Bloomberg News published its first Bloomberg Billionaires Index—and its founder, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is nowhere to be found! Probably because his net worth is estimated to be in the $20 billion range. The biggest billionaire is Carlos Slim, the Mexican mobile phone mogul (and NY Times lender), whose net worth is $68.5 billion; number two on the list is Bill Gates ($62.4 billion) and Warren Buffett ($43.8 billion). And the richest European? Ingvar Kamprad, whose IKEA empire has given him a fortune of over $40 billion. more ›

While keeping resolutions may be a losing battle for us weak humans, it may be easier for you to keep them when they relate to your pet's health. Studies say that about half of dogs and cats are overweight or obese, which can result diabetes, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and other ailments including hip dysplasia. more ›

One feline is probably hoping the Eurozone crisis is resolved sooner than later. The Guardian reports, "Tommaso, a four-year-old, one-time stray from Rome, is thought to have become the world's richest cat. Since the death of his 94-year-old mistress last month, he has become a property magnate — or perhaps mognate — with flats and houses worth an estimated €10m scattered from Milan in the north to Calabria in the south." Which works out to over $13.385 million! more ›

Well, we have now confirmed that hawks cannot really carry 15-pound cats: this week, a hawk swooped down and snatched a chubby white kitty on the Upper West Side, leaving his owner frantically scrambling to find him...only to discover that the hawk had almost immediately dropped the cat a few doors down the block. more ›

Yesterday, Dealbreaker posted an image of an ATM receipt found at an East Hampton Capitol One bank, revealing a shocking $99,864, 731.94 savings account balance ($2.75 poorer after ATM fee). Speculation was that the fat cat was hedge fund manager David Tepper, but he told the Post that he "wasn't in the Hamptons in June at all," plus, "I would never do something as irresponsible as leaving $100 million in a savings account." Yeah, when you've got the coin to pay $43.5 million cash on a house (just to tear it down), you keep your money in a vault so you can swim in it. more ›

Time to break out the tiny violins! Sure, $1.6 million for the year is a lot of money—hell, $160,000 is a lot of money—but Wall Street Journal's Dennis Berman reveals that one financial firm "paymaster" (the guy who sets salaries and compensation at a firm) says of the amount given to a mid-career investment banker, "It's not a lot of money." Damn all those other investment banks for screwing over the economy and sending us spiraling into the financial crisis because only taking in $380,000 in after-tax money SUCKS! more ›

Sharpen your pitchforks and burn your Brooks Brothers, because the "fat cat" members of the city's unions are planning to protest against Wall Street's callous disregard for humanity lopsided profits and Bloomberg's slash-and-burn policies on May 12. Billed as "The Day We Made Wall Street Stand Still" (they'll also have to shut down Hillstone), members of the United Federation of Teachers, 1199 SEIU and the Coalition for the Homeless will attempt to shame the well-heeled folks who "wrecked our economy and are back to making billions in profits and lavish bonuses, while the rest of us are still cleaning up the mess," the Daily News reports. more ›

Back in the summer of 2008, before we were worrying about the collapse of the financial industry, America was obsessed with a super fat cat named Princess Chunk. The 44-pound cat was found wandering NJ streets and taken in by a shelter and quickly went on a media tour, where it was revealed Chunk was abandoned by a woman whose home was being foreclosed...and that Chunk was a boy. Thus, it is with great sadness that we found out Prince Chunk died at the age of about 10 this past Sunday; a vet said he had heart disease. (Feline obesity is no joke.) more ›

Yesterday, Dealbook looked at how Wall Street's swagger is creeping back, with examples like, "A Morgan Stanley trader recently tried to hire a dwarf for a bachelor party in Miami, asking the dwarf to meet him at the airport in a ‘Men in Black’ style suit, according to e-mail exchanges... The trader, who wanted to handcuff the dwarf to the bachelor, was recently fired." For more antics like this, Daily Intel has compiled a short history of Wall Street Masters of the Universe' love of dwarves. more ›

The stock market is excited about the Federal Reserve's economy-stimulating decision to buy back $600 billion in U.S. Treasurys, but do you know what's really exciting Wall Street? The fact that bonuses are probably going to be up this year. After studying data, a compensation expert was amazed, "I did not expect compensation would come back the way it has. I underestimated the industry’s resiliency." The industry's resiliency to pay itself lots of money? more ›

Americans, by and large, are a bunch of fat, unhealthy bastards, and many of them (us?!) are also pet owners who lack the basic understanding that the diets of domesticated animals must be regimented. The most recent survey of veterinarians by the Association for the Prevention of Pet Obesity found that 45 percent of dogs and 58 percent of cats were overweight or obese; this represents a 2 percent increase in dog weight problems and a 5 percent increase for cats. But according to the website LiveScience, the trend may be tipping the other way: healthy pet food is a growth industry, and some pet owners are hiring personal trainers for themselves and their pets. more ›

The city's Independent Budget Office says that Wall Street pay has gone down a considerable amount. According to the Post, "The IBO reported that securities-industry wages averaged $311,279 in 2009, down 21.5 percent from $396,370 the previous year, and down 24.6 percent from $412,915 in 2007." Oh, so they're still making bank? Pffft. more ›

Financial sector fat cats have been looking underfed of late, that’s why we were relieved to hear about this newest development: helicopters that shuttle them to and from Wall Street in eight minutes flat. For $200/day Liberty Helicopters will offer group rides—accommodating up to six passengers—between New Jersey and lower Manhattan. It seems showy and wasteful, sure, but Matt Zuccaro, president of Helicopter Association International reminds us that for the business community, “Time is money.” Just think of it as cab sharing for the obscenely wealthy. more ›

Okay, so maybe not all Wall Street types are fat cats—but it was certainly a fatter year, as NY State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli revealed that bonuses for 2009 were 17% higher, at $20.3 billion. His office press release states, "Total compensation at the largest securities firms grew even faster and industry profits could exceed an unprecedented $55 billion in 2009, nearly three times greater than the previous all-time record. In 2008, the industry lost a record $42.6 billion." more ›

Fed up with name-calling and increased restrictions from the Obama administration, bankers are shifting financial support to Democratic opponents in the Republican party. Bank officials say Wall Street is sending a message: “The expectation in Washington is that ‘We can kick you around, and you are still going to give us money,’ ” one top official at a major Wall Street firm tells the Times. “We are not going to play that game anymore.” more ›

Goldman Sachs announced record earnings today: According to the NY Times, "The bank said that for 2009, it earned a profit of $13.4 billion on revenue of $45.2 billion," and 4th quarter earnings of $8.20/share, beating estimates of $5.20/share. But the bigger news may be the fact that the bank started to slash its bonus pool. more ›

After saying on 60 Minutes last night, "I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street," President Obama met with many of those fat cats at the White House today. Obama wants bankers to support his administration's financial industry reforms. more ›

With populist rage still simmering over the global financial crisis, TARP bailout, and ridiculous executive pay, investment bank Goldman Sachs says many of its top executives will not be receiving cash bonuses this year. Instead, the NY Times reports, "the 30 executives will be paid in the form of long-term stock — an arrangement that means they will not get big year-end paydays, but one that could turn out to be enormously lucrative if Goldman’s share price rises over time." more ›

Apparently news that Goldman Sachs employees would help out at the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving meals isn't good enough for the NY Times editorial board! The Times published an opinion piece slamming Goldman Sachs for its "non-apology." Noting that CEO Lloyd Blankfein said, "Certainly, our industry is responsible for things. We’re a leader in our industry, and we participated in things that were clearly wrong and we have reasons to regret and apologize for," the Times thinks the investment firm should try a lot harder:

It is widely and correctly understood that Wall Street, with Goldman as a leader and with regulators in thrall, helped to inflate and profited from a credit bubble that burst and cost tens of millions of Americans their jobs, incomes, savings and home equity. American taxpayers continue to stand behind the bailouts and other government interventions that have stabilized the financial system, including Goldman, enabling the firm to post blowout profits in 2009 and to set aside $16.7 billion for bonuses so far this year... more ›

A new Quinnipiac poll shows that Mayor Bloomberg's approval rating has gone down to 66%, from January's 69%. While it's still a good rating, it is still the lowest rating of his second term (he had a 31% rating in 2003!) and Quinnipiac finds 55% of voters find him "cold and businesslike, not warm and friendly," a finding "consistent among blacks, whites and Hispanics, men and women and in all five boroughs." Quinnipiac's polling director Maurice Carroll explains, "New Yorkers don't warm up to Mayor Mike, but they give him high marks for doing his job." As for an election matchup, Bloomberg still beats both City Comptroller Bill Thompson and Rep. Anthony Weiner. Interestingly enough, Weiner, who signals he may not run for Mayor, has more support than Thompson among voters, but the campaigning really hasn't begun. more ›

AIG, the insurance company that was saved by an $85 billion federal bailout, will cooperate with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's review of its finances. Additionally, the company will not make a $10 million severance payment to its outgoing CFO and it is canceling future junkets and perks, like its "Best Operator" conference in Las Vegas (cost: $750,000) and a Risk Management Conference at a Ritz Carlton (cost $500,000). more ›

The NY Times reports that NYC business titans--CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, Blackstone, News Corp--met with state and local officials "to discuss how they and government officials should respond to the financial crisis." And not surprisingly, "all seemed to agree that now was not the time to raise taxes or impose new regulations on their businesses," lest it inhibit growth. The executives pointed out how New York's taxes turn companies off from hiring in NY and the U.S. legal system is unattractive for foreign investment (issues that have been raised over previous concern of NYC's status as #1 Financial Center of the World slipping). Side note: Blackrock CEO Laurence Fink took exception to the public's hate of Wall Street fat cats, “The evil empire is not as evil as people think we are." more ›

It's time to update everyone about Chunk, the full-figured feline who was embraced by the media this summer. While the cat was supposedly adopted, the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports his new family is in a "contract squabble" with the Camden County Animal Shelter. more ›

With paparazzi "jumping out of the bushes" to get the latest photos of Princess Chunk, president of the Camden County Animal Center's board announced that they probably won't reveal the name of the celebrity cat's new owners. Board president Cathering Hass tells the NY Daily News that they have received over 400 applications to adopt the 44 pound cat, but a new home has not been found (as was speculated yesterday). She said they are now trying to limit Chunk's media appearances to three times a day in order to "manage his stress levels." That can only be music to the chubby ears of the cat who just the other day suffered through a bout of pee shyness while he was taken on a whirlwind media tour. more ›

The woman who had to give up her 44-pound cat--who took the country by storm as Princess Chunk when it was thought she was a girl (but actually he's a boy named Powder!)--spoke out, hoping to set the record straight. Powder was found wandering around Voorhees, NJ before the Camden County Animal Shelter took him in, and some have wondered why the cat wasn't sent to the shelter in the first place. more ›

Princess Chunk's visit with Regis and Kelly was very enlightening: America learned that its favorite 44-pound obese feline was actually a boy! The Camden County Animal Shelter had originally named the cat, found wandering around Voorhees, NJ, "Captain Chunk," but gave it the royal, feminine name after thinking it was actually a girl. What happened to gender-neutral names, like "Whiskers"?! more ›

What's good is that it will draw attention to the Camden County Animal Shelter, which says, "Princess Chunk as well as over 300 dogs and cats in our care need your support. Please consider donating to help offset the costs of her veterinary care and bloodwork." Donations will also go to other special needs animals, like the Princess. The Courier-Post reports the shelter believes Princess Chunk is healthy, but the cat will have bloodwork done on Monday; a vet says Princess Chunk "may suffer from a genetic predisposition to obesity, a poor diet or other underlying medical factors." The average cat is closer to 10-12 pounds (different breeds' weights vary, though). more ›

Let it to an obese NJ feline to give the NY Post a chance to have a "Pussy galore!" half cover. Camden County shelter officials in NJ say the cat, who they named "Princess Chunk," was found wandering around without a collar. A volunteer told the Courier-Post, "How do you lose a 44-pound cat?!" Princess Chunk, described as being "built like a quarterback," was weighed on the dog scale because she was too big for the cat scale--the shame! Still, she was visited by various news and will be put up for adoption if her owners do not show up. Any prospective owner would probably have to be prepared to help Princess Chunk lose weight--healthy cats generally weigh closer to 10-12 pounds. more ›