Very Rich? Deep in Debt? Perhaps It's All the Same

As wealth grows it tends to become more volatile, harder to appraise. "If you can count your money," J. Paul Getty once explained, "you don't have a billion dollars."

Aubrey McClendon (Wikipedia)

Extreme case in point: The pile of debts – or, possibly, the significant wealth – left by Aubrey MeClendon after his death in a car crash a year ago.

McClendon borrowed heavily as he he started over after his ouster from Chesapeake Energy, and the plunge in oil prices may have brought him to financial ruin. Could the dramatic rebound in oil put McClendon's estate back in the black?

Wall Street Journal subscribers can read the story here.