The Guadalajara Reporter

Carlos Slim still world’s richest man

Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim remains the world’s richest person for the fourth year in a row, according to the latest edition of the Forbes billionaires list.

The self-made billionaire and owner of the Telmex and Telcel brands is estimated to be worth 73 billion dollars as of March 2013. A year ago, Slim’s fortune had reportedly dropped by over five billion dollars, further decreasing the gap between him and second on the list, Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Since last year, however, Slim’s worth has increased by four billion dollars. He is also listed as 11th in terms of the world’s most powerful individuals.

Billionaire Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, otherwise known as “El Chapo,” was knocked off this year’s rich list, although Forbes names him as one of the world’s most powerful, ranked at number 63. Guzman spent four years on the billionaires list and was ranked the 10th richest man in Mexico (1,140th in the world) in 2011, with a continued net worth of roughly one billion dollars from 2009 until this year.

Although it no longer confirms his billionaire status, Forbes names him as “the biggest drug lord of all time.” Since Forbes takes into account material possessions, investments and debts in order to calculate a person’s estimated wealth, it is unclear exactly how it could accurately gauge Guzman’s net worth.