As of January 1, 2026, the planet’s wealthiest man is Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He’s worth $726 billion. He moved into the number one spot in late May 2024, overtaking Bernard Arnault of France.

The S&P 500 gained 16.6% in 2025, with many top stocks up for the year, helping to increase the wealth of billionaires whose fortunes are tied to publicly traded companies. The soaring stock prices ...