A study of the top 100 billionaires in recent history found they have 6 unlikely characteristics in common
Mike Segar/Reuters
What do the wealthiest people on this planet have in common? A great business sense? Luck? A strong work ethic? The likely answer is a combination of all of these and much more. However, when we look at the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and investors, we tend to limit ourselves to typical business traits and disregard features like physical attributes or family life.
But what if these seemingly trivial aspects can give an indication of your potential to make billions? Take a look at GoCompare’s study of the top 100 billionaires over the last 20 years. At first glance some of the following traits may seem unrelated to making money, but they might just be the hidden key to becoming rich.
Chip Somodevilla / Stringer / Getty Images1. Invest in your family
Are you married? Do you have three children? Statistically, you’re most likely to be a billionaire if your family looks something like this: Among the world’s richest, 87 percent are married and 63 percent have three of more children.
Naturally, having a large family does not guarantee success, yet it seems that the emotional support family and marital life brings with it, might aid individuals in dealing with the stress and ambiguity of entrepreneurship.
Reinhard Gorner via ArchDaily
2. No school of hard knocks
Although 14 percent of the 100 richest people in the world since 1992 have had no formal education at all or were college dropouts, attending certain universities and studying a few select subjects could increase your chance of making it big.
The most popular universities amongst the world’s billionaires are the famous elite institutions Harvard University and Stanford University, renowned for producing a league of influential entrepreneurs and world leaders.
The most popular degrees cover a variety of sectors and include engineering, economics, computer science and business administration.
Christopher Furlong / Staff / Getty Images
3. Successful star signs
Regardless of your opinion towards horoscopes and astrology, there is some evidence that certain star signs are linked to more successful people. Among the world’s top billionaires, 12.5 percent are Aquarius, who are said to be independent and inventive, traits that arguably come in useful for entrepreneurs.
On the other hand, the least represented star sign is Cancer, with only 5.9 percent of billionaires born between late June and July. Cancerians are linked to traits such as tenaciousness, but also tend to be insecure, a potential obstacle on the path to success.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider