Gates tops Forbes US rich list with $72bn

Forbes released its annual list of the top 400 richest Americans.

While most of the top names and rankings didn’t change from a year ago, the majority of members of the elite club saw their fortunes grow over the past year, helped by strong stock and real estate markets.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remains America’s richest man, taking the top spot on the list for the 20th straight year, with a net worth of $72bn.