It ain't over till the fat lady sings

So all we have to do is wait and see which fat lady ultimately prevails.Right?  I remember the time when Oprah Winfrey was thought to be the richest woman in America, or the world for that matter. I forgot about the Walton clan. Now it looks like an Aussie broad will claim the title. One thing is for sure, all of these women have sizable fortunes and sizable waistlines.  Sad that we now have a new category of loss column for America.

Americans no longer hold claim to the world’s richest people.

First, Bill Gates lost the "world’s richest man" crown to Carlos Slim, the Mexican businessman. Now, according to Australia’s BRW magazine, Gina Rinehart – the Australian mining magnate – has become the world’s richest woman. She takes the crown from Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton, who held the title of world’s richest woman for seven years.

According to BRW’s 2012 Rich 200 List, Ms. Rinehart’s net worth is now $29.7 billion. That tops Ms. Walton’s $26 billion pile. Ms. Rinehart’s fortune has nearly tripled over the past year – at the rate of more than $1 million per hour – due to the mining boom in Australia and strong commodity prices.

Of course, guessing people’s wealth is usually a guess. And the Bloomberg Billionaire Index lists Ms. Rinehart's current wealth at a mere $18 billion, putting her well below Christy. So there is room for disagreement.