10 Things You Didn’t Know About Steve Forbes
Over the years, the name “Forbes” has become synonymous with business and success. The media giant is one of the most reliable names in publishing, and the company has managed to stay relevant even in today’s social media-driven world. In fact, the company has learned how to utilize the proper tools in order to continue to bring noteworthy stories into people’s hands. It’s likely you’ll come across an article from Forbes at some point in a week. B.C. Forbes founded the company in 1917, and he passed it down to his son, Malcolm. Malcolm then passed the publishing company down to his son Steve following his graduation from Princeton. Steve Forbes is currently the head of the media company, and here are 10 things you should probably know about him.
1. Early wealth
Born Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Jr. in Morristown, New Jersey, Steve was wealthy even before he was born. He was born on July 18, 1947, which makes him 71 years old currently. By the time of his birth, the Forbes publication had already been around and thriving for two generations. It was a business that has provided much wealth and opportunity for the entire family even to this day.
2. Education
Steve Forbes was always smart and creative–even as a child. He attended a private school for his primary and secondary education. He went to Far Hills Country Day School until 8th grade and attended Brooks School, a private, preparatory boarding school in North Andover, Massachusetts. He graduated high school as a cum laude. He then proceeded to Princeton University, where he became a member of Alpha Kappa Psi and Tau Kappa Epsilon. He also holds a few of honorary degrees from various universities including the New York University of Technology.
3. Politics
Politics has been a part of Steve Forbes’ professional life since 1985. At the time, President Reagan appointed him as head of the Board of International Broadcasting. He also helped Republican Christine Todd Whitman with her career, especially since they both attended the same primary school. In 1996 and 2000, Forbes actually entered the Republican primaries for presidency. He sold some of his Forbes, Inc. shares in order to fund both campaigns. However, he didn’t even come close to winning during both times. He involved himself in politics in many other occasions and still does so through his support of various politicians and political platforms. Steve Forbes has his own political platforms that he promotes whenever he can.
4. Conservatism
Forbes has always been vocal about his beliefs, especially when he was involved in politics. There was a time when he publicly declared how much he opposed abortion and how much he supported public school praying. He’s a big supporter of social conservatism. In 1999, he even stopped donating to Princeton University after the school employed philosopher Peter Singer as one of its faculty. One of Singer’s philosophy is that sentience is key to personhood; therefore, he considers infants and some disabled people as disqualified from personhood due to lack of sentience.
5. Liberland
The Free Republic of Liberland is a free-market micronation located between Croatia and Serbia, on the western bank of the Danube. The micronation honored Steve Forbes with the First Class Order of Merit for his ideas and support of global liberty. It was a great honor for Steve, as the award itself is recognition for only the most distinguished citizens of the world.
6. Business Today
When he was still in Princeton, Steve started his first publication. It was a magazine called Business Today. That was in 1970, and the magazine is still operated today by Princeton undergraduates. It was the beginning of Steve’s prolific career in publishing. Business Today tackles various issues relatable to the current economy and how the student could manage life after college. It was a natural inclination for Steve. He’s always done some type of news reporting, even making up pretend news sheets for his friends when he was but a small kid. It was probably all he knew, and it also ran in his blood. He had the interest in publishing as well, and so it went.
7. Forbes
Steve now operates the company as Editor-in-Chief. According to the publisher, his grandfather had the perfect notion of what their company was all about. Steve’s grandfather once told him, “the purpose of business is to produce happiness, and not to pile up money”. The sentiment rings true to the philosophy of Forbes’ company today. Forbes focuses on creativity and innovation but also integrity and progress.
8. Book
Aside from his success as a publisher, Steve Forbes is also a successful author. He has authored and co-authored a few books that tackle business, investments, finances, politics, and leadership. One of this books, Power Ambition Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today…and the Lessons You Can Learn, is considered to be one of his best books. It is actually the only book that he authored on his own.
9. Fun
Even someone like Steve Forbes has some time for fun. The successful businessman is a fan of baseball, and he’d like to swap places with Derek Jeter one day. He likes to go bicycling for fun. He tries to do bike trips with such as Backroads in different parts of the world. He eats pizza when he can and gets the worst toppings. He can do that because he exercises regularly—with a stationary bike of course—even when he can’t bicycle outdoors.
10. Family
Steve has been married to his wife Sabina Beekman since 1971. The couple has been together for an impressive 48 years. They also had 5 children together, all daughters. One of the daughters is Moira Forbes. Moira is an American journalist and publishes ForbesWomen. His other children include Catherine Forbes, who works in film, Sabina, Roberta, and Elizabeth.
