What are the 25 richest families on the planet?

By Bloomberg

The saying "rich father, beggar son" gives the idea that the wealth of the family ends up being wasted. But at a time of breathtaking wealth and huge inequality, it seems unlikely that this will soon happen to the 25 richest families in the world, who control $ 1.1 trillion, according to data compiled by the US government. Bloomberg Billionaires index.

From Mars chocolate bars to Hermes handkerchiefs, from supermarkets to hotels and data companies, to drug manufacturers, the source of these riches is varied and its scale is surprising: more than the market value of Apple , all deposits of Citigroup or the entire GDP of Indonesia.

And even then, any calculation runs the risk of being short. The wealth of families like the Rothschild or Rockefeller is too diffuse to enjoy. The nature of many dynastic fortunes, backed by decades and sometimes centuries of badets and dividends, can mask the true extent of their properties. Clans whose source of wealth can not currently be verified or that come mainly from the state, such as the vast house of the Saud (the dynasty of the royal family of Saudi Arabia), are also absent from this listing.

Bloomberg's family wealth also leaves out the first-generation fortunes and those in the hands of a single heir. As a result, only three Asian families are on the list and none of them comes from China, showing that the wealth boom in the region is relatively recent. It should change soon. Family offices are proliferating in the region and tycoons like Li Ka-shing are beginning to give their empires to their sons and daughters.

However, the decline of fortunes that were once history, such as the Pulitzers, Vanderbilts and Woolworths, illustrate how common it is that even the greatest family fortunes are wasted. "There are a number of hurdles that families face in ensuring that their wealth is safeguarded from generation to generation," said Rebecca Gooch of Campden Wealth. "Strategic planning, education and communication are the key."

Some billionaires take a different direction. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are entrepreneurs who have joined Warren Buffett Giving Pledge and have committed to devoting the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

Source: Bloomberg.