DailyMail.com
, court documents reveal that the power couple doesn t have a prenuptial agreement to help them navigate dividing their massive wealth. Bill and Melinda Gates together own a huge fortune including properties in five states, a private jet, an astonishing art collection and a fleet of luxury cars.
Although the couple has a separation agreement signed, without a prenup, dividing the massive wealth might get difficult. A separation agreement is usually signed at the end of a marriage and lays out the terms of the split.
That separation contract hasn t been included in the divorce filing. But now without a prenup, the separation agreement is likely to dictate how the couple will divide their assets. The documents, which were filed by Melinda, came to light after the couple s eldest daughter Jennifer Gates revealed their family has been going through a challenging stretch of time.
SEATTLE Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations, filed for divorce on Monday…
SEATTLE: Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world's largest private charitable foundations, filed for divorce on Monday after 27 years of marriage, saying they had reached an agreement on how to divide their assets.
FACTBOX-Wealth and philanthropy of Bill and Melinda Gates Reuters 2 hrs ago
Here are details about their wealth and the couple s philanthropic activities.
BILL GATES
Bill Gates is the world s fourth-richest person with a net worth of $130.5 billion, according to Forbes.
Gates dropped out of Harvard University to co-found technology giant Microsoft with school friend Paul Allen in 1975. Gates owned 49% of Microsoft at its initial public offering in 1986, which made him an instant multi-millionaire.
With Microsoft s explosive growth, he soon became the world s richest person. He has since lost that title, partly by donating money to philanthropic causes. He was also overtaken due to growth at other companies. Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk are No. 1 and 2 on the Forbes wealth list.
Its grants included some $1.75 billion to vaccine initiatives, diagnostics and research during the coronavirus pandemic.
The foundation ended 2019 with net assets of $43.3 billion, the last full-year financials disclosed on its website.
The foundation spent $5 billion in 2019 on programs in the United States and around the world, excluding management costs.
Reuters
From 1994 through 2018, Bill and Melinda Gates gave the foundation more than $36 billion, according to the foundation s website. Warren Buffett has donated more than $29 billion of his fortune to the Gates Foundation since 2006, according to filings.
Division of assets
The couple, who have three children, have a custom mansion with a 2020 assessed value of $130.8 million, according to the King County Department of Assessments, on Lake Washington, which lies between Seattle and its eastside suburbs including Redmond, where Microsoft is headquartered.