One of the biggest names in the tech industry is making headlines, not for processors or PCs, but for philanthropy.
Michael Dell, whose eponymous company helped usher in the digital age, announced that he and his wife, Susan, will contribute a portion of their vast wealth to expand a pilot program designed to give America’s children a head start in investing for their futures — but just how vast is that wealth, exactly?
Here’s a breakdown of the Dell family fortune.
How Rich Must You Be To Give 25 Million Kids $250 Each?
According to the IRS, the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act included a provision to fund tax-advantaged “Trump Accounts” with $1,000 for children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028.
The Dells announced plans to contribute $6.25 billion of their own money to expand the program, providing $250 in seed money to 25 million children up to age 10 who are too old to qualify for Treasury-funded Trump Accounts.
Invest America, the nonprofit tasked with administering the special accounts, calls the donation “historic.” CNBC reports it as “the largest ever devoted to American children.”
However, the Dells’ fortune is so massive that even a gargantuan sum like $6.25 billion will barely make a dent.
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The Gift Is Less Than 5% of Michael Dell’s Net Worth
According to Forbes, Michael Dell is worth $140.5 billion, making him the No. 12 richest person in the world. The $6.25 billion donation is roughly 4.45% of that sum.
Business Insider reports that Dell, a self-made man, founded what would become his namesake company as PC’s Limited in 1984 from his University of Texas dorm room with $1,000. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Inflation Calculator, that’s $3,093.33 in 2025 money.
The company quickly became one of the country’s fastest-growing, generating more than $6 million in sales during its first year. Today, it has a market cap of $88.63 billion, per Google Finance. Dell also generates substantial wealth from his private investment firm, DFO Management, which invests in liquid corporate credit and hotels.
Susan Dell and Spousal Billionaire Net Worth
The Dells will distribute the $6.25 billion donation through their own charitable funds, and not through the Dell Foundation, according to Forbes — but this is hardly their debut gift. In 2023, the Dells donated $3 billion in cash and company shares to child poverty causes through their joint private foundation, which Susan Dell co-founded in 1999 and has chaired for the ensuing quarter-century.
Susan Dell is an accomplished athlete and successful entrepreneur who has founded three fashion labels, but credible analyses of her independent net worth are scarce. However, publications that produce widely cited net worth profiles, such as Forbes and Bloomberg, often lump spousal wealth together under their profile of the primary wealth creator, who, in this case, is Michael Dell.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What Is the Net Worth of Michael and Susan Dell?
