The considered a billionaire’s way of life might conjure up pictures of Nice Gatsby mansion-buying and jet-setting on the drop of a hat. However the lifetime of an heiress with the wealth of two billion-dollar American companies seems to be rather a lot completely different.
Mitzi Perdue was born into the Sheraton resort household, and at simply the age of 26, she and her siblings inherited their father, Ernest Henderson’s, controlling stake of the enterprise. The success of her household’s $12.2 billion hospitality firm meant she was now sitting on a substantial nest egg.
Her fortune would solely swell after marrying her late husband Frank Perdue, the “hen king” who led America’s largest hen producer, Perdue Farms, which introduced in over $10 billion in income final 12 months. The double heiress has the riches to retire and dwell a lifetime of extravagance, however it’s in her nature to take a look at wealth in a different way.
“The Hendersons and the Perdues didn’t encourage extravagance,” Perdue informed Fortune in a June 2025 interview. “In each households, no one wins factors for sporting designer garments.”
The 84-year-old has entry to a belief from her household’s billion-dollar enterprise, alongside the wealth from the Perdue empire. But she nonetheless lives similar to anyone else: taking her footwear to the cobbler as a substitute of shopping for new ones, driving the subway, flying financial system, and residing in a modest condo as a substitute of a home.
Perdue has lived a double life—getting access to immense privilege and cash from two enterprise empires, whereas holding down an everyday job and residing frugally.
“My condo constructing I lived in for 14 years could be very solidly middle-class, and I like it,” Perdue says. “In the event you’re at all times happening non-public jets, what inkling do you’ve gotten about the true world?”
Her frugal and down-to-earth way of life: sporting secondhand garments, flying financial system, driving subways
Perdue was born in 1941 and, as a battle child and the fifth baby of the Henderson household, grew up sporting hand-me-downs. She says she went to public college for a interval of her life, later enrolling in non-public college and pursuing a Harvard schooling. When she was in her late twenties, her father died, opening up the floodgates of her inheritance. However she wasn’t enticed by the thought of dropping by the wayside and lounging for the remainder of her life.
“I may have simply put the whole lot within the inventory market and let anyone else handle it,” Perdue says.
Excited about agriculture, Perdue quickly purchased land close to the College of California, Davis in order that the school may run experiments on the agricultural space. She spent many hours a day managing the rice farm, however years later determined to develop into a journalist protecting farming practices and psychological well being.
Beginning in 2022, she started writing concerning the battle in Ukraine and offered her $1.2 million engagement ring from her late husband to profit humanitarian efforts within the war-torn area. She’s at the moment engaged on creating an AI trauma therapist for victims in Ukraine, which has lacked the sources to maintain up with demand. For all of her work journeys, she at all times flies financial system.
Perdue has additionally lived in an condo constructing in Salisbury, Md., for a few years, rubbing shoulders with working-class residents like nurses and cops. She says one 12 months’s hire in her one-bedroom flat prices simply as a lot as what her New York Metropolis mates pay in a single month.
“A number of Perdue workers dwell in the identical constructing,” Perdue says. “It’s good, however nobody would name it posh.”
And as a self-proclaimed “low-maintenance badass” continuously visiting New York Metropolis, she rides the subway as a substitute of reserving Ubers. Perdue additionally will get her footwear mounted by cobblers, quite than shopping for new pairs. Designer outfits are shrugged off, as she doesn’t like flashing her wealth. Her frugal philosophy is extra than simply skin-deep.
“I’m unaware of getting reward for sporting actually costly garments—you get praised like heck for being an Eagle Scout, or working for Habitat for Humanity,” Perdue continues. “You get reward for serving others.”
What Perdue will get from tightening her purse strings
Individuals who haven’t grown up with wealth might query why a billionaire would wish to dwell like the remainder of the inhabitants: working nine-to-five, crammed in like a sardine on subways as a substitute of calling non-public automobiles. The heiress and journalist says her reasoning stems from the vacancy of taking, and the enjoyment of giving.
“I’d certain quite have a lifetime of a feast of never-ending pleasure versus not having the ability to depend 5 pleased days,” Perdue says. “If you wish to be pleased, assume what you are able to do for anyone else. If you wish to be depressing, assume what’s owed to you.”
Mega-yachts and silk pajamas don’t fill the void for Perdue—quite, philanthropy and laborious work make her really feel full. An enormous a part of Perdue’s understanding of getting wealth versus residing a rich life got here from each side of her household. She famous that household companies which might be capable of final 100 years are a rarity, however the Hendersons and Perdues have been capable of make it by placing their finest foot ahead.
“The households that final be taught stewardship,” Perdue mentioned. “They’re not there to go spend all of it. They’re there to be stewards for the following era.”
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A model of this story initially revealed on Fortune.com on June 15, 2025.
