Where Does Bill Gates Keep His Money?

Bill Gates was worth roughly $159 billion as of August 20, 2024. He earned the bulk of his fortune as CEO, chair, and chief software architect of Microsoft (MSFT). Gates stepped down from the board in 2020. He owns about 1.3% of the company he co-founded as of 2024.

Investments in Corporations

Gates waived his wages and stock compensation when he ended his board service effective March 13, 2020. The majority of his financial assets are held by Cascade Investment LLC, an entity controlled by Gates to manage his investments. Cascade isn’t a public company but some of its investment activity must nonetheless be disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The company’s portfolio is well-diversified. Cascade held 9.8% of Strategic Hotels and Resorts at one time. It has also purchased Four Seasons hotels in Mexico, Atlanta, and Houston.

Gates holds equity in Branded Entertainment Network, a brand integration and advertising company. He’s chair of TerraPower, a nuclear reactor design company. He’s backed ResearchGate, a social networking site for researchers and scientists. He funds initiatives in clean energy, education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation through Gates Ventures, his private office.

Gates also owns a large amount of Microsoft (MSFT) shares, the software company that he co-founded and ran for many years. He still holds 1.3% of the company’s outstanding shares, worth roughly over $40 billion.

Real Estate

Gates’ investment portfolio is certainly significant but he also puts his money to use buying real assets, including a sprawling estate and a private island.

Gates’ Seattle-area home, Xanadu 2.0, is an ocean-side lodge boasting over 66,000 square feet with approximately 500 feet of private waterfront on Lake Washington. The estate features top-of-the-line technology and gadgets befitting its six kitchens, 24 bathrooms, and six fireplaces. Nearly every amenity is computer-controlled including automatic lights and music that follow you from room to room.

The property was assessed $1.04 million for tax purposes in 2019, implying an assessed value of $131.24 million at a 0.793% property tax rate.

Gates began amassing property in Wellington, Florida in 2013. Wellington is considered to be the winter equestrian capital of the world. He started by snapping up a four-bedroom mansion and horse ranch for $8.7 million. He bought the adjoining parcels in 2016, bringing five properties together for a total of $35.87 million.

He spent another $21 million on a horse farm in 2019, bringing his combined purchases to $59 million for a 30-acre assemblage. His daughter, Jennifer Gates, is an award-winning equestrian.

Gates is also rumored to own Grand Bogue Caye, a 314-acre island off the coast of Belize in Central America. It’s the largest island in that country. Grand Bogue Caye is home to pristine beaches, abundant marine life, and excellent diving. It’s reported that Gates purchased the island for upward of $25 million.

Planes and Automobiles

Gates appeared to own not one but two Gulfstream G650ERs as of 2023, registered in Washington State to Mente, LLC. He also owns two Bombardier Challenger 350s through Net Jets. Michael Larson, who runs Cascade Investment, is listed as an officer at Challenger.

Gates also likes a fancy set of wheels and he’s been a long-time fan of Porsche automobiles. He bought a Porsche 911 in 1979 and later added a Porsche 930 Turbo and a Porsche 959. His most recent purchase is the fully electric Porsche Taycan, an acquisition that set off an X (formerly Twitter) spat with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The Porsche 959 is very rare and is plagued with problems. Only 337 or so were ever made. Gates is also said to own a Jaguar XJ6 and a Ferrari 348. His first Porsche was sold at auction for $80,000. He told reporters at the time: “I drive myself around town in a normal Mercedes.” He also tooled around town in a “nice” minivan with the family.

Collectibles

It’s certainly an achievement to own one-of-a-kind real estate and rare cars but it’s another to own precious, irreplaceable collectibles and Bill Gates certainly has accumulated quite the collection.

He purchased a celebrated Leonardo Da Vinci manuscript at auction for $30.8 million in 1994. Known as the Codex Leicester, this work documents many of Da Vinci’s scientific discoveries and observations. Gates once remarked in a speech at the British Library on his purchase:

“Yeah, I feel very lucky that I own a notebook. In fact, I remember going home one night and telling Melinda that I was going to buy a notebook; she didn’t think that was a very big deal. I said, no, this is a pretty special notebook; this is the Codex Leicester, one of the Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci.”

He also acquired Andrew Wyeth’s “Distant Thunder” for $7 million in 1996; Winslow Homer’s “Lost on The Grand Banks” for $36 million in 1998; George Bellow’s “Polo Crowd” for $28 million in 1999; William Merritt Chase’s “The Nursery” for $10 million; and Frederick Childe Hassam’s work “Room of Flowers” for $20 million.

Philanthropic Endeavors

Funding worthy causes is atop Bill Gates’ list of achievements. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the U.S. The foundation held $75.2 billion in assets in 2023, the most recent figures available. The total grant payments since the foundation’s inception are $77.6 billion.

Gates has given more than $59.5 billion to the foundation since the beginning. He gave $7.7 billion in 2023 alone and he has also encouraged fellow billionaires to donate large sums to charitable causes through The Giving Pledge.

The Bottom Line

Savvy investing in a diversified portfolio of financial assets, real estate, and collectibles helps ensure that Bill Gates’ wealth will continue to grow. His philanthropic mission to donate much of his wealth to causes to help better the world may be his most significant investment, however, and it’s certainly a lasting legacy.