Bill and Melinda Gates: what is the multi-million dollar fortune at stake in divorce

After more than 27 years of relationship, Bill and Melinda Ann French Gates end their marriage. This was announced yesterday through the networks, with a statement in which they highlighted their three children and the work of their foundation. “We continue to share the belief in this mission and we will continue to work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our life,” they said. With the separation comes sadness for many and a big question: what will happen to the two’s multi-million dollar fortune during the divorce?.

According to information reported by the American media Forbes, before the announcement of the separation and before the impending divorce, Bill Gates is the fourth richest person in the world. With a net worth of around $ 130.2 billion, he is only behind Bernard Arnault, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Bill Gates and Melinda Ann French met at Microsoft in 1987. The romance began a year before the tech giant’s founder became the world’s youngest billionaire, following the company’s IPO. Seven years after the first spark, the couple walked down the aisle.

According to a report by Forbes, The Gates’ fortunes are not closely tied to Microsoft today. “When Microsoft went public in 1986, it owned 45% of the company. Today, he owns less than 1.3% of the shares in circulation, ”they indicated in the North American publication, while noting that over the last twenty years, Gates has diversified his portfolio and used a part of its cash to fund the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In recent years, the Gates couple have donated around $ 50 billion of their fortune to their foundation, a charity they started in 2000.

According to Forbes, the Gates couple have several joint ventures, among them, the holding company Cascade investment, which is used to control multiple investments in various companies. For example, the holding company owns 47% of the company Four Seasons Hotels And Resorts; 25% Ecolab, 12% Canadian National Railways; and 4% from Berkshire Hathaway, the investment group of tycoon Warren Buffett.

Xanadú 2.0, Bill and Melinda Gates’ mansion in Seattle, Washington, is one of the most expensive properties in the world. Situated on a hill overlooking the state’s namesake lake, the home measures over 6,000 square feet. According to Inside the business community, Gates bought the property in 1988 (two years after consolidating his first “peak” fortune) for $ 2 million and spent an additional $ 63 million on full construction. According to the US portal, the house, to date, has an approximate value of $ 135 million.

Another notable property of the couple is an equestrian estate in California acquired in 2014 for $ 18 million. Likewise, they also A beachfront mansion in Del Mar, California, which was purchased in the middle of the pandemic -April 2020- for about 43 million of dollars.

In total, according to information from Business intern, Gates’ real estate portfolio is estimated at over $ 200 million. According to the same media outlet, the marriage had not signed a prenuptial agreement before going through the altar, the properties (and all other assets) would therefore be divided according to a separation contract concluded by the couple.

Despite the divorce, Bill and Melinda will continue to be among the 15 richest people in the world, according to estimates from the Forbes website.

THE NATION