What is the extent of the financial holdings of the Rockefeller family?

Answer:
Let's step back in time to see "the tree" from whence the money fell. John D. Rockefeller (1839 - 1937) was an American industrialist and oil company pioneer. He put together Standard Oil of Ohio and went to dominate the oil refining industry as a whole. He first did it in the Cleveland area, and went on to make Standard Oil (yes, that Standard Oil) a monopoly. In fairness, he bought his competitors out (in general) for "fair" prices. Because he had the financial "muscle" to do it, he would show a competitor his worth and tell them, "Sell to me now at this price and walk away, or I will bankrupt you and buy you for pennies on the dollar. Either way, I win." (Not an exact quote, but true in the way he did business.)

His massive operation netted him millions and millions of dollars. And in the twentieth century, he moved into investments across a broad base that left him one of the wealthiest men in the world. The family remains extremely wealthy today because of large holdings in Standard Oil and in a more-than-adequate portfolio that includes investments in many large financial institutions and corporations - just like many of the wealthiest people in America. Their money makes money because the have so much of it. They tend their crop of stocks, bonds and other holdings and continue to have all the financial resources they might possibly need or want.

John D. Rockefeller, it should be noted, gave away a great deal of money in the form of philanthropic support for education, health issues and other "needed" causes. He had always done so, even from his early beginnings. He gave half a billion dollars away over the years. And that was "back when" and the dollar bought a whole lot more. As just one example, he endowed a small Baptist college and, before the turn of the century, transformed it into a world-class educational institution. Guess where the first controlled fission reaction took place? Yup. University of Chicago campus.

The Rockefellers are probably best "classified" as being among the "super rich" today, and they have some of the deepest pockets around owing to large and diverse holdings. A link is provided below.

First answer by Quirkyquantummechanic. Last edit by Quirkyquantummechanic. Contributor trust: 3702 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question].