There is wealthy, and then there is seriously wealthy.

At the very top end, fortunes can rise or fall by tens of billions of dollars in the space of a month as share prices and company valuations move around.

So, who sits at the top of the pile right now?

According to Forbes, these are the 10 richest people in the world as of 1 September 2026.

1. Elon Musk – US$892 billion

Elon Musk remains comfortably on top with an estimated fortune of US$892 billion.

His wealth is largely tied to SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA). Forbes estimates that his fortune jumped by US$202 billion during August as both companies increased in value. To put this wealth into context, Australia’s largest bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), has a market capitalisation of around A$270 billion.

2. Larry Page – US$277 billion

Google co-founder Larry Page is second with US$277 billion.

Much of his wealth comes from his holding in Google parent Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL), where he remains a board member and controlling shareholder.

3. Jeff Bezos – US$268 billion

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos sits in third place with US$268 billion.

Bezos remains Amazon’s executive chairman and owns around 8% of the ecommerce and cloud computing giant.

4. Sergey Brin – US$256 billion

Fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin is worth an estimated US$256 billion.

Like Page, his fortune is closely linked to Alphabet. Forbes notes that Brin has also become more involved with the company’s artificial intelligence efforts.

5. Michael Dell – US$241 billion

Michael Dell has built a US$241 billion fortune.

He founded Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) as a teenager and remains its chairman and CEO.

6. Mark Zuckerberg – US$197 billion

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg is sixth with US$197 billion.

He still owns approximately 13% of the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

7. Larry Ellison – US$193 billion

Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) co-founder Larry Ellison is worth US$193 billion according to Forbes.

His fortune increased by US$25 billion during August, helping him move back up the rankings.

8. Jensen Huang – US$191 billion

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang has an estimated US$191 billion fortune.

His rise has been driven by Nvidia’s extraordinary growth as its chips have become central to the artificial intelligence boom.

9. Steve Ballmer – US$155 billion

Former Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer is back in the top 10 with US$155 billion.

Forbes notes that Ballmer has retained a significant Microsoft shareholding since leaving the company.

10. Amancio Ortega – US$148 billion

Finally, Zara co-founder Amancio Ortega has an estimated fortune of US$148 billion.

He owns around 60% of Zara parent Inditex (BME: ITX), with his wealth also reportedly spread across a substantial global property portfolio.

The post These are the 10 richest people in the world in September appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Building wealth on the ASX is not about finding one perfect share.

It is about putting together a portfolio that can keep growing even when individual companies disappoint, markets fall, or the economy changes.

That sounds simple enough, but there is a big difference between owning a collection of shares and owning a portfolio with a clear purpose.

Here is how I would approach it.

Build around your best long-term ideas

I would start with the companies I would be most comfortable owning for the next five to ten years.

These should be businesses with strong market positions, healthy balance sheets, and opportunities to keep growing earnings.

Examples could include companies such as Goodman Group (ASX: GMG), ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD), TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE), REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

They operate in different industries, but each has qualities that could allow it to become more valuable over time.

This is where a large part of the ASX share portfolio’s wealth creation can come from.

Give growth shares room to compound

A winning portfolio should probably have some exposure to faster-growing businesses as well.

Technology companies such as Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO), Life360 Inc (ASX: 360), and HUB24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) operate in markets where there is still considerable room to expand.

These shares can be more volatile, and valuations can move around quickly.

But if earnings grow strongly for many years, the eventual value of the business can look very different from where it started.

The important thing is giving successful investments enough time.

Selling a great company simply because its share price has already risen can sometimes cut short the most valuable part of the compounding process.

Do not let one idea control the portfolio

Conviction is useful, but concentration can become dangerous.

Even excellent businesses can run into unexpected problems.

I would therefore spread investments across different industries and earnings drivers rather than allowing one company or sector to dominate the portfolio.

Australian investors should also think beyond the local market.

ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) such as the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS) or iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV) can provide global exposure alongside individual Australian shares.

Pay attention to price

Quality alone is not enough. A fantastic company bought at an extreme valuation can still deliver disappointing returns.

I would rather keep a company on my watchlist than convince myself I have to buy it immediately.

There will usually be another opportunity. Results disappoint, markets correct, sentiment changes, and shares fall out of favour. Having cash ready when a quality business becomes more reasonably priced can be valuable.

Keep adding to the portfolio

The portfolio itself is only one part of the equation. Regular contributions can make an enormous difference over a long period.

Adding money each month or quarter means investors continue buying through strong markets, weak markets, recessions, recoveries, and everything in between.

Over decades, the combination of new contributions, rising company earnings, reinvested dividends, and compounding can become extremely powerful.

For example, $1,000 a month into an ASX share portfolio would turn into approximately $725,000 in 20 years with an average 10% annual return.

A winning ASX share portfolio does not need every decision to be right. It needs enough good businesses, sensible diversification, reasonable purchase prices, and plenty of time to compound.

The post How to build a winning ASX share portfolio and create wealth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Goodman Group, Life360, REA Group, ResMed, Technology One, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goodman Group, Hub24, Life360, ResMed, Wesfarmers, Xero, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Life360, ResMed, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Goodman Group, Hub24, Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF, Wesfarmers, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

It was a busy week for Australia’s top brokers. This has led to a number of broker notes being released. 

Three broker buy ratings that you might want to know more about are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF)

According to a note out of Morgans, its analysts have retained their buy rating and $10.60 price target on this quick service restaurant operator’s shares. Morgans was pleased with Collins Foods’ trading update, highlighting that group sales are up 6.6% for the first 17 weeks of FY 2027. This is being driven by resilience in Australia and European same store sales improving markedly. In light of this, the broker sees value in its shares at current levels and is recommending them to clients. The Collins Foods share price ended the week at $8.47.

Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR)

A note out of Bell Potter reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating and $1.90 price target on this lithium miner’s shares. The broker highlights that Liontown’s valuation is lagging the recent recovery in lithium markets and expected tight fundamentals. In fact, it points out that the company’s shares were last trading at this valuation when lithium prices were significantly lower and its net debt was meaningfully higher. In addition, since then, the Kathleen Valley underground ramp-up has been further de-risked. And while it expects lithium markets to remain volatile, Bell Potter believes market fundamentals remain strong. The Liontown share price was fetching $1.23 at Friday’s close.

Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN)

Analysts at Morgan Stanley have retained their overweight rating and $12.80 price target on this airline operator’s shares. According to the note, the broker believes Qantas is one of the best options among the Australian industrials it has under coverage. It thinks the company is well-placed to benefit from resilient demand and pricing and expects this to help offset higher fuel costs. Morgan Stanley also believes the market is underestimating the earnings potential of the international business as premium capacity and new aircraft increase. The Qantas share price ended the week at $9.39.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Buy, hold, sell: Flight Centre, Qantas, and Wesfarmers shares
• 11 ASX 200 shares with reaffirmed buy ratings post-results
• 3 ASX shares just got big upgrades and are tipped to rise almost 30%
• Buy, hold, sell: Liontown, Collins Foods, and Goodman shares
• Buying Qantas shares? Here’s what happened with the ASX 200 airline in August

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Collins Foods. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Collins Foods. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.