Sol Goldman | Net worth: $1 billion

Source: Solil Management

Sol Goldman (September 2, 1917 – October 18, 1987) was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn to Fannie and Charles Goldman. His father was the owner of a supermarket chain. Before moving to real estate after the Great Depression, Goldman briefly attended Brooklyn College for his degree.

He bought his first few foreclosed properties at the age of 16 with the help of his neighbors and later associated with Alex DiLorenzo Jr. in the 1950s. During the 1950s and 1960s, they became very successful buyers, with a portfolio that included the Chrysler Building, which they purchased in 1960. Despite the difficulties of losing the Chrysler Building to foreclosure and losing his partner, DiLorenzo, in the ‘70s, Goldman managed to continue investing, buying over 600 buildings through his company Solil Management. At the height of his career, he owned New York’s biggest private real estate portfolio of over 600 assets estimated at $1 billion. His three daughters and his wife became involved in a court dispute over his properties, with his wife eventually acquiring 1/3 of his wealth.