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SMALL BUSINESS
20 Money Winners of '07
Previous-
Chris Hondros, Getty Images
It Was a Banner Year ...
It was a banner financial year for these 19 people and 1 lucky pooch. See why. First up:
Carlos Slim Helú
Last year, Forbes ranked Mexico's telecommunications king as the world's third richest person. This year, his net worth has ballooned to over $59 billion and this summer, Fortune said Slim has overtaken Bill Gates as the world's richest person.
Read More on Carlos Slim
Next: Indra Nooyi -
Manish Swarup, AP
Indra Nooyi
Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, India-born Nooyi is the most powerful woman in business according to Fortune, and the fifth most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes.
In a year when many companies are struggling, Pepsi's stock has steadily risen to an all-time high.
Read More on Indra Nooyi
Next: Stephen Schwarzman -
Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images
Stephen Schwarzman
Chairman and co-founder of private-equity giant Blackstone, Schwarzman reportedly made hundreds of millions of dollars when his company went public in June. His total estimated worth is $7.8 billion and he is ranked No. 40 on Forbes' recent Richest Americans list.
Read More on Schwarzman
Next: Madonna -
Getty Images
Madonna
In October, the Material Girl bid adios to her long-time label Warner Music and entered into a 10-year, $120 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation, where she will be the founding artist in its new Artist Nation division.
In December, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Madonna would be part of the 2008 class of inductees.
Read More on Madonna
Next: Tiger Woods -
Andrew Redington, Getty Images
Tiger Woods
The reigning king of golf is also the reigning king of endorsements. On top of his $10 million in PGA tour winnings, he makes tens of millions more in product endorsements. In 2007, Gatorade agreed to pay him up to $100 million to license a Tiger Woods brand of sports drink, due out next spring.
Read More on Tiger Woods
Next: Steve Jobs -
AP
Steve Jobs
No one has more influence over a wide array of businesses today than Jobs, according to Fortune which recently named him as the most powerful person in business.
His company, Apple Computer, has seen its stock more than double in 2007 and Jobs has seen his own net worth soar to over $5.6 billion.
Read More on Steve Jobs
Next: 50 Cent -
Maury Phillips, WireImages
50 Cent
The rapper may not have won the battle with Kayne West for album sales this year, but he sure was a big money winner thanks to his sizable stake in the company Glaceau, which Coca-Cola bought in May for $4.2 billion.
50 Cent received $400 million in that sale and is laughing all the way to the bank.
Read More on 50 Cent
Next: Lloyd Blankfein -
Goldman Sachs/AP
Lloyd Blankfein
Chairman and CEO of financial powerhouse Goldman Sachs, Blankfein is being credited with helping steer the financial giant away from the subprime mortgage mess that is hitting many of its competitors. He is in line for a 30 percent pay hike this year thanks to Goldman's impressive performance in '07. That would make his pay rise to a record $70 million this year.
Read More on Lloyd Blankfein
Next: David Beckham -
Mark Nolan, Getty Images
David Beckham
The English soccer superstar moved to America this summer to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy which could net him $250 million over the next five years. Brand Beckham is taking the United States by storm as he and his wife Victoria (aka Posh Spice) are quickly becoming A-List celebrities.
Read More on David Beckham
Next: Mark Zuckerberg -
Mark Zuckerberg
This 23-year-old Harvard dropout has had a banner year thanks to the huge success of his social-networking site Facebook. Last year, Yahoo reportedly tried to buy his company for $1 billion.
In October, Microsoft bought a 1.6 percent stake in the company for $240 million, which now puts Facebook's value at $12 billion.
Read More on Mark Zuckerberg
Next: Oprah Winfrey -
Gregg DeGuire, WireImages
Oprah Winfrey
The queen of media's empire seems to get bigger every year. Everything Oprah touches seems to turn to gold. She is by far the highest-earning celebrity with $260 million, according to Forbes, which ranks her No. 1 on its annual list of most powerful and highest-earning celebrities.
Read More on Oprah Winfrey
Next: Rupert Murdoch -
Hector Mata, AFP/Getty Images
Rupert Murdoch
Fortune ranks this media giant as the second most powerful man in business, thanks to his ever-growing empire which now includes 'Wall Street Journal' publisher Dow Jones and a new Fox business channel.
He's the 73rd wealthiest person in the world and has a net worth of $9 billion ... and growing.
Read More on Rupert Murdoch
Next: Miley Cyrus -
Al Pereira, WireImages
Miley Cyrus
What is the hottest ticket of 2007? Believe it or not, it is Miley Cyrus (aka 'Hannah Montana'). Her sold-out concert tour is seeing tickets scalped for thousands of dollars.
Forbes recently included Cyrus on its list of top-earning young celebrities with a net worth of $3.5 million.
Read More on Miley Cyrus
Next: Robert Nardelli -
Carlos Osorio, AP
Robert Nardelli
After six years as CEO of Home Depot, Nardelli resigned in early 2007 after coming under fire as the company's market valuation dropped 40 percent under his helm.
But don't feel too badly for him, he got an estimated severance package of $210 million. After a brief retirement, Nardelli re-emerged in August as the new chairman and CEO of automaker Chrysler.
Read More on Bob Nardelli
Next: Mukesh Ambani -
Getty Images
Mukesh Ambani
This Indian businessman is chairman of Reliance Industries and has seen his net worth soar to over $55 billion this year, making Ambani one of the five richest people in the world.
In addition to his soaring wealth, he began construction on a new home which is expected to cost $1 billion and reach 60-stories high.
Read More on Mukesh Ambani
Next: Rachael Ray -
Amy Sussman, Getty Images
Rachael Ray
Following in the footsteps of her mentor Oprah Winfrey, Ray has expanded out of the kitchen in 2007 into many other areas, including very lucrative endorsement deals with Nabisco and Dunkin Donuts. She also launched her own line of home products.
Television's perky chef ranked No. 14 on Forbes' list of TV's top earners with $16 million.
Read More on Rachael Ray
Next: Gulzhan Moldazhanova -
Basic Element
Gulzhan Moldazhanova
You probably have never heard of her, but she is Russia's top female executive and CEO of Basic Element. This 43-year-old has seen her star rise steadily over the past few years.
She currently ranks No. 20 on Fortune's list of the most powerful women in the world.
Read More on Moldazhanova
Next: Alex Rodriguez -
Alex Rodriguez
The New York Yankee's third baseman is the reigning king of baseball. Over the past decade, he has led the Major Leagues in home runs, runs scored, RBIs, total bases and extra-base hits.
A-Rod also leads the league in salary. He just re-signed with the Yankees with a 10-year contract reportedly worth $275 million.
Read More on Alex Rodriguez
Next: Mark Hurd -
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Mark Hurd
Which CEO has shined brighter recently than Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd. He has brought the company back from an also-ran a couple years ago to the clear-cut computer leader it is today, as it has trounced Dell this year.
HP has rewarded Hurd nicely with over $15 million in annual salary which will probably rise sharply in the coming years.
Read More on Mark Hurd
Next: Trouble -
Trouble
Finally, the last name on our list has four legs, white fur and weighs less than 10 pounds. Trouble was the beloved Maltese of hotel queen Leona Helmsley. When she died this year, she left a $12 million trust for him so he could continue to live an opulent life. Now that is one lucky dog!
Read More on Trouble
Next: More Great Features -
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