Kathy Ireland: At 48 And 'Retired', The World's Richest Supermodel

Kathy Ireland - 48 stunning years old and by Forbes numbers, officially the world's wealthiest supermodel - has one important thing to say to Kate Upton, one of many model heirs to Ireland's three career Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers and 13 consecutive issue appearances from 1984 to 1996: gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

Someday, the bloom fades.

"Some young people say, 'I'm just going to see what happens.' It's so much more powerful to make things happen and have a plan," Ireland tells Upton in the most recent Forbes, where she appears also on the cover.

For all that Ireland did and all that life she lived during her active days as a fashionplate, she's proven as savvy as statueesque. According to Forbes, her Kathy Ireland Worldwide brand last year sold "an astounding $2 billion worth of licensed products at retail, making her a bigger licensor that the formidable Martha Stewart." CelebrityNetWorth.com weighs her net worth at about $350 million these days.

Her brand is a diverse maker of home furnishings, socks, wigs, workout videos, and perhaps something the upcoming slate of models would do well to pick up if her example of long-term security is appealing: motivational titles such as Personal Inspirations: Eight Lessons That Will Change Your Life.

Forbes has in fact dubbed her a "model-preneuer." And she's not alone. She's in a class among the likes of contemporaries Tyra Banks, Elle MacPherson, Heidi Klum and Gisele Bundchen who actually stand to set themselves for life far better from parlaying their fame and fortune into long-term growth and security by branding themselves and using their notoriety to fuel lasting enterprises.

She applauds Upton, both for achieving this year what the refreshingly filled-out model said was her dream of being an SI cover model and for being a departure from her peers' rail-thin figures.

"An agenda is not a bad thing," Ireland admits in her Forbes interview. "For me the question was, do I want my paycheck to be dependent on how other people think I look. I made the intentional choice to step behind the camera."