Ever heard of a guy called Donald Trump?

Yes, I’m talking about the same guy who

you see on TV every week saying, “You’re fired” on this little show called “the
Apprentice.” Ever wonder how he got so wealthy? Let me tell you how he came to
be known as one of the world’s wealthiest men.

Donald Trump joined his father’s real estate business right after he graduated from
Wharton School. His father was his mentor and it did not take him much time to
decide that this was exactly the line of work he wanted to be in. Ever since he
mastered the art of investing in all the right real estate projects, his fortune has only
grown. The only setback came in the late 1980s and spanned close to a decade
because of some bad expansion plans and creditor bailouts. His divorce with his
then wife Ivana Trump only added to this. However, ever since he revived himself
from that bad patch, it has been smooth sailing. In his father’s words, “everything
Donald touched seemed to turn into gold”.

The list of real estate that the Trump Organization has owned over the years has
been quite huge. Some of the most impressive buildings on the New York skyline
have been developed by him. Some of these buildings include:

• Trump World Tower: 845 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY. It is valued at
$290 million.
• Trump Tower: 725 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10022: Trump owns the retail and
office space on the lower half of this building. It is valued at $288 million.
o Personal Residence: Trump Tower: top 3 floors of Trump Tower with
approximately 30,000 square feet (3,000 m²) of space; detailed in
bronze, gold, and marble. Worth as much as $50 million, it is one of the
most valuable apartments in New York City.
• AXA Financial Center, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
• 555 California Street, formerly the Bank of America Center, in San Francisco:
When Trump was forced to sell a stake in the rail yards on Manhattan's West
Side, the Asian group to which he sold then sold much of the site for $1.76
billion. They then reinvested the rest of the money, via a tax-free exchange,
into two office buildings: 1290 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan and 555
California Street in San Francisco (The Group has since sold their stake to
Vornado Realty Trust). Trump ended up owning 30% of the two buildings.
Based on the recent sales price, Trump's stake is valued at $540 million.
• The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street: Trump bought and renovated this
building for about $35 million in 1996. Although Trump claims it is worth $400
million, New York tax assessors value it at only $90 million. Mr. Trump has
taken out a $145 million mortgage on this property to use for other
investments. Forbes values the property at $260 million.
• Trump Entertainment Resorts: This Company owns the Trump branded casino
resorts. After a long period of financial trouble, the company entered
bankruptcy protection in 2004. Trump agreed to invest $55 million cash in the
 new company and pay $16.4 million to the company's debtors. In return he
holds a 29.16% stake in the new public company. This stake was worth
approximately $171 million in October 2006. The following are the Trump
branded casino resorts:
o Trump Taj Mahal
o Trump Plaza
o Trump Marina
• Riverside South/Trump Place When completed, Riverside South will be the
largest single private development in New York City's history. It was built by
the Trump Organization, although financed by investors from Hong Kong and
owned by the Hudson Waterfront Company. During his financial difficulties in
the mid 90's, Trump was forced to sell this site, the former west side rail-
yards. The new owners continued Trump's involvement with the property and
sought to use his name to seek higher sales prices. Trump was paid $2 million
annually for his oversight of the project, and he was offered an estimated
30% of the net profits upon completion of this 10 year project. The investors
sold off the uncompleted project in 2005 for $1.8 billion and offered Mr.
Trump $500 million. Trump contends that the property should have been sold
for more than $3 billion and in 2006 sued the owners for selling without his
consent, and sought $1 billion in damages. Forbes values his stake in the
property at $170 million.
• Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago (under construction, anticipated
completion is 2009): The entire project is valued at $1.2 billion ($112 million
stake for Trump).
• Trump Hotel Las Vegas: This is a joint development with fellow Forbes 400
member, Phillip Ruffin. Trump's stake is valued at $162 million.

• Trump International Hotel and Tower New York: Trump provided his name and
expertise to the building's owner (GE) during the building's re-development in
1994 for a fee totaling $40 million ($25 million for project management and
$15 million in incentives deriving from the condo sales). Forbes values
Trump's stake at $12 million.
• Trump Park Avenue: Park Avenue & 59th Street. It is valued at $142 million.
• Golf Courses (valued at $127 million):
o Trump currently owns four golf courses in the United States including
Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, New York, Trump National
Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump International Golf Club in
West Palm Beach, Florida, and Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles,
CA.
o In 2006, Donald Trump purchased a 1,400-acre (5.7 km2) plot just north
of Aberdeen at Menie, Scotland, Trump International Golf Links, with
the intention of turning it into a £1 billion golf resort and "the world's
best golf course". The development plan included two courses, a 5-star
 hotel, holiday homes, and a golf academy. Trump wishes the site, once
finished, to hold the British Open. There has been opposition from
some locals and negative reaction from environmental groups
interested in preserving the 4,000-year-old dunes that are designated
as an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). The development was
rejected by the local council's planning subcommittee and is currently
going through a planning inquiry with the Scottish Parliament.
o Trump is also building Trump International Golf Club in the Caribbean
island of Canouan Island, The Grenadines. The development will
include Trump Club Privee, a Monte Carlo inspired casino.
o Trump also builds residential housing developments near these golf
clubs. Examples include: The Estates at Trump National in Rancho Palos
Verdes, CA, Trump Island Villas on Canouan Island, The Grenadines,
and The Residences at Trump National in Westchester County, NY.
• Nike Store: The Niketown store is located in Trump Tower. It is valued at $120
million
• Palm Beach estate: 43,000 square feet (4,000 m²) on a large oceanfront lot in
Palm Beach. Trump purchased this property for $40 million at a bankruptcy
auction in 2004. Renovations to the property were led by the Season 3
Apprentice Kendra Todd, and Trump sold the property for $100 million in June
2008, making it the most expensive house ever sold in the United States.
(The previous record is $70 million for Ron Perelman's Palm Beach estate in
2004.). Forbes values his stake in the property for $43 million.
• Mar-A-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida: Most of this estate has been converted into
a private club. This landmark property, according to Trump, has received bids
near $200,000,000. However, Forbes magazine does not take into account
either of Trump's large vacation residences (Mar-a-Largo or his 213-acre
(0.86 km2) spread near Bedford, NY in Westchester County, NY) for its
valuation of his wealth.

Information courtesy: Wikipedia