- Bill Gates, the world's second-richest person, has an estimated net worth of
- While he indulges in a few luxuries, they only make up a fraction of his fortune.
- He mainly spends his billions on charity through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and plans to give away most of his fortune.
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Bill Gates is worth $95 billion and he plans to give most of it away — here's how he spends his money now, from a luxury car collection to incredible real estate
Bill Gates, the world's second richest person, has an estimated net worth of $95.7 billion. But while he indulges in a few luxuries, they only make up a fraction of his fortune. See how he spends his billions.
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Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, is the world's second-richest person, sitting on an estimated net worth of $95.7 billion, according to Forbes.
It's hard to imagine what to do with that amount of money, but Gates knows how to make the most of it. While he has some indulgences — like a Washington estate worth $125 million, a private airplane, and a luxury car collection — they only make up a fraction of his massive fortune.
He and wife Melinda previously said it's unfair they're so rich. Instead of spending billions on themselves, they often donate it to charity through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They've also pledged to give away most of their fortune through the Giving Pledge, which they launched in 2010.
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See how Gates spends his billions.
Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, currently has an estimated net worth of $95.7 billion, making him the second-richest person in the world.
Source:Forbes
He has invested in a variety of stocks and assets and launched a $1 billion investment fund, Breakthrough Energy, with 20 others.
Source:Forbes
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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.
Source: Business Insider
But he has indulged in things over time, he said, like a private plane for travel.
Source: Business Insider
It's been reported that Gates owns a Bombardier BD-700 Global Express, which costs $40 million and can seat up to 19 people.
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Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Business Insider
At 66,000 square feet, his home is worth about $125 million today.
Source: Business Insider
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In 2017, he paid $1,041,292.55 in property taxes on it, according to public filings.
Source: Business Insider
The estate has a trampoline room, which Gates told DeGeneres his three kids love.
Source:Business Insider
There's 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.
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Source: Business Insider
However, there are real paintings on the wall as well — like the Winslow Homer painting Gates purchased for $36 million in 1988.
Source:Business Insider
There's also a 60-foot pool — in its own separate, 3,900 square-foot building.
Source:Business Insider
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That's not to mention the 2,100-square-foot-library, which is home to a 16th-century Leonardo da Vinci manuscript that Gates bought at auction for $30 million in 1994.
Source: Business Insider
Gates reportedly pays to have sand imported from St. Lucia in the Caribbean to the shore surrounding his house.
Source:Business Insider
In addition to a home theater for 20 guests, six kitchens, and 24 bathrooms, Gates' house also has various garages for 23 cars.
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Source:Business Insider
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.
Source:Business Insider
But that wasn't Gates' last Porsche. He also has a Porsche 959 in his car collection.
Source:Business Insider
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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.
Source: Business Insider
The area is hotspot for wealthy equestrians. His daughter Jennifer is an accomplished equestrian, and he bought the property to support her passion.
Source: Business Insider
In California, he owns the 228-acre Rancho Paseana, which he purchased for $18 million. It includes a racetrack, orchard, and five barns.
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Source: Business Insider
He also reportedly purchased a 492-acre Wyoming ranch that was listed for $8.9 million back in 2009.
Source: Business Insider
Gates' real estate portfolio doesn't end there. He's made numerous real estate investments through his personal investment firm, Cascade, including partial ownership of Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Source:Business Insider
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He reportedly owns nearly half of the Four Season Holding's hotel chain through Cascade, including hotels in Atlanta and Houston. Gates shares 95% ownership with Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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.
Source: Wall Street Journal
When he's not busy buying real estate or working, Gates needs a vacation or two to unwind. He's traveled to Australia, Belize, Croatia, and the Amazon in Brazil.
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Source: Travel + Leisure,Forbes
He's also treated his family to a Mediterranean vacation on board the 439-foot superyacht Serene that he chartered for $5 million a week, which included a helicopter.
Source:The Daily Mail
He previously said that he likes to play tennis and go skiing. He's also been spotted spectating at numerous tennis matches.
Source:The Telegraph
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Gates hates to shop for himself, but did admit that he likes to "buy nice things" for his wife Melinda.
Source:CNBC
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.
Source:The Telegraph
In November 2017, Gates invested $50 million into Alzheimer's research.
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Source: Business Insider
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.
Source: Business Insider
Gates and wife Melinda are 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 and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Source:Business Insider
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Gates agreed to give away most of his fortune through the Giving Pledge, which he launched in 2010.
Source: Business Insider
The Gateses spent money traveling to Tanzania and other countries for charity work.
Source:Travel + Leisure
In 2017, they donated $4.78 billion, mostly to projects run by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Source:Business Insider
They donated more than $2 billion in 2016 to causes related to global health and development and US education.
Source:Business Insider
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.
Source:Business Insider
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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.
Source:Business Insider
Bill and Melinda also prioritize education. The Gates Foundation established the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which has received $1.6 billion.
Source:Business Insider
It also partnered with the Dangote Foundation in 2016 to spend $100 million on eliminating malnutrition in Nigeria.
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Source:Business Insider
When it comes to the future of his fortune, Gates is only leaving $10 million to each of his children — just a fraction of his current net worth.
Source:Business Insider
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