The Marshall Family – $12 Billion

Unlike many of the other richest families in America, the Marshall family did not gain all their wealth from a single source. Instead, they wealth comes from a massive, diversified portfolio of investments. For instance, the family still makes plenty of money from their 15% stake in the Koch Industries, which J. Howard Marshall II purchased in the 1950s.

After his death, Marshall II passed on the stock to his son, E. Pierce Marshall, which then went to his wife and children when he passed away. Believe it or not, the Marshalls are sitting on a massive $12 billion fortune. Of course, you may remember that E. Pierce almost did not relieve the money, as Marshall II married actress Anna Nicole Smith for the last year of his life and wanted to leave everything to her. After a nasty, long legal battle, the Marshalls retained the money.