Carlos Slim Helu is a Mexican entrepreneur of Lebanese origin who was ranked as the richest individual on earth for three consecutive years, from 2010. He made most of his fortune through extensive holdings in the Groupo Carso Group. Aside from his investment interests, he is also a philanthropist, who has made sizeable donations to numerous causes in his country and abroad. He is currently one of the richest men in the world, despite changes in the Mexican telecom landscape, where he has prospered greatly over the past two decades.

Carlos Slim Biography

Carlos Slim was born Carlos Slim Helú on January 28, 1940, in Mexico City to parents of Lebanese origin.

From an early age, Slim grew an interest in business and received lessons on everything about finances as well as how to manage it from his father. His father, who was a very successful businessman himself, gave Slim the blueprint in which he has been able to build what he built.

Before Slim was a teenager, he gained considerable knowledge in finance and went ahead to make his first stock purchase in a Mexican bank. By the time he was 15, he was a shareholder in the country’s largest bank.

It will blow your mind to discover that Slim did not study anything finance related in the university. He instead chose to study Civil Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. After that, he did a few courses in economics.

Slim credits his ability to read financial statements and the edge he has in the business world to all the knowledge he gathered, most especially in Civil Engineering.

Upon the completion of his education, Slim began working as a stock trader. After about five years, he had saved up enough money to start a stock brokage business. He also began buying several turn down companies, to rebuild them and sell off again.

His businesses today incorporate various industries and are in different countries across various continents.

Carlos Slim

Family (Wife, Children)

Slim’s father was named Julián Slim Haddad, a successful businessman in his time. His original name was, however, Khalil Salim Haddad Aglamaz while his mother is Linda Helú Atta, both of Lebanese descent.

Carlos Slim was married Soumaya Domit in 1967 until her death in 1999. The couple has six children: Carlos, Marco Antonio, Patrick, Soumaya, Vanessa, and Johanna. His three sons currently hold key positions in his businesses.

Carlos Slim Net Worth

Carlos Slim’s net worth is currently at $70.7 billion.

He made his money through his savvy investment philosophy that has seen him control over 40% of the companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. That includes companies in construction, consumer goods, mining and real estate as well as media.

He is, however, primarily known as the chairman and chief executive officer of Telmex, which handles between 80% to 90% of the landline phone calls in Mexico, and AMX, which is responsible for 70% of the cellular traffic in the country.


Slim leads a lifestyle that deviates from that of mainstream billionaires. Instead of a lavish spending and flashy purchases of homes, he has lived in one private home for four decades and counting. The mansion is located in Lomas de Chapultepec, an area of Mexico City that is a reserve for the financial elites of Mexico. His workplace is a mere 3 miles away from the house.


The house is a six-bedroom building, housing his family before the children grew up and moved out. The interior design features simplistic nuances, with bright colours adorning the walls and the doors. There is a beige hue that is accentuated by light from the charming chandeliers. In the same manner, the outer walls are also painted with bright colours.

The landscaping design was made to accommodate the tastes of the mogul. He prefers extra wide spaces, hence there are beautiful gardens in the compound, which also serve as the source of flowers for the interior ambient atmosphere. Reverting back indoors, the furnishings are all elegant and tasteful, but surprisingly not a testimony of the vast wealth of the owners. There are the usual religious relics in adorning various parts of the walls and desks.

New York House

In addition to his mainstream house in Mexico City, Slim owns a fabulous, multiple-storied house in New York City called the Duke Seamans mansion. It is a 1901 Beaux-arts house on 5th Avenue which he bought for $44 million in 2010 from Tamil Sapir.

The mansion is a typical townhouse, on one of the most exclusive streets in the world. It is 20,000 sq ft large and has 12 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, and a doctor’s office in the basement.

Carlos Slims Newyork Mansion

To say that this building is a palatial pad is an understatement. It still retains the elegance that it had before the wars rendered vagaries upon its facade.

The boulevard upon which it stands had all been taken over, with the Duke Mansion the only remaining unclaimed house for a home. Being a family man, he chose to live a close-knit lifestyle, making sure that all family members would meet each other at home. A great example of this is his choice of the workplace, which is just a crow’s flight away from home.