The following story is part of our 2000 April Fools' joke. For an explanation of why we did the joke, click here.

It may seem hard to believe, but nine of the fifty-two companies that Shakespeare invested in actually survived all the way to modern times. Many are now large and prominent corporations. This is just another example of how powerful a buy-and-hold strategy can be. Shakespeare may not be alive anymore, but his ancestry will forever be grateful.

$18.7 Billion?
As Tom and David announced in their introduction, Shakespeare's estate is worth $18.7 billion. How did it become so valuable? Compounding. It's a concept we've been extolling for years on our site. But what's really amazing about the $18.7 billion valuation is that for the first 200 years, Shakespeare's stocks were pretty much flat. Only when they began to evolve into successful businesses did his portfolio really take off.

Initial Investment
According to the stock certificates, it appears that Shakespeare's total initial investment was somewhere along the lines of 60 cents (converted to U.S. dollars, for ease). Apparently, Shakespeare had placed a very small percentage of each play's commission into his portfolio. Given that the amounts were so small, it's no wonder that his contemporaries didn't consider him rich. He wasn't.

Shakespeare's Wealth
The Bard's $18.7 billion portfolio would make him the sixth wealthiest American (if he were alive and American). Here are the top six.

Name	Worth (in billions)	Age	Source
Bill Gates	$85	43	Microsoft Corp.
Paul Allen	$40	46	Microsoft Corp.
Warren Buffett	$31	69	Berkshire Hathaway
Steve Ballmer	$23	43	Microsoft Corp.
Michael Dell	$20	34	Dell Computer
William Shakespeare	$19	Dead	Various

The Stock Portfolio

Click to see how Shakespeare's portfolio evolved into modern-day companies.

When Shakespeare's coffin was opened, historians discovered what Shakespeare called his "First Folio." Possibly, Shakespeare was going to create several other portfolios but never received additional capital. We've listed the nine surviving holdings and have shown how they were traced to their modern-day counterparts.

Next: The Press Conference »

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