My Stock Winners

The Targets For male fortune hunters, on this year’s list of 946 billionaires, only 38 women (average age: 63) appear on the U.S. list. Don’t worry! There are widows and armies of ex-wives with colossal divorce settlements. Don’t forget their spoiled children. While marrying less affluent offspring may look like you’re just making do, it’s not a bad deal (they think about the loads they’ll inherit too).

1.) Identify the Billionaires in your area (or their relatives) and learn their marital status. Then you’ll have to study their businesses, hangouts, pets, favorite philanthropies, artists, music and vacation spots. (Google is a gold digger’s best friend. One cautionary note: stalking is a crime in all 50 states.) None in your area? Move. No matter what your budget, you can find a something homey within 16 blocks of the big money. By hanging out in a ritzy neighborhood, you’ll get comfortable with wealthy people and attuned to what they like.

2.) Land the Right Job; one that allows you to circulate among the wealthy. Just over half of the billionaires in our study met their spouses at work. The reason is obvious. Ambitious Type A+ billionaires rarely leave their offices long enough to prowl the musty nightclubs. Examples: Melinda Gates was a Microsoft manager when she met Bill at a company press event. Both Anna Torv (wife No. 2) and Wendy Deng (No. 3) worked for companies owned by Rupert Murdoch ($7.7 billion), the first as a reporter, the second as a TV executive.

3.) Get an M.B.A. ASAP. Since people think that it qualifies you to do just about anything, an M.B.A. can get hired just about anywhere. Focus on industries with the most billionaires: finance (52), investments (51), service (42), media and entertainment (38), real estate (33) and oil and gas (30). Among the careers that will put you in contact with them at this vulnerable moment: real estate (specialty in mansions); luxury car industry, private jet; yacht sales; work at museums, galleries or high-end antique shops; interior design or architecture; and race-horse training.

4.) Man Hunt at a Gallery or Charity. Billionaires’ are constantly on the prowl for paintings and sculptures to fill their expansive mansions. For starters, cultivate a taste for museums and become a member, not a visitor. If you’re willing to go without dinner for a few months, invest in a $1,000+ membership into elite club, which provides much greater mingling opportunities, including evening receptions, charity balls, private viewings for major exhibition, golf events and priority invitations to special events such as the biennial art auction.

5.) Hire a Professional. Not everybody wants to deal with the hassle and expense of faking their ultrahigh net worth. For such people there are experts who, for a fee, will help you. There are entrepreneurs, who have been in the digging business years, who hold seminars as well as costly private sessions. By attending, you’ll supposedly ramp yourself up to be apart of that pool of eligibles. At the end of the day, you could end up paying $10,000-$150,000 to reel in a big one. Not only will it cost 5 to 6 digits, but time must be sacrificed in order to become immensely interested into what he’s into. You’ll need to spend some time for due diligence on thoroughbred horses, terminology of yachts and your billionaire’s profession.