12 Millionaires Who Don’t Deserve Their Fortunes

Many millionaires are among society’s biggest movers and shakers, working long hours and exhausting their mental capacity day in and day out to further their business, invent new medicines or produce greater art. Other millionaires simply luck into their fortunes. Either by birthright or happenstance, these people have hardly worked for the money they possess and can only be regarded as incredibly fortunate. Today we explore 12 millionaires who don’t deserve the money they have.
 
 
 

Tila Tequila

 
 

Image 1

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Tila Tequila is a shining example that sometimes all you need to do to get ahead in life is look good. Getting her start in such magazines as Playboy, Penthouse and Stuff, Tila quickly rose to fame for her willingness to show the world her phenomenally in shape body. Recently, Tila starred in her own reality show called, “A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila.” The show featured her looking gorgeous and making out with male and female contestants who battled each other for the right to date her. Amazingly, Tila has risen to millions on the strength of her good looks and promiscuous personality alone. Thank mom and dad for that one!

Paris Hilton

 
 

Image 2

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Aside from bearing the last name of her father, the legendary businessman behind the Hilton Hotel chain, Paris Hilton has done very little to deserve the amount of money she has. Paris has become a socialite by a number of different avenues including a TV show, movies, a fragrance line and news-making antics with friend Nicole Richie, who also appears on this list. Much like Tila Tequila, Paris gets by mostly on looks and personality, though her attitude is much more snobby and spoiled. Despite being a trust fund baby who openly detests regular work, millions of American girls look up to Paris as a role model, and that is one scary thought.
 

Soulja Boy

 
 

Image 3

 
 

Image Source

 
 
As today’s musical scene falls further and further into disrepair, Soulja Boy proves that there might not be any coming back. Rapper/song writer Soulja Boy has made millions of dollars spouting flatulent nonsense and singing off key. Despite this, clubs nationwide frequently play his music since people can dance to the beat. With lyrics so simple a five year old could write them (such as “I take a look in the mirror say what’s up, yeah I get money ohhh”) Soulja Boy sings primarily about how he made a lot of money and has nice things. His music videos frequently feature him dancing around piles of money and throwing it at the camera. It’s simply a shame when a man like Soulja Boy can write mind-numbingly simple songs and make far more money than most surgeons.

 

Nicole Richie

 
 

Image 4

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Nicole Richie is a socialite and high-society celebrity for no other reason than being the adopted daughter of famous soul singer Lionel Richie. Best known for TV show “The Simple Life” with childhood friend and fellow unworthy millionaire Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie has dabbled in various careers throughout her life, but continues to prosper from the Richie fortune. The show centered around Hilton and Richie’s ineptitude in living a normal, middle class life, which further illustrates why Richie is undeserving of the fortune she possesses. From writing to playing music to trying to make jewelry, Richie is a jack of many trades, but a master of none.
 

Peaches Geldolf

 
 

Image 5

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Peaches Honeyblossom Michelle Charlotte Angel Vanessa Geldof is the daughter of famous singer and political activist Bob Geldof. While her father fought for peace, receiving knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his fundraising efforts, it seems Peaches is content to live off the power of her last name and scoops up part time acting jobs here and there whenever she can. Recently, Peaches signed a six figure modeling contract to become the face of Miss Ultimo clothing.
 

Kevin Federline

 
 

Image 6

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Better known as “K-Fed,” Kevin Federline is Britney Spears’ ex-husband and rapper. Though he never worked for it, Kevin became a millionaire the day he married Britney. In Touch Magazine reports that Britney gave Kevin the proceeds from the sale and syndication of their wedding, which totaled 2.3 million dollars. This massive sum of money was her wedding gift to him. Sources say that Britney gave him the money saying “I wouldn’t have it if it wasn’t for you.” A mere three years later they were divorced, and Kevin walked away millions in hand for merely marrying America’s pop princess.
 

Lisa Marie Presley

 
 

Image 7

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Lisa Marie Presley is yet another shining example of a millionaire who owes it all to the name of her pioneering father. Daughter of rock and roll icon Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie has done very little to keep the legend alive, choosing instead to command respect on account of her family name. Though she has made some original music, she is far from entertainer her father once was, yet still enjoys a place in the spotlight and a fortune in her name.

Kelly Osbourne

 
 

Image 8

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Daughter of trailblazing heavy-metal musician Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne owes her fame and fortune to little more than being born into the family. Best known for her appearance on, “The Osbournes,” a reality TV show centered around her family’s daily life, Kelly Osbourne has not yet done anything of great importance to deserve the small fortune her family’s history affords her. She did record an album once featuring the single “Poppa Don’t Preach,” further trotting out her “angsty teenager rebelling against her well-known dad” image. Her music career never went very far as she was dropped from Epic Records one year after her debut album was met with derision from the critics. Despite her net worth, she never rose anywhere near the exhausted heights of her father’s musicianship.

Daniel Yomtobian

 
 

Image 9

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Better known as alleged creator of 2003’s Xupiter spyware infection, Daniel Yomtobian is an Internet businessman with questionable claims to his wealth. Called “the most evil thing on the Internet” by Wired Magazine, Xupiter took the Internet hostage in 2003, breaking machines and infuriating users all for the gain of advertising revenue. The infection was so bad that one angry user exclaimed, “When I find the bastards who programmed this thing I’d be happy to castrate them with a pair of dull pinking shears.” According to Harvard trained spyware expert Ben Edelman, a couple of angry researchers had their scathing critique of Dan’s career bullied offline via a frivolous cease and desist order just as Dan was reemerging as a clean player in Internet business. Daniel Yomtobian, who reportedly made quite a pretty penny from this terrible software, has since gone on to run a legitimate search marketing business and now speaks at industry conferences. Those of us who had our machines taken over by Xupiter will never forget the man he once was. 

Brooke Hogan

 
 

Image 10

 
 

Image Source

 
 
As we have seen many times throughout this article, it certainly doesn’t hurt your wallet to have a rich and famous father. Daughter of professional wrestler “Hulk Hogan,” Brooke Hogan is best known for her appearance on the reality show about her family “Hogan Knows Best.” She was commonly undermined by Hulk and wasn’t allowed to see many guys due to his over-bearing protectiveness. Since the show’s cancellation, Brooke starred in her own reality show about her life, singing career and roommates called, “Brooke Knows Best.” Networks will run reality shows about anyone even remotely famous these days, and having the Hogan account to bank-roll studio time doesn’t hurt either.  

William Hung

 
 

Image 11

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Some people become musical legends and wealth millionaires from having a phenomenal singing voice. Not singer/songwriter William Hung, who was rejected from American Idol in 2004 for his awful performance. His singing is actually so atrocious that he gained a cult following of people who love to listen to his music and laugh at how ridiculous it sounds. This cult following is responsible for countless TV appearances, lots of records sold, and millions of dollars for Mr. Hung.

Ed Nabors

 
 

Image 12

 
 

Image Source

 
 
Georgia truck driver Ed Nabors was just a regular, average guy until Wednesday, April 4th 2007 when he became the winner of the largest lottery prize in US history. Claiming $116.5 million dollars from his win, Nabors chose the lump sum option and instantly received a kings ransom for himself. Needless to say, a hundred-million dollar prize from a random string of numbers purchased at a gas station is one of the most unmerited fortunes imaginable.

Written by Jeff Springer

Jeff Spring is the Finance & Markets Editor at BusinessPundit.com. He's currently spending his days backpacking across Europe. While he may be living outside of the United States, he stays connected to American financial markets and M&A's more than is probably healthy for any single person. His love of a good book and a Bloomberg terminal can't be understated.