How Much Can a Divorce Cost Bill Gates?
The figure for the multimillion dollar distribution of the patrimony is not yet official.
After the surprise announcement of the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates, probably one of the most recognized couples around the world, ‘Forbes’ magazine was given the task of analyzing how their wealth would be affected by the decision.
But, beyond the money that each one has, the couple stood out for their projects and the mutual support that they showed in the interviews they gave.
However, the co-founder of Microsoft shared a brief statement in which he said that, "despite having worked a lot on our relationship, we have decided to end our marriage", which lasted 27 years.
(If you read us from the EL TIEMPO app, you can see the statement here)
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021
They met at Microsoft's premises in 1987, a year before Gates was named the world's youngest billionaire. Seven years later, in 1994, they got married. They have three children and several companies and investments for altruistic purposes.
Thus, the magnate also commented, very briefly, that "we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."
Before the divorce was announced, Gates was ranked as the fourth richest man in the world, according to "Forbes," as the magazine claims that Bernard Arnault, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were on top of him.
His accumulated fortune has an estimated 130,500 million dollars (just over 498 billion Colombian pesos). The same economic magazine explained what could happen after the divorce and the distribution of assets between the couple.
It is worth remembering that the couple has given away around 50,000 million dollars (more than 190 billion pesos) of their fortune, this through direct donations or through transfers to their foundation, perhaps the most important of all the associations they have. together.
In that sense, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - created in 2000 - has donations that come from much of the wealth generated by Microsoft. As they declared at the time, most of the company's profits are to "put it at the service of the people."
However, ‘The New York Times’ commented that large sums of the money Gates had earned from Microsoft had not been sent to the foundation, so the whereabouts of those donations are unknown.
Although they confirmed their separation, the couple will continue to work together for their research interests and their altruistic motivations. However, ‘Forbes’ assures that the foundation would be affected after the divorce, since the donations of each one would no longer be the same.
In addition, they have several business projects such as Cascade Investment with which they control their assets. In addition to this, they also have several investments in the public and private sectors. For example, 47% of the private company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and the Ritz Carlton San Francisco.
They also have public investments such as 25% from Ecolab, 14% from Canadian National Railway, 4% from Berkshire Hathaway, 10% from Deere & Company, 14% from AutoNation and 34% from Republic Services.
The couple own large and expensive properties throughout the United States, for example, the eccentric mansion they built under the name Xanadu 2.0, located on a hillside overlooking Lake Washington, in Medina, Washington.
We love over-the-top features and Bill Gates’ massive $63m, 66,000 sq ft Washington estate named Xanadu 2.0 is loaded to the brim with high-tech details: https://t.co/cOyqdD51Tw #SmarterByDesign #InnovativeTech #LuxuryHomes pic.twitter.com/fdaC949HVg
— Equippd (@equippd_uk) June 5, 2019
(If you visit us from the EL TIEMPO app you can see the mansion here)
The house, with more than 6,000 square meters, pays annual taxes of 1,063 million dollars (just over four billion pesos), at an appraised value of 150 million dollars (more than 572 billion pesos).
In addition, they own an equestrian farm in California, acquired in 2014 for 18 million dollars (more than 68,600 million pesos), they also own a mansion facing the sea in the Californian city of Del Mar, which they bought in 2020 for an estimated value of 43 million dollars (more than 164,115 million pesos).
"Melinda Gates":
— ¿Por qué es Tendencia? (@porktendencia) May 3, 2021
Porque Bill y Melinda Gates anunciaron su divorcio. pic.twitter.com/RCFO7Skj3f
If you read us from the EL TIEMPO app you can see a photo of the couple here)
And, added to these properties, they own one since 2003 located in Florida, for which they paid 9 million dollars (more than 34 billion pesos). To end the property accumulations, they have another ranch in the city of Cody, Wyoming, acquired for 12 million dollars (more than 45 billion dollars).
Thus, the marriage has multi-million dollar assets that will be distributed to each one, although, for the moment, there is no official agreement on the part of both parties, 'Forbes' estimates that both would continue to enter its list of the 15 richest people of the world.
