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This Month

Reed Hastings, the billionaire co-founder and former chief executive of Netflix.

The year’s biggest gift is $1.8b, and it’s not from Buffett

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings tops the list of the 12 biggest gifts of 2024, thanks to a $US1.1 billion donation to his education foundation.

  • Maria di Mento

The Year of Brilliant Jerks: Rear Window’s year in review

Trump, Ellison, White, Adgemis, Gupta and that Rinehart portrait. For Rear Window, the end of shame and pretense added up to a ripping year of stories.

  • Myriam Robin and Mark Di Stefano
Naomi Simson started RedBalloon in 2001 and has become one of the country’s most recognisable founders.

‘A man is not a plan’: How Naomi Simson created an experiences empire

Naomi Simson founded RedBalloon in 2001 on a shoestring budget. Now she’s looking to expand the company into the international market.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Keith Urban: didn’t mind the cameras

The drama at Anthony Pratt’s New York party

Actor Chris Rock stormed out of the New York shindig, but singer Keith Urban got the joint jumping.

  • Myriam Robin
Visy’s Anthony Pratt (centre) pictured with then Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek at Visy’s Coolaroo plant last year.

Dan Andrews makes Anthony Pratt’s New York party

Rich Lister Anthony Pratt has wasted no time getting settled into his new home.

  • Myriam Robin
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Zeller founder Ben Pfisterer says he “learnt the craft of trying to get stuff done” when he tried pioneering contactless payments at NAB.

‘Find what makes you happy’: From zero to $1b in two years

Zeller’s Ben Pfisterer brought Square to Australia after stints at Jetstar, NAB and Visa. He has based his career on one piece of advice – from his parents.

  • Yolanda Redrup

November

Australia’s wealthiest women and those leading philanthropic foundations gathered in Canberra on Thursday to boost female giving.

Australia’s wealthiest women join forces to supercharge philanthropy

Women from Australia’s biggest philanthropic donors met in Canberra on Thursday for She Gives’ first roundtable, including Fiona Geminder and the Fox family.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler.

Lonely Planet founders not content with giving away half their wealth

Tony and Maureen Wheeler are doubling down on their commitment to Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre with a big commitment to match donations.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Dom Pym has founded more than 22 companies, but you probably only know him as the guy who built neobank Up.

‘If we lose everything, we can just get a regular job’

From a childhood that was “pretty tough” in parts, Dom Pym founded 22 companies including neobank Up, which he sold for $116 million. Now he wants to elevate Australia’s venture ecosystem.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Imagine this but spookier: the Cannon-Brooke mansion is Double Bay’s favourite trick-or-treat haunt

Cannon-Brookes mansion hosts Double Bay Halloween

On Thursday evening, hundreds of pint-sized local ghouls descended upon the erstwhile couple’s estate, to partake of candy.

  • Myriam Robin
AFR composite

Chanticleer’s 10 legends of marvellous Melbourne

Melbourne has always been Chanticleer’s spiritual home. As part of the column’s 50-year celebrations, we name 10 big characters from the past five decades. 

  • James Thomson

October

How these Young Rich Listers celebrated their own 21st birthdays

To mark the 21st anniversary of the list, we ask notable Young Rich Listers past and present what their lives were like at 21.

  • Yolanda Redrup, Lauren Sams and Matthew Drummond
From left: Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht; Natasha Oakley (front); Georgia Contos; James and Robbie Ferguson.

Australia’s richest people 40 and under break record

The Young Rich List, now in its 21st year, set a new high for total wealth of $41.7 billion in 2024, dominated by technology entrepreneurs and retailers.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Crypto billionaire Tim Heath has an estimated worth of $2.27 billion.

Crypto casino Rich Lister victim of attempted kidnapping

Billionaire Tim Heath was attacked in his home in Estonia in July by a group of foreign nationals who attempted to abduct him.

  • Yolanda Redrup

The 10 richest young Australians revealed

The Young Rich List, now in its 21st year, has uncovered how the wealthiest Australians aged 40 and under are building their fortunes.

  • Yolanda Redrup
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How Jason Daniel went from ‘loose kid’ to the Young Rich List

The LSKD founder always pushed boundaries as he built his activewear company. Now he’s chasing a $1 billion target.

  • Carrie LaFrenz
John Ilhan at Crown Towers in Melbourne in the early 2000s.

From Crazy John’s to Canva, here’s to 21 years of the Young Rich List

Created in the shadow of the dotcom bust, the Young Rich List has unearthed waves of our best entrepreneurs, and been witness to a few busts.

  • James Thomson
‘Leather jacket? Don’t even think about it’: Melbourne’s The Australian Club

Australian Club cracks down on phones, leather jackets

Dire times at Melbourne’s elite Australian Club, where newish club president Charles Henry is doing all he can to maintain slipping standards.

  • Myriam Robin

The brothers making a fortune revolutionising healthcare with AI

Aengus and Dimitry Tran’s Harrison.ai wants to help 1 million people every day through its AI diagnostic technologies.

  • Yolanda Redrup

Meet the 17 new faces on this year’s Young Rich List

Technology entrepreneurs, retailers, musicians and sports stars are among this year’s debutants.

  • Yolanda Redrup

The secret to raising hundreds of millions like these Young Rich

Entrepreneurs on the Young Rich List have raised more than $US3.6 billion in funding from venture capital and private equity. Here are their top tips.

  • Yolanda Redrup

The real cost of being a Young Rich founder

Many successful entrepreneurs are glad they didn’t know what they were in for, as it would have discouraged them from taking a rocky, albeit rewarding path.

  • Yolanda Redrup

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/wealth/people