Bill Gates, unlike other great fortunes such as the businessman Bernard Arnault, left the world speechless last year when he confessed that he will not leave his entire inheritance to his three children. Not even his former wife, Melinda French Gates, until just over a year ago. “As I look to the future, my plan is to donate all my wealth to the foundation, leaving aside what I spend on myself and my family,” Gates explains on his blog.
The founder of Microsoft announced an extraordinary injection of 20,000 million dollars, which is equivalent to about 19,800 million, to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest in the world. In this sense, he has announced that thanks to these new funds, he will be able to increase his annual spending on health, poverty equal to equality by 50% until the year 2026.
“Donating money is not a sacrifice for me. I feel privileged to be able to get involved in facing these challenges, I enjoy the work and I believe that I have an obligation to return my resources to society, in the way that they have the greatest possible impact on reducing suffering and improving lives,” said the 67-year-old millionaire. But, what is really the objective of the foundation that he runs together with his former wife until 2021?
Melinda and I started @gatesfoundation in 2000 because we believed that all people should have the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life. That vision remains the same, but the great crises of our time demand that we all do more. https://t.co/QBT6FHMqEj
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) July 13, 2022
Facing the “accumulated global crises” that are shaking the planet. So much so that the American business magnate and philanthropist has authored several books on the subject. The most recent published in 2022, under the title “How to avoid the next pandemic”. But he was not the only one, because for the former student at Harvard University there is another matter that concerns him. And a lot. Climate change. But let’s go a step further.
How much money a year you donate to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The million-dollar annual contribution, which, according to Bloomberg, accounts for a fifth of Bill Gates’ fortune, making the now ex-partner one of the largest philanthropists in the world, with some 55,000 million dollars donated so far, according to Forbes magazine. . According to the publication, the donation drops Gates one spot on the list of the world’s richest people, down to number five.
In the case of Melinda French Gates, who recovered her maiden name after the separation, she has commented on some occasion that she planned to distribute her fortune among various philanthropic companies, instead of leaving the horrible to the organization that today bears her name. .
How much is Bill Gates’ current fortune?
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bill Gates’ estimated net worth currently stands at $114 billion, making him the fourth-richest person in the world. Most of his wealth is tied directly to Microsoft stock. The top spot is held by French businessman Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault, co-founder, chairman and chief executive of LVMH, the largest luxury goods group. He is followed by other personalities such as Marc Zuckerberg, CEO of META or Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and current president of Twitter.
