Long before he flew to the edge of space, Richard Branson was selling vinyl records from a crypt in London...
In 1970, Branson sold mail-order records through his Student magazine... As he put it, he used "an old slab of marble across two tombs to make my desk" from the basement of a church.
Within two years, the business had grown into Virgin Records, which went on to boast artists like the Sex Pistols, Paula Abdul, and the Rolling Stones. Branson eventually sold the company for $1 billion in 1992.
Branson didn't sit still. Even as Virgin Records was blossoming, he dove into the airline industry in 1984 with a single plane. Virgin Atlantic wasn't a repeat success for Branson. He had to sell Virgin Records to keep his airline out of bankruptcy. And he had to sell most of his Virgin Atlantic stock a few years later.
But Branson's entrepreneurial drive survived the airline setback...
In the late 1990s, Branson expanded his business interests into the British railways and the telecom industry, founding Virgin Rail and Virgin Mobile.
Then he took a leap that seemed insane...
In 2004, Branson founded Virgin Galactic (SPCE) – a space-tourism company. In the early 2000s, the idea of space tourism was eccentric. Before Branson even took his first ride into space, Galactic went public with a $2.3 billion market value.
On July 11, 2021, Branson became the first person to fly to the edge of space in his own personal aircraft. And 22 years after Galactic's founding, joyrides to space have become a status symbol for the world's elite.
Over the decades, Branson has earned a cult following more for his over-the-top, adventurous spirit than for his business acumen. But where Branson has led, investors have followed.
Today, he owns 50% of the Virgin Group – the holding company for businesses across more than a dozen industries. This stake gives Branson a new worth of about $3 billion.
And he's not the only billionaire to benefit from the cult of personality...
Love him or hate him, Elon Musk has leveraged his following to become the wealthiest entrepreneur of the modern age.
While Branson's name was enough to get investors interested in his latest venture, Elon has so much influence that he can move the markets with just one social media post.
In 2021, Musk tweeted "Gamestonk!!" (a mashup of the meme stock GameStop and a slang term for stocks on Reddit). Within hours, shares of GameStop soared 60%. It wasn't because anything about the company's actual value had changed, but on the theory that Musk might invest.
Musk recently completed the biggest IPO in history. Now he's using his incredible wealth to launch an even more important venture.
On August 27, Joel Litman (from our corporate affiliate Altimetry) will go live to show you what Musk's about to do next and how it could bring you the biggest profits of your life if you get in position now.
Click here to reserve your spot.
Now, let's get to this week's Q&A... And as always, keep sending your comments, questions, and topic suggestions to feedback@healthandwealthbulletin.com. My team and I read every e-mail.
A Simple Way to Prevent Housefires
Q: Doc, I recall you writing about some fire safety tips, but I can't find it anywhere. Thanks. – A.R.
A: Thanks for your readership, A.R. We've covered this topic in my Retirement Millionaire newsletter.
Fire kills more Americans in a typical year than all other disasters combined. As children, we're taught to "stop, drop, and roll"... but that's where most fire-safety training ends. We're never given more detailed knowledge.
Knowing the facts below will increase your chances of surviving a fire.
First, make sure your smoke detectors are functioning. I check mine on a quarterly basis. Put in earplugs and press the button on the detector until it sounds.
In a fire, smoke inhalation is most likely to kill you, not the flames. That's why it's vital to have functioning smoke detectors in your home.
If the smoke detectors go off in the middle of the night, do NOT bolt up out of bed. In a smoky room, this will bring your nose and mouth right into the thick of the smoke. Inhaling will fill your lungs with scalding, toxic smoke.
When a smoke alarm goes off, roll out of bed, then crawl on your hands and knees to escape. Practice this maneuver with your family so it becomes instinctive, even when you're half-awake.
On average, you've got about 60 seconds to escape exposure to noxious smoke before dying. Devise a comprehensive fire-evacuation plan and practice it. Make sure everyone knows the routes and the meet-up location. If you have to stop and think it through, you won't have time to escape.
You can increase your survivability by donning what is known as a "full-face respirator"...
It's a device similar to a gas mask. Depending on the model, you can get 15 to 30 minutes of breathable air by wearing a respirator mask. You can get a good respirator for about $40 on Amazon.
Don't let the respirator make you complacent, though. You may have up to 30 minutes of breathable air, but fires can double in size every 90 seconds.
Flashover – when flammable gas in a room spontaneously combusts – happens five to eight minutes after the fire starts. Flashover ignites everything in the room. This environment no longer sustains human life. Don't delay... get out before flashover.
Another important fire-safety tool is a fire extinguisher. If you use one, aim the flow at the base of the flames. Most folks aim at the flames themselves, which won't work. Spray the base in a horizontal sweeping motion.
Also, don't forget about fire safety on vacation... Every time you check into a hotel, locate the stairs and take them one time. It's good exercise, and it plants in your mind where to go in an emergency. If the fire alarm goes off, you'll know what to do without giving it a second thought.
Finally, protect yourself from home electrical fires with a monitoring device called a Ting. This is a small sensor that you leave plugged into one of your home's outlets. The advanced AI in this little watchdog constantly monitors your electrical system for arc faults, detecting a claimed 4 out of 5 impending electrical fires. You might be able to get it for free through your homeowners insurance. Otherwise, it costs $99 to purchase plus a $49 annual subscription after the first year.
What We're Reading...
- Did you miss it? The job AI was supposed to kill.
- Something different: Scientists uncovered a hidden switch inside our cells that could slow or even reverse aging.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
August 21, 2026