Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Bill and Melinda Gates are ending their 27-year marriage. Here's how the Microsoft cofounder spends his $129 billion fortune, from a luxury-car collection to incredible real estate.

Bill and Melinda Gates are ending their 27-year marriage. Here's how the Microsoft cofounder spends his $129 billion fortune, from a luxury-car collection to incredible real estate.

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates have been married for nearly 27 years and have three children together.

Bill and Melinda Gates are ending their 27-year marriage.

The couple announced the news in a statement posted to Twitter on Monday, saying that while they plan to continue working together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, they no longer believe they can continue growing as a couple.

Gates, who cofounded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, is worth $130.5 billion, according to Forbes. He's one of only eight moguls worth over $100 billion and is currently the fourth-richest person in the world.

Gates has made some lavish purchases over the years: He owns a Washington estate worth $125 million, a private airplane, and a luxury-car collection. More recently, he dropped $43 million on a 5,800-square-foot home in Del Mar, California. But these indulgences make up only a fraction of his massive fortune, and Gates isn't known to throw his money around.

In fact, the couple previously said it's unfair they're so rich. Instead of spending billions on themselves, they often donate it to charity through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They've also pledged to give away most of their fortune through the Giving Pledge, which they launched in 2010.

Keep reading for a look at how Gates spends his billions.

Taylor Nicole Rogers contributed to an earlier version of this story.

Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, has an estimated net worth of $130.5 billion.

Bill Gates speaking at an event in Washington, 2014.

He long held the title as the world's second-richest person until Elon Musk unseated him in November 2020.

Microsoft founder, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, on October 9, 2019.

Now, Gates is the world's fourth-richest person and part of a eight-man club of people currently worth more than $100 billion.


Gates has invested in a variety of stocks and assets and launched a $1 billion investment fund, Breakthrough Energy, with 20 others.


Despite his massive fortune, Gates previously told Ellen DeGeneres that when he became a billionaire at age 31 (history's youngest billionaire at the time), he didn't go on a spending spree.

Bill Gates on "Ellen."

But he has indulged in things over time, he said, like a private plane.


It's been reported that Gates owns a Bombardier BD-700 Global Express, which costs $40 million and can seat up to 19 people.

A Bombardier private jet, though not the one Gates owns.

Gates also spent a lot on his estate, Xanadu 2.0, in Medina, Washington. It took him seven years and $63 million to build. He purchased the lot for $2 million in 1988.

This aerial photograph taken on July 13 shows Bill and Melinda Gates' home in Medina, Washington which cost more than $60-million and four-years to build.

At 66,000 square feet, his home is worth about $125 million today.


In 2017, he paid $1,041,292.55 in property taxes on it, according to public filings.

An outside deck is shown at the home of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates Tuesday, April 18, 2006, in the Seattle suburb of Medina, WA.

The estate has a trampoline room, which Gates told DeGeneres his three kids love.


There are roughly $80,000 worth of computer screens sitting around the house.


Devices worth $150,000 can display different paintings or photographs on the screens at a single touch. However, there are real paintings on the wall as well — like the Winslow Homer painting Gates purchased for $36 million in 1988.


There's also a 60-foot pool — in its own separate, 3,900 square-foot building.


That's not to mention the 2,100-square-foot library, home to a 16th-century Leonardo da Vinci manuscript that Gates bought at auction for $30 million in 1994.


Gates reportedly pays to have sand imported from St. Lucia in the Caribbean to the shore surrounding his house.

Kids play in the water on the beach of Rodney Bay in St. Lucia.

In addition to a home theater for 20 guests, six kitchens, and 24 bathrooms, Gates' house has various garages for 23 cars.


It's perfect for Gates, an avid luxury-car collector. His first big splurge after founding Microsoft was a Porsche 911 supercar, he told DeGeneres. He later sold it, and it was auctioned for $80,000.

A Porsche 911.

But that wasn't Gates' last Porsche — he also has a Porsche 959 in his car collection.

Bill Gates and a 1988 Porsche 959, not Gates' actual car.

Outside of his Washington pad, Gates also has a 4.5-acre vacation ranch in Wellington, Florida, with a 12,864-square-foot mansion. He reportedly dropped $27 million to buy a whole string of properties in the area. The area is hotspot for wealthy equestrians.

Horses in a corral, though not at Gates' ranch.

His daughter, Jennifer, is an accomplished equestrian, and he bought the property to support her passion.


In California, he owns the 228-acre Rancho Paseana, which he purchased for $18 million. It includes a racetrack, orchard, and five barns.


He added to his California real estate portfolio in 2020, dropping $43 million on an oceanfront home in Del Mar, California. It has six bedrooms, a 10-person Jacuzzi, and a swimming pool.

Del Mar, California.

He also reportedly purchased a 492-acre Wyoming ranch, which listed for $8.9 million back in 2009.


But Gates' real-estate portfolio doesn't end there.


He's made numerous investments through his personal investment firm, Cascade, including partial ownership of Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He reportedly owns nearly half of the Four Season Holdings' hotel chain through Cascade, including hotels in Atlanta and Houston. Gates shares 95% ownership with Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia.


In 2013, Gates and several unnamed buyers paid $161 million for the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. As of 2014, it was reportedly worth $200 million.


When he's not busy buying real estate or working, Gates needs a vacation or two to unwind. He's traveled to Australia and Croatia ...

Baska Voda, a tourist town on the Makarska Riviera, Dalmatia, Croatia.

... and Belize and the Amazon in Brazil.

Belize is known for its sandy beaches and warm weather.

He's also treated his family to a Mediterranean vacation on board the 439-foot superyacht Serene, which he chartered for $5 million a week. It included a helicopter.

The superyacht Serene is pictured at Auckland's Wynyard Wharf in Auckland, New Zealand.

He previously said that he likes to play tennis and go skiing. He's also been spotted spectating at tennis matches.


But Gates' downtime isn't always so adventurous. He's an avid reader, having indulged in quite the book collection.


He's also an "avid bridge player," as he once told Reddit.


Gates hates to shop for himself, but did admit that he likes to "buy nice things" for Melinda.


However, he once told Reddit that he doesn't like overspending on clothes and jewelry.


But Gates' splurges are only a fraction of his massive fortune. He previously told The Telegraph, "I have no use for money." Instead, he often donates to or invests his money in good causes.


Gates previously invested in Amyris, a synthetic-biology company that originally produced precursors to malaria drugs and hydrocarbon-based biofuel. Today, it focuses on health through fragrances, skincare, and sweetener.

Bill Gates speaks ahead of former U.S. President Barack Obama at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City.

In November 2017, Gates invested $50 million into Alzheimer's research.


He continued these efforts by recently investing $30 million with a group of investors into the Diagnostics Accelerator, a "venture philanthropy" fund to diagnose Alzheimer's earlier.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, speaks at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2017.

Gates and Melinda have been huge on philanthropy. They were recently named the most generous philanthropists in the US by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, having donated more than $36 billion to charitable causes through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.


Gates agreed to give away most of his fortune through the Giving Pledge, which he launched in 2010.

Melinda (L) and Bill Gates attend a session at the Congress Center during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting on January 23, 2015 in Davos.

The Gateses have spent money traveling for their charity work. They donated more than $2 billion in 2016 to causes related to global health and development and US education. In 2017, they donated $4.78 billion, mostly to projects run by the Gates Foundation.


They've pledged about $2 billion to defeat malaria, donated more than $50 million to fight Ebola, and pledged $38 million to a Japanese pharmaceutical company working to create a low-cost polio vaccine.

A girl gets inoculated with an Ebola vaccine on November 22, 2019 in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Gates Foundation has also committed at least $2.5 billion to the GAVI Alliance, which works to improve access to vaccines in poor countries.

A nurse prepares the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in 2019.

Bill and Melinda also prioritize education. The Gates Foundation established the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which has received $1.6 billion.


It also partnered with the Dangote Foundation in 2016 to spend $100 million on eliminating malnutrition in Nigeria.


Throughout 2020, the Gates Foundation was active in the global 1COVID1-19 response, pledging $100 million to help fight the pandemic. A major portion of those funds were used for vaccine development.

A patient receives an injection of the Oxford/AstraZeneca 1COVID1-19 vaccine.

When it comes to the future of his fortune, Gates is leaving $10 million to each of his children, a fraction of his net worth.

Bill Gates with his daughter, Jennifer, and his wife, Melinda.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×