A drama-free divorce: Bill and Melinda Gates have already agreed on how to divide their wealth
Microsoft founder Bill Gates shocked the world on Monday by announcing the end of his 27-year marriage to Melissa Gates, sparking all kinds of speculation about the impact of his divorce on the world's largest private charitable foundation and in numerous ways. linked with the powerful corporation in the world of technology.
The couple have an estimated net worth of nearly $ 150 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires List. It is, according to this same source, the fourth largest fortune on the planet.
According to a petition filed in Washington State's King County Superior Court Monday afternoon, Melinda Gates, 56, filed for divorce stating: “This marriage is hopelessly broken. We ask the court to dissolve our marriage and determine that our marital community ended on the date stated in our separation contract. "
A separation agreement
It has transpired that, although the couple did not have a pre-nuptial agreement, they do have a separation agreement. The petition simply asks the court to divide the property as set out in that agreement and does not request spousal support, in this case Melinda Gates.
The couple has three adult children, ages 25, 22 and 19. Bill, 65, will not have to pay child support for Jennifer, Rory or Phoebe. The oldest of her, Jennifer, commented in a story on her Instagram account that "it has been a challenging period of time for our entire family."
"I guess they are going to work this out very privately, and both of them will be very comfortable with how it will turn out," she told Yahoo! family attorney Randy Kessler, who has handled divorce cases involving professional athletes and artists. "I can't imagine that she is not happy or that he is not financially happy."
And what will happen to its foundation?
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has been in business for 20 years, has a fund of more than $ 49 billion. The couple will also have to decide on the future of their philanthropic entity. Before the divorce filing, they had transferred $ 20 billion of Microsoft stock to the nonprofit organization.
Because the Foundation is not an asset Gates needs in order to pay his bills, Kessler said, it shouldn't pose a financial challenge. Currently, Bill and Melinda Gates are co-chairs of the foundation.
The foundation's management team will probably play the most important role for its future, the expert said.
In other words, we shouldn't expect drama from this couple's division of assets, and the divorce should go smoothly, like that of Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott, who in 2019 peacefully ended their 26-year marriage.
"If it were for the money," Kessler said, "they would stay married. People who have extraordinary wealth have it for a reason. They know what not to spend money on and what not to be in the press. Divorce is not something to spend money on. "
