Thomas Peterffy
Palm Beach, Florida
Drop Out, New York University
United States
10
discount brokerage, Self Made
$18,000,000,000
63
The Richest Person In Every State 2019
#63 Billionaires 2019
A digital trading pioneer, Thomas Peterffy is CEO of Interactive Brokers, which markets its specialized trading platform to sophisticated investors.He founded Interactive Brokers in 1993 after originally starting in market-making.In March 2017, he announced part of his market-making operation would phase out. It has been under attack by faster competitors.Peterffy arrived in America in 1965 at age 21, the penniless descendant of Hungarian aristocrats who lost nearly everything to the Soviets.Peterffy is a major landowner with more than 500,000 acres of timberland, primarily located in his home state of Florida.
In high school in Hungary, Peterffy sold contraband Juicy Fruit gum to classmates at a 500% markup.After emigrating to America, Peterffy saved up $200,000 working as an engineer to buy a $36,000 seat on the American Stock Exchange, where he traded options.
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