How Bill Gates Returned to $100 Billion Club But Without Any Help from Microsoft

When we talk about the wealthiest people in the world, the list is never complete without tech moguls who changed the shape of the industry. And who better to represent the industry than one of the tech pioneers, Bill Gates?

The Microsoft founder has always been on the top of the rich list thanks to his massive empire and impressive net worth. Gates was hailed the richest man in the world a few years in a row before Jeff Bezos overtook him in the race.

Since 1987, Bill Gates has always made an appearance in the Forbes list of wealthiest people in the world.

In fact, from 1995 to 2017, he held the top spot except for a few years in between. But what’s even more impressive than his vast fortune is his generosity and big heart when it comes to helping people in need and supporting philanthropic causes.

He and his wife own the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is reported to be the largest private charity in the world.

But despite giving away millions to charitable causes, Bill Gates wealth just doesn’t seem to run out. In fact, it has only grown over the past few years. In fact, the renowned tech founder is back in the $100-billion club, and according to him, his massive wealth again is only partly owed to the success of Microsoft. What most of us didn’t know is that he has other means to generate income to enable him to have a luxurious lifestyle.

His Vast Investments

Bill Gates has been generating vast income from his myriad of investments. He actually owns an investment firm by the name of Cascade Investment, and through this company, he has bought large stakes in many companies that are publicly traded, including AutoNation and Waste Management.

Bill Gates also invests a portion of his wealth in real-estate and tech industries. It truly is fantastic to think that despite his multiple philanthropic ventures, he still generates billions of dollars to secure his spot in Forbes’ $100 Billion Club.

Some people may think Gates is losing his net worth, but the tech billionaire reveals he’s actually increasing his wealth thanks to the profits he reaps from a myriad of investments

Another thing to consider is his aforementioned private charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Although it is a charity, it does hold a few stakes in some for-profit organizations, and these are also controlled either by Bill or Melinda Gates or their authorized representatives. However, anything he gained from the foundation does not count as Bill Gates’ own, as it belongs to the foundation itself.

His Earnings in Microsoft

If you were to turn back time to 15 years ago, Bill Gates owned over 1 billion shares in Microsoft. Today, that number has dropped to 103 million, since he sold the rest to fund his foundation and other business ventures. He doesn’t earn a salary or stock grant from his company today, and his shares in Microsoft are worth only $12 billion.

Despite being famous for making billions through Microsoft, Bill Gates reveals he lost a substantial amount of profit recently due to tough competition

However, he seemingly can’t get rid of his wealth no matter how much of it he gives away. Whenever Microsoft acquires a company he has invested in, he earns some $50 million or perhaps even $60 million from said deals. These acquisition deals enable Bill Gates to maintain a steady cash flow despite giving away a massive $50 billion each year to various charities and causes.