• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
What's Going To Happen To Bill Gates' Fortune When He Dies

Home> News

Published 20:22 20 Jun 2022 GMT+1

What's Going To Happen To Bill Gates' Fortune When He Dies

The Microsoft founder is the fourth richest man in the world, but what happens to that fortune after he's gone?

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is the fourth richest man on the planet and not to sound ghoulish, but what happens to all that money when he dies?

When most people die they leave behind a bit of money, maybe a house if they've got one and a wide assortment of curios and souvenirs picked up over a lifetime of buying random tat.

What happens to the big stuff is usually decided by a will and it's left to the kids to decide what to do with mum's collection of garden gnomes or that old rusting car dad always said he'd restore but never did.

For those of us lucky enough to be billionaires, it's a little bit different.

Advert

Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest man in the world - only Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos and Louis Vuitton magnate Bernard Arnault are richer.

When Bill Gates dies he'll have a lot of money to leave behind.
Alamy

While that sounds like great consolation for the kids who will be in line for some inheritance, the billionaire has been clear in the past that he's not going to leave the entirety of his vast fortune to his children.

Boasting a net worth of around $113 billion, Gates has said previously that he expects to give away most of his money to charity rather than to his children.

Advert

Along with investor Warren Buffett – the fifth richest man in the world – Gates had previously pledged to donate at least half of his fortune to charity before or on his death.

Since making the pledge in 2010 his net worth has more than doubled so there ought to be even more money to donate.

However, it might also mean there will be more money for his children when he's gone, as Gates had promised to leave behind a safety net for his family to guarantee their financial security.

Gates and daughter Phoebe, who won't be in line for a large chunk of his inheritance as most of it's going to charity.
Alamy

Advert

Gates has three children with ex-wife Melinda – Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe – and the billionaire has previously confirmed 'they are never going to be poorly off' but stressed they'd have to find careers of their own rather than rely on his inheritance.

Still, whatever they do get is likely to be substantial compared to the rest of us mere mortals.

The plan is for Gates to bequeath most of his money to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable organisation the couple set up.

At 66 years old, nobody is expecting the Microsoft founder to keel over anytime soon and with the way his net worth has risen in the last decade the amount of money he has to give away is likely to grow even larger.

Advert

What he almost definitely won't do is splash his cash on cryptocurrency and NFTs, after he recently denounced them as relying on the 'bigger fool' theory that they always need someone dumber to come along and buy them off you.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected] 

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock

Topics: Bill Gates

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
7 hours ago
8 hours ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Diddy denied bail after being found guilty on 2 out of 5 counts in sex trafficking and prostitution case

    Diddy has been denied bail after being found guilty on two of five charges he was facing

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Donald Trump makes shocking threat he wants to deport US citizens and people are stunned

    Donald Trump has made a threat to deport US citizens following the opening of a migrant centre in Florida

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Bryan Kohberger speaks for first time in court admitting to how he brutally murdered four Idaho students

    The Idaho murder suspect has spoken out following the brutal murders of four students in 2022

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Former prosecutor explains why Diddy was found not guilty on 3 out of 5 counts in sex trafficking and prostitution case

    A legal expert has shared his thoughts about why Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been found not guilty of three counts

    News
  • Melinda Gates discusses 'painful' divorce from Bill Gates and details ‘things that happened outside the marriage’
  • How Bill Gates has spent his $153,000,000,000 fortune and what he plans to do with it when he's gone
  • Melinda Gates responds to Bill Gates' claim their divorce is the ‘mistake he most regrets’
  • Bill Gates shares his one major regret when it comes to creating Microsoft