So, you think you had a rough year? Check out what happened to Warren Buffett, who is ranked the second-richest man in America despite a drop of $10 billion in his personal wealth during the past year. The culprit for Buffet's loss is the 20% decline in Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) stock during the past 12 months.

As noted, the Oracle of Omaha maintained his second-place ranking on the list of the richest Americans. The first-place finisher is Bill Gates, who the article notes is "Buffett's friend and bridge partner." What a game of bridge that must be (I am not familiar with the game, but if there is betting involved I don't want to be sitting at that table). Gates maintained his top spot although he lost $7 billion.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the two wunderkinds who founded Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) less than 10 years ago, have again made it into very respectable places in the Forbes annual list of richest Americans. Brin and Page ranked 12th and 13th respectively, while making in the area of $13 million per day over the last two years according to Forbes' account. Bill Gates, of course, still tops the list of the world's richest people, with as estimated net worth of over $40 billion.

Are the Google guys worth it? Both Page and Brin sure do not act like stereotypical billionaires, as they have been known to drive green cars like the Toyota Prius and wear everyday blue jeans and t-shirts. In fact the Google employee culture -- which looks like something out of a movie from what I've seen -- is a direct result of the unique environment both founders have instilled in the company.

Sure there is bound to be a little bureaucracy in a company growing like Google still is, but from almost all accounts the company has a "small company" feel to it, kind of like a startup. With ideas, innovations, and market-conquering products in some areas, this culture would seem to have worked wonders for the Mountain View, California company. Many Google shareholders who bought into the IPO at nearly $85 a little over two years ago are probably sitting pretty right now if they haven't sold their shares yet. How about you?