Should We Pass the Hat for Bill Marriott?

I've finally realized how serious is this recession: Forbes magazine yesterday reported that both Marriott chief Bill Marriott and his brother, Richard, are among 355 people who dropped off its list of billionaires in the world. Last year, 1,125 people—mostly captains of industry but also a few trust fund babies—were among the exclusive group.

But don't worry, and don't think about taking up a collection for the Marriott brothers. Although each of them lost $1.1 billion in the past year (mostly on the 61-percent drop in the price of Marriott International stock), they still have about $600 million a piece to pay the mortgage and put food on the table. Both of them had been in Forbes' billionaire club since 2001.