In capsule form, our Wealthiest list presents a view of the American wealth creation system. A sizable percentage of Connecticut’s billionaires didn’t start out with a boatload of money, and many channeled an entrepreneurial drive to build their fortune.
When Hartford Business Journal decided to profile the wealthiest Connecticut residents, one obvious question involved deciding a net worth cutoff.
Perhaps it says something about the times that, to keep the list from becoming unwieldy, we had to set the lower limit at $1 billion.
This feature is more than just a list, however. Just as each issue of HBJ offers information that business owners, leaders and others can use, the Wealthiest list also contains useful information. In capsule form, it presents a view of the American wealth creation system. A sizable percentage of Connecticut’s billionaires didn’t start out with a boatload of money, and many channeled an entrepreneurial drive to build their fortune.
That mirrors a national report that the U.S. Trust Co. (which now operates as Bank of America Private Bank) previously issued, which found that, “Their advantage in life is not rare financial privilege but rather basic values, discipline and sense of potential shaped by family from an early age, which equipped them to make the most of every opportunity.”
In other words, they created and sustained wealth by innovating and adapting. That’s a good strategy for any kind of business, regardless of size or wealth.
