Before the Medici family rose to power in the early 15th century, the Peruzzi family was one of Florence’s two premier banking families (alongside the Bardi) that helped pioneer the modern world of banking! Alongside the Bardi, the Peruzzi were ruined by a combination of King Edward III of England Read more…
Although the Medici are today recognized as the most important banking dynasty to come out of Medieval Florence, before them the Bardi family were the most important bankers in Florence. Ruined by an unsecured loan to King Edward III, the Bardi were forced to ally themselves with the up-and-coming Medici Read more…
Modern Switzerland stands as a hub of business, trade and commerce. But it may surprise you to learn that this wasn’t always the case, with this only coming about thanks to the work of one man: Alfred Escher. The man behind numerous companies such as Credit Suisse, Swiss Life, Gotthard Read more…
Having worked his way up from janitor’s assistant to the head of the firm, Sidney Weinberg’s is a true rags to riches story and one that contradicts the well refined, Ivy League-educated image that Wall Street has curated for itself over the last century. Despite his lack of such an Read more…
Today, Goldman Sachs stands as one of the largest investment banks in the world. Yet few know the story of their founder, Marcus Goldman, the humble immigrant who arrived in the US to get a slice of his own American Dream. Early Life The man who history would remember as Read more…
Long before the Medici family were Popes, Princes and Dukes, they were wealthy bankers. Through their Medici Bank, founded by Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, they became the premier banking house in Europe in the Middle Ages, long before the Rothschilds showed up… Indeed, it was Giovanni di Bicci de’ Read more…
The heir to a banking dynasty over 100 years old, Edmond Safra moved with his father from Lebanon to Brazil to create the foundations for today’s Safra Group. Once he inherited it with his brothers, he continued to grow his family company into the giant it is today. Yet, whilst Read more…
Early Life John Clifton Bogle was born on May 8 1929 in Montclair, New Jersey as the youngest of two twins born to William Yates Bogle Jr. and Josephine Lorraine Hipkins, and went by “Jack” from an early age. Like many families, the Bogles were hit badly by the Great Depression that Read more…
Though seldom remembered, even by the struggling company he turned into a giant, William S. Paley is one of those entrepreneurs that without, the world would be a wholly different place. In this case, for the worse. A radio and TV broadcasting pioneer, Paley helped turn CBS from a struggling Read more…