock. On October 27, the company announced that Morgan Stanley would be the joint lead arranger for a financing of $500 million financing as part of the restructuring plan. On November 21, the company filed for bankruptcy. Trump said the filing was "really just a technical thing" as the best way to implement the restructuring plan.[1] The plan was submitted to the Bankruptcy Court on December 16, 2004. The company could exit bankruptcy in March, 2005.
The company has changed its name to Trump Entertainment Resorts. THCR also announced that former New Jersey governor James Florio has been appointed a member of the new Board of Directors.
Trump Entertainment managed the Trump 29 Casino for the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians but disagreements plagued Trump's relationship with the tribal council. On December 22, 2004, the company entered into a memorandum of understanding with the tribe to end the management agreement.
On April 30, 2005 The Company announced that it would not proceed with its plans to build a casino in the Orange County, Indiana town of French Lick. The Indiana Gaming Commission held new bidding and they are expected to vote on June 23, 2005 on the approval of Blue Sky Casino who was the sole bidder for the gaming license that was abandoned by Trump due to the fact that the company was insolvent and facing bankruptcy with over $1.3 billion of 11.25% First Mortgage notes secured by the Taj Mahal and Trump Plaza coming due in April 2006.
On May 18, 2007 the company announced that it was in the preliminary stages of negotiating a buyout with several public and private firms. On July 2, 2007 Trump Entertainment Resorts announced that they could not make a deal with any company that they were in talks with and decided to take itself off the market. The Company will layoff employees in order to cut cost. Report from MarketWatch
On May 29, 2008 it was announced Trump Marina will be sold to Coastal Marina for $ 316 million and be re-branded to a Margaritaville Resort.
Casinos
The company owns and operates three casinos in Atlantic City: Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, Trump Plaza both of which are located on the Boardwalk, and Trump Marina in Atlantic City's Marina District. The company recently[1] sold the Trump Casino Hotel - a riverboat casino in Gary, Indiana.
The Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, which the company owns is currently undergoing a $240 million renovation and addition of a new hotel tower.[2]
The company recently sold Trump Marina to Coastal Marina which will re-theme the property to a Margaritaville resort.
Donald Trump's role
Trump's well-known name and image are used extensively by the company in its marketing. He conducts his business interests in real estate and other non-casino ventures via the Trump Organization which is a separate entity from Trump Entertainment Resorts.
Trump Organization
The Trump Organization is the primary company of Donald Trump, a prominent American real estate developer. Trump is the current CEO of the company. The company oversees nearly all of the business development interests of Donald Trump, such as real estate, hotels, golf clubs, etc. (but excluding the casinos). Trump is also the Chairman of the Board of Trump Entertainment Resorts. His three oldest children, Donald, Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, are currently executive vice presidents within the organization. The Trump Organization is based at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York.
Bibliography
Trump has authored many books including:
- Trump: The Art of the Deal (1987)
- Trump: Surviving at the Top (1990)
- Trump: The Art of Survival (1991)
- Trump: The Art of the Comeback (1997)
- Trump: How to Get Rich (2004)
- The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received (2004)
- Trump: Think Like a Billionaire: Everything You Need to Know About Success, Real Estate, and Life (2004)
- Trump: The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received (2005)
- Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men - One Message (2006), co-written with Robert Kiyosaki.
- Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life (2007), co-written with Bill Zanker. (ISBN 978-0061547836)
- The America We Deserve (2000) (with Dave Shiflett, ISBN 1580631312)
- Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies (2007)
- Trump 101: The Way to Success (2007)
- Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success (2008)
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