Bill and Melinda Gates divorce: $ 124 billion at stake
Bill Gates is considered the fourth richest man in the world, with investments in Microsoft stocks, farmland or luxury properties
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, and his wife Melinda Gates announced on Monday their divorce after 27 years of marriage and 20 years of working together at their Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates is, according to the latest Forbes ranking, the fourth richest man in the world, with a fortune estimated at $ 124 billion.
Bloomberg noted that by law the state of Washington, in which the couple filed their divorce petition, considers that all the assets acquired during the marriage are placed under the community regime, that is to say belonging equally to the two partners. However, "this does not necessarily mean that the fortune would be divided in two", underlines the American press agency, since the lawyers of the parties can modulate this distribution "according to what is fair and equitable", indicates to Bloomberg the lawyer Janet George, of McKinley Irvin, and the sharing of this fortune could remain confidential, hidden through private contracts, she said.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates now only owns 1.3%, which is about $ 26 billion, according to FactSet. He stepped down from the board last year and gave up much of his stake by transferring it to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This transfer reached a value of 35.8 billion dollars and was intended to supply the foundation's treasury.
The foundation he created with his wife is considered the largest private foundation in the world. It has spent some $ 55 billion in 20 years on health and education across the world and more than $ 1 billion in the fight against Covid-19. Bill and Melinda Gates co-chair it alongside Warren Buffett. Whether Bill Gates will continue to fund him as regularly as he did remains unanswered.
The majority of this philanthropist's fortune now comes from his holding company Cascade Investment, headed by Michael Larson. He is the sole shareholder. Through this holding, the billionaire has invested in hotels, energy, real estate but also several public companies such as the Canadian National Railway. According to the website of the holding company, the investment portfolio has reached a value of 74 billion dollars. It notably owns 16.2% of Canada National Railway, 22.4% of AutoNation and 35.2% of Waste Management.
Bill Gates also founded TerraPower in 2008, where he is still president, a nuclear reactor design company. He created Branded Entertainment Network, a brand integration and advertising company in 2016.
Largest farm owner in the United States
Beyond a businessman, Bill Gates is a landowner. He is the largest farm owner in the United States. It owns nearly 100,000 hectares for a total of $ 690 million, spread across 18 states. Its largest properties are in Louisiana with 28,000 hectares and in Arkansas with 19,500 hectares. In Florida, he began by acquiring a four-bedroom mansion and horse ranch for $ 8.7 million. In 2016, he purchased the adjacent plots, bringing together five properties for a total of $ 35.87 million. He then spent an additional $ 21 million on a horse farm in 2019, bringing his combined purchases to $ 59 million for a total of 15 hectares.
The billionaire and his wife together own a house of over 4,000 square meters worth $ 150 million near Seattle. Most recently, they bought a house in California for $ 43 million. Bill Gates owns a collection of sports cars estimated at $ 650,000 including several Porsches, a Jaguar and a Ferrari.
The contractor would also own a Bombardier BD-700 Global Express, an aircraft that can accommodate up to 19 people and is valued at $ 40 million.
$ 30.8 million for a Leonardo da Vinci manuscript
Bill Gates also invested in art with the desire to own rare and irreplaceable works. In 1994, he bought a famous Leonardo da Vinci manuscript at auction for $ 30.8 million. He also acquired "Distant Thunder" from Andrew Wyeth for $ 7 million in 1996, "The Nursery" from William Merritt Chase for $ 10 million in 1997. Frederick Childe Hassam's work "Room of Flowers" for $ 20 million in 1998, Winslow Homer's "Lost on The Grand Banks" for $ 36 million in 1998 and George Bellow's "Polo Crowd" for $ 28 million in 1999.
A dizzying fortune that makes more than one dream and which amused a web developer. He created the “Spend Bill Gates' Money” website which allows Internet users to simulate the management of such a fortune with the objective of answering this question: what would you do with more than 120 billion dollars in your account? bank?
