Would Index Funds Keep Pace With The Forbes 400 Richest?

You wake up one day to find a letter in the mail.

One of your distant relatives had robbed an Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb.

There’s no official record of your ancestor’s crime or wealth. But a secret organization now deems you the heir.

Best of all, the windfall is a cool $2 billion, and it’s completely tax-free. This would put you near the bottom of the Forbes 400 list.

Every year, Forbes grabs the world’s attention by listing the 400 richest people in the United States. The names of the richest, however, aren’t engraved in stone. Much like matches to papyrus, fortunes often go up in smoke.

The Forbes 400 includes savvy entrepreneurs, rich descendants and great investors.If you’ve inherited enough to make the cut, you might wonder if a portfolio of index funds could keep you on the list.