Former US parking-company tycoon worth $8,400,000,000 has a frugal driving habit you wouldn’t expect
Published on Oct 23, 2025 at 10:06 PM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Oct 24, 2025 at 10:53 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
Billionaires aren’t famous for penny-pinching.
But Bill Ackman, the hedge fund boss behind Pershing Square Capital, still counts every dollar.
Even with $8.4 billion to his name, he obsesses over small expenses many people wouldn’t think twice about.
And one particular driving habit says more about him than any investment ever could.
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The billionaire’s frugal driving habit
Billionaire Bill Ackman says his dad taught him to never waste money.
Not even a little.
“If I left my light on in my room, he’d get really upset,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
“Now I go around the house turning off every light.”
That mindset stuck.
He still gets annoyed if the grill burns gas overnight.
And even behind the wheel, he’s hunting for a deal.
“If I don’t like the price of the garage, I’ll go to a different one,” he said.
“It’s funny. I don’t like paying for parking, and I used to own a parking company.”
That company was Impark, one of North America’s biggest parking operators.
A business that helped Ackman make millions before he sold his stake.
The irony can’t be ignored – a billionaire who made money from parking lots still driving around to find the cheapest one in town.
From small savings to massive success
Ackman grew up middle class in New York, in a house his dad bought for $56,000 in 1965.
With no inheritance waiting, he built his own empire, founding Pershing Square Capital and steering it toward a $20 billion portfolio including Uber, Amazon, and Chipotle.
But while he’s circling the block to save on parking, other billionaires are less frugal.
Take Mark Zuckerberg, who rolled into a UFC fight wearing a $2.5 million timepiece – the most expensive in his collection.
And Taylor Swift flies her $54 million Dassault Falcon 7X, a private jet that can cross oceans nonstop and proves why she really does rule the skies.
Ackman’s the opposite kind of rich.
He’s chasing savings one frugal driving habit at a time.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
