On Monday, artist and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt passed away at age 95. When I heard the news, I looked over to my wife and said "Well, Anderson Cooper is now a billionaire". Turns out, I might be wrong. Anderson (Gloria's son) claims his mom made it clear he would not be inheriting her fortune. Vanderbilt made a name for herself (and her own money) through her work in fashion and business ventures, but did inherit a fortune from her railroad titan father.
Anderson said during an interview with Howard Stern, "My mom's made clear to me that there's no trust fund. There's none of that. I don't believe in inheriting money," he said. "I think it’s an initiative sucker, I think it’s a curse. Who's inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their life? From the time I was growing up, if I felt like there was some pot of gold waiting for me, I don't know if I would have been so motivated".
Obviously, Anderson is famous on his own right as a journalist and TV host and has made millions. Celebrity Net Worth indicates that Anderson has a net worth in the $110 Million range and an annual salary of $12 million.