Settlement (Two-in-one chapter)

The richest man in the world?

There was no such thing as the Forbes World's Billionaires list yet; Wang Xiuyuan vaguely remembered that the Forbes World's Billionaires list was first launched in 1987.

Wang Xiuyuan remembered one point very clearly: when the world's rich list was first published, the richest man that year was a Japanese person who started in real estate, with a net worth of twenty billion dollars.

The data statistics of the Forbes World's Billionaires list were very incomplete, only able to count personal asset data that could be clearly identified under an individual's name.

For example, the amount of stocks held by an individual could be directly calculated and thus included in that person's net worth statistics.

However, some data, such as personal bank account balances, could not be tracked. If the individual did not cooperate in submitting the data, the list compilers could not perform effective statistics.

Additionally, physical assets such as artworks, antique collectibles, real estate, and land were all assets whose actual value could not be effectively calculated; unlisted companies also had no way to measure their actual value, none of which could be included in the data statistics.

Furthermore, even the members of some prominent families were unclear about the total extent of their family assets. They cleverly hid these assets within offshore companies with complex shareholding structures or donated them to charitable foundations controlled by their own clansmen.

The family assets of these prominent families couldn't even be clearly investigated by the FBI and CIA, which were specifically responsible for investigations and intelligence in America; it was a joke to think a small magazine could figure out the data.

The richest man in the world?

Wang Xiuyuan scoffed at this title.

There were so many prominent families in America, with five or six hundred Blue-blooded aristocrats alone who had legacies spanning over a century.

It was unrealistic to say that all these prominent families were richer than Wang Xiuyuan, but if these families included their controlled assets like real estate, land, and antique collectibles, there would be at least two hundred, if not three hundred, families richer than him.

America, the wealthiest country in the world.

Without solid assets as support, how could it become the richest country in the world? Right now, it was still America, not the bloated "America the Soft" of forty-some years later.

If more than two hundred people richer than him could be found in America alone, what about the various European countries?

European countries had crazily colonized the world through the technological advantages of the Industrial Revolution, plundering the globe for hundreds of years. The number of prominent families with legacies of over a century there wasn't necessarily fewer than in America.

When it truly came to wealth, Wang Xiuyuan would be ranked at least outside the top five hundred.

Moreover, the 9.008 billion dollars in his personal account wasn't all his money. This income would still be subject to taxes during the tax season next April, and only what remained after taxes would be his.

Calculated at a comprehensive tax rate with an upper limit of 26.8 percent, the actual amount he would receive was only about 6.593 billion dollars.

To say he was the richest man in the world? Even he thought such words were a joke.

"Alright, Curtis. There are plenty of hidden wealthy people and families in this world; not everyone puts their wealth on display.

I didn't expect to make so much money this time either; otherwise, I would have hidden the operations across different accounts long ago, rather than making such a stir like now.

Have you calculated how much management fee your company is going to take?

Let's handle it all at once this afternoon so I don't have to keep running back and forth."

"There's no need to calculate that at all. Our company only manages your account on your behalf; all transactions were carried out according to your instructions.

In cases where the profit exceeds fifty percent of the principal, we charge one percent of the profit as a management fee, which is a bit over ninety million."

"Fuck~ You guys at Goldman Sachs are too black-hearted, over ninety million dollars!"

Initially, Wang Xiuyuan thought Goldman Sachs was quite conscientious, but when he heard the specific amount, he couldn't help but swear.

To be fair, Goldman Sachs' fee logic was actually quite reasonable; it was considered among the lowest in Wall Street.

They would only charge one percent of the profit as a management fee if the profit exceeded fifty percent of the principal; if the profit was below fifty percent, they would charge one point five percent. It was hard to find a lower commission rate on Wall Street.

Unless it was a major client who negotiated the commission rate in advance, but the entry threshold for such special cases would be very high. Wang Xiuyuan certainly couldn't have reached that threshold with ten million dollars back then.

Curtis Faith smiled bitterly repeatedly; who could have anticipated this situation?

Such a high profit amount had never appeared in the financial history of Wall Street, and Curtis hadn't expected to encounter such a stroke of luck.

"I can try applying to the company to see how much of a management commission reduction I can get for you; this money was indeed earned a bit too easily.

Never mind your feeling of imbalance; even I feel uneasy taking this money.

Just for helping with some procedures and taking away ninety million dollars—if other peers on Wall Street found out, they would definitely go crazy trying to poach you to open an account with them.

To keep you as a super major client, our company's senior management will definitely give you some fee reductions; it's just that the amount isn't certain yet."

Ultimately, after Curtis Faith's communication, the senior management of the Goldman Sachs Group decided to charge half of the normal management fee this time and even rounded off the change, making it forty-five million dollars.

Even so, Wang Xiuyuan's heart still ached intensely. This was forty-five million dollars, enough to buy a thousand basic-model mercedes-benz 450sel sedans.

Happiness is not the same for everyone; the senior leaders of the Goldman Sachs Group were overjoyed.

Even with the management fee halved for Wang Xiuyuan, they still made a fortune without exerting much effort.

Immediately after finishing the procedures, Wang Xiuyuan transferred thirty million dollars in cash to the account of the charitable foundation he had established.

The main targets of this charitable foundation were impoverished people suffering from serious illnesses but unable to afford treatment costs, as well as impoverished students with excellent academic records but unable to afford expensive tuition and living expenses.

Money donated to the charitable foundation no longer belonged to Wang Xiuyuan, so he could deduct part of the taxes and receive a corresponding tax-exempt quota for this donation.

Since the charitable foundation was established by Wang Xiuyuan, he could serve as an independent director on its board, and no major decision could bypass him.

The management team of the charitable foundation was also hired by Wang Xiuyuan; this team undoubtedly had to carry out charitable activities according to Wang Xiuyuan's will, because those who were disobedient would be fired.

The charitable funds managed by the foundation only needed to be used strictly in accordance with American law, with five percent of its total assets being used for charitable activities each year, while the remaining funds could be freely used for investment and appreciation.

As for how and where that five percent of funds was used each year, there weren't actually overly rigid restrictions in the law.

Just handle the procedures and get approval in advance, much like a business license for a company in China; the business license has a scope of operations, and if there's no corresponding charitable business, just go to the relevant department for approval.

Wang Xiuyuan had recently met a group of retired American special forces soldiers and had promised to provide money to help treat their family members' illnesses.

Weren't these people's families particularly impoverished? And their family members were seriously ill without money for treatment, fitting the charitable foundation's targets perfectly.

Eh, didn't this match up perfectly?

Speaking of doing charity, America is still the most reliable.

Donating money to a charitable foundation can serve to avoid taxes and also allow the money to be used for investment to make more money through the foundation; most importantly, it's fucking tax-free—just tell me if that's impressive or not.

Isn't it just a requirement to use five percent of the assets for charity each year? Administrative expenses, foundation staff salaries, and office rent are also included within that five percent.

Is it not possible to help the many homeless people on the streets of America? Is it really that hard to find an offshore company at normal market prices to buy a batch of food that is about to expire or has just expired and distribute it?

Food that is about to expire won't have any problems, and food that has been expired for a few days won't kill anyone; the food's shelf life is just the best-before date, meaning the period when the taste and flavor are best.

It can still be eaten after this period; it's just that if something goes wrong, it has nothing to do with the manufacturer.

It's already good enough for the homeless on the streets of America to have expired food to eat; this is food specifically sent to them by the God they believe in, and they will surely thank their God.

As for food poisoning leading to death, there's no need to worry at all; who told these people to be homeless? Their bodies would be dragged away within a day, and as for an autopsy to find the cause of death—that doesn't exist.

Anyway, the money in the charitable foundation's account would circulate once through these legal commercial means, and the vast majority of it would still return to Wang Xiuyuan's hands. No one could find fault with it, as this was how the whole of America played the game.

Once all the transfer documents were signed, Wang Xiuyuan was preparing to pack up and leave when Curtis Faith returned to the office with someone.

"Mr. Wang, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Peter G. Peterson, the Co-Senior Partner of our Goldman Sachs Group. Upon hearing that you were at our company today, he rushed back specifically from London just to meet you."

Currently, Goldman Sachs did not have a CEO position like traditional large enterprises; the Senior Partner position was responsible for comprehensively presiding over the daily work of the Goldman Sachs Group.

Peter G. Peterson's position as Co-Senior Partner was equivalent to the second-in-command of the Goldman Sachs Group, an absolutely powerful and important role within the company.

"Hello, Mr. Wang. It's a pleasure to meet you. I had planned to visit your home with Curtis a long time ago, but there was never a suitable time. I finally get to meet you today."

Peter Peterson was truly a big figure on Wall Street; his words were pleasant to hear.

Being complimented by a small fry is completely different from being complimented by a big figure; anyway, Peter Peterson's words were very pleasing to Wang Xiuyuan.

Speaking of which, Wang Xiuyuan's personal mindset hadn't yet caught up with his status as a billionaire with tens of billions, but his current personal assets were fully worthy of Peter Peterson's praise.

"You are too kind, Mr. Peterson. You and Curtis are welcome to visit my home anytime you're free; I would be very happy to be friends with someone like you."

Wang Xiuyuan pretended to feel his pocket and then gave an embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Peterson. I'm not yet used to using things like business cards, so I forgot to bring them.

However, Curtis has my home phone number. You can call my home directly if you need anything, and you can invite me out for a drink when you're free."

In America, business cards are a very important social tool. The material of the card, the weight of the paper, the printing process, the design form, and the text layout—every aspect is very sophisticated.

Before meeting a person, one can often get a glimpse of their status, position, and taste through a business card.

It was very rude of Wang Xiuyuan not to exchange business cards after meeting Peter Peterson, but he cleverly used the act of feeling his pocket to prove he had forgotten them, and his gesture of giving Peter Peterson his home phone number proved his regard for him.

A home phone number isn't something just anyone is given; only someone highly valued would be told, otherwise, under normal circumstances, people usually give their office phone number and address.

Wang Xiuyuan's actions just now weren't just polite talk; the identity of a core leader of the Goldman Sachs Group was definitely worthy of such courtesy.

Peter Peterson, being a smart man who could make it on Wall Street, naturally saw the intent behind Wang Xiuyuan's actions at a glance and was therefore very tolerant and understanding.

After a few pleasantries, the two of them chatted about everything under the sun in Curtis's office, ranging from financial development to American national policy, and from geopolitics to which nightclub in New York had the easiest girls to pick up.

The sheer variety of the conversation topics left Curtis dumbfounded. Anyway, except for the finance and policy-related content, Curtis didn't understand the rest at all, and even if he did, he couldn't join in, given his slight social anxiety.

In just an hour of exchange, Wang Xiuyuan sent wave after wave of shock to Peter Peterson. Having lived for nearly fifty years, Peter Peterson had never seen a young man with such comprehensive knowledge as Wang Xiuyuan.

He could have a deep conversation on any topic, and it wasn't just hearsay or superficial content learned from the news, but rather he could discuss his own insights in detail.

How could such a situation not leave Peter Peterson feeling surprised?

It was just as well that Wang Xiuyuan wasn't aware of the shock in Peter Peterson's heart; otherwise, he really would have died of shame.

Wang Xiuyuan's level was nothing in the China of forty-some years later. When he argued with people on the internet, he usually lost more than he won, and he didn't dare to start a flame war with others unless absolutely necessary.

"What? You're the Chinese guy who invented so many nightclub games? You're the legendary Nightclub Little Prince?

Those games you invented are super popular in the New York nightclub scene now. Jesus Christ, I didn't expect you to not only be good at finance but also a nightclub super player."

Peter Peterson was completely stunned; he felt that the Chinese-American man in front of him was like a monster.

It was one thing to be successful and knowledgeable at a young age—the world has plenty of geniuses—but to actually gain such a huge reputation while drinking and picking up girls in nightclubs, wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?

"Of course, the legendary Nightclub Little Prince is right before your eyes. Try going to any nightclub with me, and I guarantee a crowd of people will rush to buy me drinks."