How much is Bill Gates worth? Will it change after his divorce from Melinda?

We all know Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world, but just how much is his net worth going to be impacted after his divorce with his wife Melinda French Gates? Well, considering that the two have been married for decades and have shared plenty of assets with one another throughout the years, it’s no surprise that this divorce can be quite complicated. Let’s take a look at how Bill Gates’ net worth will be impacted here. 

Announcement of their divorce

Soon after news of their divorce was released, many people were wondering just how much Bill Gates’s worth is going to be impacted throughout the divorce process. The news first spread to the public after Bill & Melinda Gates announced it earlier this month through a post on Twitter. Together through Bill Gates’s account, the two shared a lengthy statement explaining that the two were heading down two separate paths. 

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. We have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives”, the Twitter statement that they shared read. “We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life”. 

Of course, this was certainly shocking news for the world, as Bill and Melinda Gates have been together for a very long twenty-seven-years. On top of that, the two even had their own foundation called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation together. So through all of this, how much is this going to affect Bill Gates’s net worth? Let’s do a little breakdown here. 

Assets

Currently, the net worth of Bill Gates is estimated to be at around $134.1 billion. He owns this much money not just from Microsoft, but also through other assets such as real estate, art, and much more. Wealth-X has reported that his real estate portfolio is apparently worth over $166 million in total. One includes his 66,000 square ft. lakeside home in Medina, Washington that has an estimated value of $65 million. 

Bill Gates also owns a thirty-acre estate in Wellington, Florida that has an estimated value of $55 million. The Microsoft founder also owns two places in California. One property is in Del Mar which is estimated to be valued at $20 million, while the other one is worth $1 million and is loathed in Indian Wells. He also owns a private island in Belize called Grand Bogue Caye estimated to be worth around $25 million. 

Bill Gates also reportedly owns up to $650,000 worth in cars, and his art collection is worth up to $130 million according to Wealth-X. His stake in Cascade Investments also takes up 22.4% of his wealth and is valued at around $29.9 billion. Of course, he also has Microsoft shareholdings, which are estimated to be worth around $26.1 billion.

Any effect on his net worth?

Of course, we can all expect the net worth of Bill Gates is going to be affected a bit due to his divorce, but just how much will his wallet hurt? Well, just last week, Wall Street Journal reported that “Bill Gates has transferred more than $850 million in shares of Deere & Co. to Melinda French Gates, bringing the total value of publicly disclosed transfers to more than $3 billion since the couple filed for divorce on May 3”.

The publication also confirmed that “Earlier this month, Mr. Gates transferred stakes in a Coca-Cola bottler, a Canadian railroad, AutoNation Inc. AN 1.40% and other companies valued at nearly $2.4 billion to Ms. French Gates, as two of the world’s richest people began dividing their wealth”.

While this may sound like a lot of money for us mere mortals, this doesn’t look like it’s going to really damage Bill Gates’s net worth that much in the long run. After all, at the end of the day, the guy still has hundreds of billions of dollars. Yes, he may be going through a harsh time, but who wouldn’t want to be in the man’s position regardless?