Latest news with #DianeHendricks
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 of the Richest Self-Made Women's Advice on Building Wealth
Forbes recently ranked America's 100 richest self-made women. Those who made the cut consisted of successful entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers 'with fortunes originating in everything from cars to cosmetics to Chardonnay.' Read More: Check Out: As any accomplished individual knows, becoming rich and successful without financial assistance or professional connections is tough in and of itself; doing so while female adds additional hurdles. GOBankingRates wanted to know: what advice would the richest three women on the list give other women looking to follow in their footsteps? Owner and chair of ABC Supply, 'one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding and windows in the U.S.,' 78-year-old Diane Hendricks topped Forbes' list with an impressive $22.3 billion net worth. Having larger dreams than working on the dairy farm where she grew up, Hendricks thought about an entrepreneurial future from a young age and never took her eye off the prize. While getting pregnant at seventeen may have side-tracked others, Hendricks took a job working as a Playboy Bunny at Lake Geneva Playboy Club in the 1960's — a fact from which she never hides or apologizes because it gave her enough money to raise her child and pursue her dreams. It's this foundational perseverance, pragmatism and unabashed nature that helped play a key role in her eventual success. 'I don't believe in quitting,' Hendricks previously told Forbes. 'You quit, you're done.' Hendrick's second husband was a roofer. After the two tried unsuccessfully to develop a series of other businesses, Hendricks keenly observed that manufacturers of building supplies doubled as distributors and effectively ran the industry. There was no intermediary distribution chain to help provide lower, more competitive prices for customers. Hendricks and her husband acquired a $900,000 loan and pledged their entire savings to fill this gap. ABC Supply currently has over 900 branch locations — and a 2024 revenue of $20.7 billion. Along the way, Hendricks has stated she always surrounded herself with people of integrity. Per CNBC, 'the secret to their success […] was filling a gap in the market — and raising the standard of respect and professionalism in contracting.' Be Aware: Founder and CEO of Epic Systems, a medical-record software provider, 81-year-old Judy Faulkner holds the No. 2 ranking with a $7.8 billion net worth. A humble computer programmer, Faulkner never desired wealth or a lavish lifestyle; entrepreneurship was nowhere on her bingo card. Instead, she was driven solely by her passion to help people and solve problems — and this commitment to a larger purpose has accidentally proven lucrative. The daughter of a pharmacist and a physician, Faulkner saw the inefficiency and fragmentation of medical records-keeping in the late 1970's and developed software to centralize all patient data. Others recognized the profitability of her innovation and convinced her to start a company after she initially resisted. Today, her system of electronic health records is used by almost 2400 hospitals worldwide. Faulkner never even charged customers for infection-control software during the Covid pandemic. Staying true to her values and never selling out, Faulkner has unwaveringly rejected outside investors, instead choosing to grow the company slowly in order to maintain control over it and do quality work. In the end, it was the right choice. Faulkner explained to Forbes, it's 'perseverance, speaking out and speaking your mind and taking a stand on things' that helped her maintain her vision–and consequently build an empire. As a result, Epic still makes all of its own software in-house. When asked how she felt about being one of the only women leaders in software, Faulkner characteristically responded selflessly: she doesn't really think about it much, she's just a person who wants to do good work. Co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza and chair of Ilitch Holdings, 92-year-old Marian Ilitch holds the third spot with a net worth of $6.9 billion. The daughter of immigrants, Ilitch got her start in hospitality filling napkin dispensers in her father's restaurant. After marrying her husband, the two opened up a restaurant of their own. However, after having seven children, Ilitch was faced with wanting to both stay home with her kids and go to work — an all-too common conundrum many women face. Ultimately, Ilitch made the tough yet pivotal decision to work outside the home. When it came to building her success, Ilitch found it crucial to be honest with herself even if it was unpopular, stating she's an achiever first and a woman second. A risk-taker by nature, Ilitch and her husband invested their family savings to open the very first Little Caesars location in Garden City, Michigan. And with big risk came big reward — there are currently thousands of locations worldwide, 80% of which are franchise-owned (according to the company's official website). But Ilitch hasn't always gotten it perfectly out the gate. In fact, she attributes much of her success to her willingness to make mistakes. Back in 2012, she told Crain's Detroit Business, 'If you think you won't make mistakes, you're in a dream world. And you're never going to be a risk-taker if you don't [make them].' Another key ingredient in amassing her fortune has been her thirst for knowledge and her real-world commitment to learning from those around her — to which she attributes her strong understanding of finance and business. Fittingly, much of her wealth has come from her own sound investments and acquisitions. Per CNBC, Ilitch Holdings currently owns Detroit's MotorCity Casino hotel, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers and Olympia Entertainment. 'Not a day has gone by when I didn't learn something from someone,' said Ilitch. 'If they can do it better than me, I can learn something from them. That's how I've always done it, and I started from the ground up.' More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard I'm a Retired Boomer: 6 Bills I Canceled This Year That Were a Waste of Money 4 Affordable Car Brands You Won't Regret Buying in 2025 This article originally appeared on 3 of the Richest Self-Made Women's Advice on Building Wealth
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Meet ‘America's richest self-made woman' who turned a small-town struggle into a $22.3 billion legacy
Source: Forbes Diane Hendricks is not only a businesswoman; she's a force of nature in the American business world. From humble beginnings on a rural Wisconsin dairy farm to being the wealthiest self-made woman in America, her story is one of grit, strategic mind, and stubborn persistence. Hendricks is now widely known as the founder and chairwoman of ABC Supply, a behemoth building materials distributor with more than 900 locations across the United States. But behind that name is a story of surviving personal adversity, living through tragedy, and creating one of America's most prosperous privately held businesses. America's richest self-made women Diane Hendricks's early life Born on March 2, 1947, in Mondovi, Wisconsin, and raised in the rural town of Osseo, Diane Hendricks was exposed to the rigidity of farm life. Her parents operated a dairy farm, where there was work every day. But her entry into adulthood was sooner than anticipated at only 17 years old, Diane became a single mother. This was the start of her resilience. To support herself, she worked in a factory in Janesville while finishing her schooling. Even with these financial struggles, she did graduate from Osseo-Fairchild High School in 1965. Her discipline and drive led her to get a real estate broker's license at age 21. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo With that, she began dealing in custom homes; a major stepping stone that would set the stage for future business pursuits. Diane Hendricks net worth 2025 and global ranking As of June 13, 2025, Diane Hendricks has a net worth of $22.3 billion , making her America's Richest Self-Made Woman and ranking #95 on the list of global billionaires, according to Forbes report. Her remarkable journey from rural Wisconsin to the top echelons of wealth worldwide is an example of her boundless energy and visionary vision. As chairwoman of ABC Supply, the largest privately owned wholesale distributor of building materials in the country, Hendricks built a local business into a national leader. Unlike much of the billionaire class, which amassed their wealth through inheritance, her money is all self-made and gained through aggressive business moves, large acquisitions, and a focus on expansion and innovation. America's richest self-made woman's real estate beginnings In the early 1970s, Diane met Ken Hendricks, a roofer turned entrepreneur and fellow go-getter. The pair married in 1975 and went on to start investing in real estate soon afterward. Their initial ventures were purchasing, rehabbing, and selling homes and industrial properties in Beloit, Wisconsin. The two weren't merely constructing buildings but building momentum. In 1982, they founded ABC Supply, a wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and windows. From the beginning, the company specialized in offering higher-quality service to contractors, an underserved niche at the time. Diane performed much of the back-end management, strategy, and planning for expansion, while Ken contributed field experience and operations acumen. Together, they developed a business model that shook up the conventional supply chain of the building materials industry. How Diane transformed ABC supply after Ken's death It all changed in 2007 when Ken Hendricks was killed in a tragic accident. It was a personal loss and company turning point. Most assumed the business would fail but Diane had other plans. She assumed full responsibility at ABC Supply and guided it through with steady leadership. During the following decade and a half, Diane aggressively grew the company, making large acquisitions and technology improvements. In her single leadership, ABC Supply not only recovered but it soared. As of 2024, the firm had more than 900 branches throughout the U.S. with revenues in excess of $20 billion, ranking as one of the largest privately-held wholesale distributors in the country. America's richest women as political activist Aside from her business empire, Diane Hendricks is perhaps best recognized for her political activism. A dedicated conservative and staunch Republican ally, she has donated millions to political campaigns and causes. She has supported some of the most notable figures in politics, including Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, and Donald Trump. In 2024, Hendricks spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, advocating for conservative principles and economic policies like Right to Work laws. Her political power reflects her business approach—brusque, forthright, and deeply embedded in her faith in individual enterprise. How Diane Hendricks became America's richest self-made woman 2025 Forbes labeled Diane Hendricks America's Richest Self-Made Woman in March 2025, focusing her spotlight as one of the greatest icons of self-made wealth. She also ranked in their Richest Person in Every State list, a title not frequently bestowed upon women, particularly in traditionally male fields such as construction and building materials. What makes Hendricks's wealth so impressive is that it wasn't inherited. Forbes assigned her a Self-Made Score of 9 out of 10, indicating that her financial empire was constructed nearly solely through individual effort, informed decision-making, and business risk-taking. Her background is the opposite of many billionaires who inherited their families' wealth or controlling stakes in large businesses. Also Read | Meet the London doctor who's 41 but biologically 24; here's his life longevity secrets revealed with 3 core supplements
Forbes
06-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Small Business Toolkit: Advice On Taxes, Business Structure, Funding And More
New and threatened tariffs. Expiring tax breaks. Tighter lending rules at the Small Business Administration (SBA). Small business owners face lots of challenges and uncertainty these days. But then, starting and running a small business has always been tough. And yet, small businesses remain the mainstay of the U.S. economy, creating jobs, millionaires, and in some cases, big companies and billionaires. Diane Hendricks, #1 on Forbes' new list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, with a net worth of $22.5 billion, started a roofing supply business with her late husband, Ken, in Wisconsin in 1982. Under her watch, ABC Supply, which she owns and has chaired since Ken's death in 2007, has grown to more than 900 branch locations and $20 billion in sales. Peter Cancro started making sandwiches at a Jersey Shore sandwich shop in 1971 at the age of 14, bought out the owner before his high school graduation, and built Jersey Mike's into a chain with more than 3,000 locations, before finally selling a majority stake this year to private equity firm Blackstone. He's now worth $4.9 billion. Today, the U.S. has more than 33 million small businesses, employing nearly 62 million Americans, some 46% of private sector employees. According to the SBA, from 1995 to 2021, small businesses created 17.3 million net new jobs, accounting for 63% of the net jobs created during this period. Underlying that impressive net job growth number, however, are millions of small business births and closures. About one in five of all small businesses fail in their first year and one in two succumb in the first five years. This new Forbes Small Business Toolkit aims to help you beat the odds, with information on choosing the right entity, assembling your professional team, filing and paying taxes on time, managing small business loans, and more. Despite the drama in Washington, some of these business basics won't change. But some will change–so we intend to keep the Toolkit updated, with developments business owners are likely too busy to track on their own. Small businesses have faced greater-than-normal challenges in recent months as they struggle to navigate President Trump's tariffs and tax proposals. The threat of tariffs (and tariffs already imposed) have already resulted in higher expenses and supply chain disruptions for some small businesses. And more are likely coming. Since tariffs are paid for by U.S. companies that import goods and materials, many small businesses will have to pay more for what they buy, yet may not be able to pass along the full cost increases to customers. The most recent National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index shows retailers, in particular, have had their enthusiasm curbed by tariffs. The Republican tax bill, as passed last month by the House, included some wins for small businesses. It restored expensing and made the existing Section 199A deduction for small businesses that pass through their profits to the owner's tax return (S corps, partnerships and the self-employed) permanent and more generous. But those hoping that a business-friendly Senate might push even further by lowering corporate tax rates, too, likely won't get their wish. The cost of the bill (and how it increases the federal deficit and debt) may mean we'll see less, not more, tax relief for businesses, as it makes its way through the Senate and the reconciliation process. Adding to the uncertainty, interest rates and other costs remain high, making borrowing tricky at a time when assistance from federal agencies like the SBA has been reduced (the agency has announced plans to reduce its workforce by 43%) and loan guarantee rules tightened. Reduced staffing at the IRS (the agency expects to lose at least 20,000 employees) means there are fewer representatives available to answer the phones and help resolve tax disputes—some of those tax issues, like liens, can paralyze a small business if not resolved in a timely manner. There are some bright spots. Earlier this year, the Treasury Department walked back most of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), limiting its scope to foreign companies. Before the revision, an estimated 32.6 million companies were potentially subject to reporting requirements, with significant penalties for noncompliance. The administration has also signaled that more regulatory rollback is coming, though businesses aren't yet sure what that might look like. With so much uncertainty—and more changes on the way—we suggest bookmarking this Toolkit and checking back for our updates.
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Forbes Daily: Chime, America's Largest Digital Bank Faces, IPO Reality
America's most successful self-made women are richer than ever before. The 100 entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers on Forbes' tenth annual ranking are worth a collective record of $155 billion. The list includes 38 billionaires, who made their fortunes through everything from cars to cosmetics to chardonnay. The list is once again topped by billionaire Diane Hendricks, the 78-year-old chair and owner of roofing and building materials wholesaler ABC Supply. But it also features newcomers like the majority owner of the Washington Spirit Michele Kang, and musician and actor Selena Gomez. And more than half of the women on the list saw their fortunes grow since last year. Photo Illustration by Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Chime, America's largest digital bank, is aiming for an IPO valuation of about $11 billion, a sharp drop from the $25 billion it fetched in a private fundraise in August 2021, near the peak of the fintech market bubble. But despite economic uncertainty, the 13-year-old bank is moving forward with its IPO plan, having grown its active customer base to 8.6 million by offering a no-fee checking account and debit card. In its latest economic outlook report, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development—an intergovernmental group that includes 38 of the world's top economies—warned that global economic growth is set to face a significant slowdown due to increased uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariffs. The OECD projects that global economic growth will drop from 3.3% in 2024 to 2.9% in 2025 and 2026, with the U.S. economy expected to be among the hardest hit. Wall Street's top watchdog, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, scored a key victory as the Supreme Court declined to hear a penny stock broker's legal challenge to its constitutionality. But FINRA still faces a threat in a new bill in Congress that would move the self-regulatory body's key powers to the SEC. Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images As Elon Musk still aims to make X an 'everything app,' he said this week he will start rolling out XChat, an encrypted messaging and calling platform that could be a competitor to WhatsApp. The update will expand the platform's direct messaging function, which Musk says will include encryption, file sharing, vanishing messages and audio or visual phone calls that can be made without a phone number. Kristi Noem testified before a House committee in May about the Department of Homeland Security's budget request. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem often emphasizes her rough-and-tumble rural roots, but today she's worth about $5 million, Forbes estimates. Much of that is due to her husband Bryon's insurance business: Noem Insurance has generated $1.1 million in salary and profits for him over the past two years. David Richardson, the acting head of FEMA, reportedly told staffers he was unaware that the U.S. had a hurricane season. While an agency spokesperson told various outlets the comments were made as a joke, they come as FEMA's workforce has been severely gutted by DOGE, with the USA Today reporting that about 2,000 of the agency's 6,100 full-time staff have been fired or resigned in recent months. Skims cofounder Kim Kardashian, TV talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and pop star Beyoncé Knowles-Carter Even celebrities are feeling the effects of the cooling economy. Forbes' new list of America's Richest Self-Made Women features 16 celebrities among its ranks, worth a combined $14.1 billion. But after years of booming entrepreneurship, the market is softening for celebrity-backed companies: Other than Selena Gomez, most of the stars' fortunes are little changed from a year ago. The suspect in the attack on a Boulder, Colorado gathering in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza was charged with a federal hate crime Monday after telling authorities while in custody that he wanted to 'kill all Zionist people.' Mohamed Soliman threw two Molotov cocktails at the group gathered in front of the Boulder Courthouse on Sunday and yelled 'Free Palestine!' leaving eight injured, according to court documents. Gun control laws in Maryland and Rhode Island will stay in place, the Supreme Court ruled, as it declined to take up challenges to the bans. Nine states have assault weapons bans in place, as gun control has become a hot topic at the Supreme Court. Chris and Angie Long privately financed the Kansas City Current's $140 million CPKC Stadium When CPKC Stadium, the new home of the National Women's Soccer League's Kansas City Current, opened in March 2024, it was the first venue in the world developed primarily for a professional women's sports franchise. And while that milestone would be impressive enough on its own, the value that the 11,500-seat stadium has unlocked for the Current has been nothing short of transformative. The team, which previously played at Children's Mercy Park as a tenant under MLS's Sporting Kansas City, saw a 'more than $20 million revenue swing' in its first season at its new home, says Angie Long, who bought the franchise in 2020 with her husband Chris and privately financed the construction of the $140 million stadium. By bolstering business lines such as premium seating and tapping into new streams, including concessions, naming rights and third-party events, the Current generated $36 million in revenue in 2024—the best mark in the NWSL and nearly quadruple the league's median of $9.5 million, according to Forbes estimates. The club is now worth an estimated $275 million, second only to $280 million Angel City FC, despite playing in the fourth-smallest market in the 14-team league. The way the Longs see it, the growth has only just begun. The Current purposely held back in certain areas last season—limiting the number of non-NWSL events they hosted to keep the field pristine, for instance, and retaining some sponsorship assets until they had a better handle on what they were selling. With those guardrails now being lifted, the franchise is projecting $45 million in revenue in 2025. 'We're scratching the surface in every single way,' says Angie Long, a Kansas City native. WHY IT MATTERS 'Most other NWSL clubs would face plenty of hurdles trying to replicate the Current's model, but everyone around the sport is paying close attention to the experiment unfolding in Kansas City, and as the league continues to expand beyond 14 teams, facilities are becoming a much more important part of bids by new host markets,' says Forbes staff writer Justin Birnbaum. 'Women's soccer remains a long way from catching up to established men's pro leagues, but the Current are blazing a trail toward billion-dollar team valuations—perhaps in the not-too-distant future.' MORE The NWSL's Most Valuable Teams 2025 The buy now, pay later industry has exploded in recent years, but shares of Affirm Holdings have fallen in 2025. The default rate on such loans is rising, though industry executives say they're not worried: 13%: Affirm's stock losses so far this year $560 billion: The size of the BNPL industry in 2025, according to one report 'A Band-Aid on top of their credit card debt': How a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau official described Americans' use of buy now, pay later loans to the New York Times If you've just found out you've been laid off, the next few days and weeks are critical. Don't panic apply just because you're anxious—it's better to identify a few employers you want to work for, connect with decision-makers at these companies and find the jobs for which they're hiring. And if you've been out of the job market for a number of years, consider rebranding yourself to highlight your most in-demand skills. We're officially in hurricane season, but another natural phenomenon is also approaching U.S. skies. What is it? A. The northern lights B. Tornadoes C. Saharan dust D. Wildfire smoke Check your answer. Thanks for reading! This edition of Forbes Daily was edited by Sarah Whitmire and Chris Dobstaff.
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Selena Gomez, Michele Kang Join Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian Among America's 100 Richest Self-Made Women
Bigger fortunes. More billionaires. Increasing impact. We mark the 10th anniversary of our annual list of America's most successful self-made women by celebrating how far these 100 entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers have come. Together these ceiling-breakers are worth a combined $155 billion, more than ever before. There are 38 billionaires this year, with fortunes originating in everything from cars to cosmetics to Chardonnay. That's more than double the 18 billionaires we found on our first list in 2015 and an increase from 31 billionaires in 2024. The minimum net worth to make the cut is $350 million, up from $300 million last year. Back in 2015, when we ranked only 50 women, the minimum to qualify was $250 million. Thirty-six members of the original list from a decade ago made the 2025 edition. Jamel Toppin for Forbes One of those list originals–and the richest this year–is billionaire Diane Hendricks, the 78-year-old chair and owner of roofing and building materials wholesaler ABC Supply. She takes the top spot for the eighth consecutive year, with an estimated $22.3 billion fortune. Hendricks, who cofounded ABC Supply in 1982 with her husband Ken (who died in 2007) has been No. 1 for all but two years–she ranked No. 2 in 2015 and 2017. Her fortune has risen sixfold since appearing on the first list with a net worth of $3.7 billion. Revenue at the Wisconsin-based company has grown from $4.8 billion in 2014 to $20.7 billion last year. Among this year's nine newcomers are three billionaires, including the majority owner of the National Women's Soccer League's Washington Spirit, Michele Kang, who sold her health care IT company Cognosante to Accenture for more than $1 billion last year (more on Kang here); Lauren Leichtman, a private equity investor who with her husband bought the National Women's Soccer League's San Diego Wave in October; and Iranian immigrant and biotech executive and investor Maky Zanganeh, who helped turn around and sell drug developer Pharmacyclics to AbbVie for $21 billion in 2015 and today runs Summit Therapeutics with her husband (and fellow billionaire) Robert Duggan. The highest profile and youngest newcomer is musician and actress Selena Gomez, who at 32 is worth an estimated $700 million. The vast majority of the star's fortune comes from her stake in Rare Beauty, the cosmetics company she founded in 2020 and that Forbes estimates is now worth $1.3 billion. (For more on how Gomez built her fortune, see here.) She is now one of 16 celebrities in the ranks. The oldest newcomer is Gail Federici, 76, a hair care entrepreneur who founded her current company, Color Wow, in 2013. Other new faces include two executives at sizzling chip design firm Nvidia: chief financial officer Collete Kress, who joined the semiconductor company in 2013, reportedly after her two young sons endorsed the brand, which they knew as the designer of the chips powering their favorite computer games; and Debora Shoquist, Nvidia's executive vice president of operations and an 18-year veteran of the company, who oversees the logistics and supply chain. Eight members of last year's list became billionaires in the past year, several thanks to higher valuations of private tech companies. That includes SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell; Daniela Amodei, president and one of seven cofounders of AI unicorn Anthropic; Theresia Gouw, America's wealthiest female venture capitalist thanks to her time as a partner at Accel; and Lucy Guo, who became the world's youngest self-made female billionaire at age 30 in April. Her fortune grew 160% since last year due to the increased value of Scale AI, the artificial intelligence data labeling firm that she cofounded in 2016 with Alexandr Wang, enough to make her the biggest gainer in percentage terms. A sale of insider shares in April pushed the value of the privately held firm to $25 billion, up from $13.8 billion. Though Guo left Scale AI in 2018 and went on to found OnlyFans competitor Passes, she has held on to a nearly 5% stake, which now makes up the vast majority of her net worth. Cofounder of Little Caesar's pizza chain, Marian Ilitch is the biggest gainer in dollar terms, up $2.3 billion from a year ago to an estimated $6.9 billion fortune, thanks in part to a more than $1 billion jump in the value of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, which she owns. Alice Schwartz, cofounder of research and diagnostic firm Bio-Rad Laboratories, is the oldest member of the list, at age 98. Kylie Jenner, who made her debut on the list at age 21, holds onto her position as the youngest member, at 27. More than half of the women on the list–58–saw their fortunes grow since last year, while the net worths of 12 members are unchanged from 2024. Twenty-one are worth less than last year, including pop star Rihanna, whose net worth slipped by $400 million to an estimated $1 billion, due to setbacks at her key businesses. The CEO of her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty quit in August 2024 to take over Victoria's Secret, and investors marked down their valuation of the company. Sales are estimated to be flat at Fenty Beauty, the cosmetics line which she co-owns with luxury conglomerate LVMH. Sara Liu, who cofounded data storage and server maker Super Micro Computer was a billionaire last year, lost $540 million as shares of Super Micro plunged nearly 60% in the past year. Six members of the 2024 list dropped off the ranking altogether, including dating app Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd and Pepsico's former chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi, as shares of their companies tumbled 50% and 20% respectively, in the past year. Three others, all members of the original 2015 list, died: Love's truck stop cofounder Judy Love, who was 87; casino entrepreneur Elaine Wynn, 82; and former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, 56. To compile net worths, Forbes valued individual assets including stakes in public companies using stock prices from May 2, 2025. We valued private companies by consulting with outside experts and conservatively comparing them with public companies. To be eligible for the list, women have to have substantially made their own fortunes in the U.S. and/or be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. While none inherited their wealth, some climbed farther and overcame more obstacles to get into the ranks. To measure just how far some have come, women are given a self-made score of 6 (hired hand) to 10 (rags-to-riches entrepreneur). We attempted to vet numbers with all list entrants. Some cooperated, others didn't. Ages are as of June 3, 2025. For more information, including details on the self-made scores, see
