Forbes Richest People: Where and How They Live

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú claimed the top spot on Forbes' richest people list for the second straight year. But this year, his recently acquired home on New York City's Fifth Avenue got nearly as much attention. Fascination with the ultra-deluxe real estate dealings of billionaires is nothing new. With a list and photos of the homes of the world's richest people, Rob Bear at Curbed has satisfied that craving.

For the second year running, Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helú has topped the Forbes list of richest people, this time with an estimated fortune of $74B. In the past year, Slim added some $20.5B to his net worth and at least one superlative home to his portfolio, the Duke Semans Mansion on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. The megarich Mexican spent $44M to take over the only remaining single-family home on that storied boulevard. Though now hemmed in by a post-war apartment tower, the facade retains its pre-war elegance and location opposite the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The interior is apparently in need of a serious overhaul, which might explain why the only available photos are close-ups of the fine interior detail. Slim purchased from fellow billionaire Tamir Sapir, who had planned on opening a museum of his own-to display his massive collection of ivory-until he was busted for trying to illegally import some of that collection aboard his yacht. We're guessing that's the sort of absentmindedness that earned former cab driver Sapir his lowly $1.4B net worth.