Mitzi Perdue is a billionaire heiress of two companies. Nevertheless, she lives modestly. She explains that there would never have been recognition in her families for a lavish life, but rather for helpfulness and engagement.
The 84-year-old Mitzi Perdue is a journalist and philanthropist and is also an heiress of two billion-dollar companies:
- At 26, she and her siblings inherited their father Ernest Henderson’s majority stake in Sheraton Hotels. The company is valued at 12.2 billion US dollars.
- In 2005, she inherited the company “Perdue Farms” from her late husband Frank Perdue. By 2024, the revenue was expected to be 10 billion US dollars. The Perdue family’s fortune is estimated by Forbes to be 3.2 billion.
Nevertheless, she lives withdrawn and modestly, although one might not necessarily expect that from someone with so many billions. This is somewhat reminiscent of Steve Jobs, who left none of his billions to his three children.
There was no recognition for expensive clothing or status symbols in her childhood
This is what Perdue says about her lifestyle: Perdue explains that both families, her own and her husband’s, placed value on not living lavishly. There was no recognition in her childhood for expensive clothing or status symbols, but rather for engagement and helpfulness. Therefore, wealth is not an end in itself for Mitzi Perdue. She emphasizes that true happiness comes from giving and commitment to others, not from consumption or luxury.
She became involved in agriculture, purchased land for agricultural experiments, and later worked as a journalist focusing on agriculture and mental health; she is currently working on developing an AI trauma therapist for war victims.
Perdue sees herself as part of a generation of family entrepreneurs who see themselves as “stewards” of the family wealth, to pass it on to the next generation instead of wasting it on short-term luxury:
If you want to be happy, think about what you can do for others. If you want to be unhappy, think about what you deserve.
For this reason, she wears used clothing, takes the subway, flies economy, and lives in a simple multi-family apartment building where many of her employees also live.
The story of Mitzi Perdue is reminiscent of another billionaire who also lives modestly: Ken Fisher also has a billion-dollar fortune. But for 25 years, he has been driving the same car. He himself explains that he does not care much about money and material things. And that is why he does not want his children to inherit his wealth. He already has other plans for his fortune: He has been driving the same Volvo for 25 years, even though he has a fortune of 11.2 billion Euros and does not want his children to inherit everything
