Bill Gates is stepping down from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway. Here's how he spends his $98 billion fortune, from a luxury-car collection to incredible real estate.

On Friday, Bill Gates announced via LinkedIn that he’s stepping down from the two public boards he serves on: Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway.
Gates, who has a net worth of $98 billion, said he wants to “dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities.”
While Gates indulges in a few luxuries, they make up only a fraction of his fortune.
He mainly spends his billions on charity through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and plans to give away most of his fortune.
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Bill Gates is stepping down from the two boards he serves on: Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway.

The move comes as Gates aims to “dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities including global health and development, education, and my increasing engagement in tackling climate change,” he announced in a LinkedIn post on Friday.

Gates, 64, has a net worth of $98 billion and he knows how to make the most of it. While he has some indulgences – like a Washington estate worth $125 million, a private airplane, and a luxury-car collection – they make up only a fraction of his massive fortune.

In fact, Gates and his wife, Melinda, previously said it’s unfair they’re so rich. Instead of spending billions on themselves, they often donate it to charity through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They’ve also pledged to give away most of their fortune through the Giving Pledge, which they launched in 2010.

Keep reading for a look at how Gates spends his billions.

Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, has an estimated net worth of $98 billion, making him the world's second-richest person.

Foto: Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Source: Bloomberg

His net worth puts him close to the one-man club of people worth more than $100 billion: Jeff Bezos.

Foto: Source: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, has an estimated net worth of $98 billion, making him the world's second-richest person.

His net worth puts him close to the one-man club of people worth more than $100 billion: Jeff Bezos.

If he spent $1 million a day, it would take him more than 245 years to spend his fortune. Here's how he spends his money.

Gates has invested in a variety of stocks and assets and launched a $1 billion investment fund, Breakthrough Energy, with 20 others.

Despite his massive fortune, Gates previously told Ellen DeGeneres that when he became a billionaire at age 31 (history's youngest billionaire at the time), he didn't go on a spending spree.

But he has indulged in things over time, he said, like a private plane.

It's been reported that Gates owns a Bombardier BD-700 Global Express, which costs $40 million and can seat up to 19 people.

Gates also spent a lot on his estate, Xanadu 2.0, in Medina, Washington. It took him seven years and $63 million to build. He purchased the lot for $2 million in 1988.

At 66,000 square feet, his home is worth about $125 million today.

In 2017, he paid $1,041,292.55 in property taxes on it, according to public filings.

The estate has a trampoline room, which Gates told DeGeneres his three kids love.

There are roughly $80,000 worth of computer screens sitting around the house.

Devices worth $150,000 can display different paintings or photographs on the screens at a single touch.

However, there are real paintings on the wall as well — like the Winslow Homer painting Gates purchased for $36 million in 1988.

There's also a 60-foot pool — in its own separate, 3,900 square-foot building.

That's not to mention the 2,100-square-foot library, home to a 16th-century Leonardo da Vinci manuscript that Gates bought at auction for $30 million in 1994.

Gates reportedly pays to have sand imported from St. Lucia in the Caribbean to the shore surrounding his house.

In addition to a home theater for 20 guests, six kitchens, and 24 bathrooms, Gates' house has various garages for 23 cars.

It's perfect for Gates, an avid luxury-car collector. His first big splurge after founding Microsoft was a Porsche 911 supercar, he told DeGeneres. He later sold it, and it was auctioned for $80,000.

But that wasn't Gates' last Porsche. He also has a Porsche 959 in his car collection.

Outside of his Washington pad, Gates also has a 4.5-acre vacation ranch in Wellington, Florida, with a 12,864-square-foot mansion.

He reportedly dropped $27 million to buy a whole string of properties in the area.

The area is hotspot for wealthy equestrians. His daughter Jennifer is an accomplished equestrian, and he bought the property to support her passion.

In California, he owns the 228-acre Rancho Paseana, which he purchased for $18 million. It includes a racetrack, orchard, and five barns.

He also reportedly purchased a 492-acre Wyoming ranch, which listed for $8.9 million back in 2009.

But Gates' real-estate portfolio doesn't end there.

He's made numerous investments through his personal investment firm, Cascade, including partial ownership of Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He reportedly owns nearly half of the Four Season Holding's hotel chain through Cascade, including hotels in Atlanta and Houston.

Gates shares 95% ownership with Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia.

In 2013, Gates and several unnamed buyers paid $161 million for the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. As of 2014, it was reportedly worth $200 million.

When he's not busy buying real estate or working, Gates needs a vacation or two to unwind.

He's traveled to Australia and Croatia ...

... and Belize and the Amazon in Brazil.

He's also treated his family to a Mediterranean vacation on board the 439-foot superyacht Serene, which he chartered for $5 million a week. It included a helicopter.

He previously said that he likes to play tennis and go skiing. He's also been spotted spectating at tennis matches.

But Gates' downtime isn't always so adventurous. He's an avid reader, having indulged in quite the book collection.

He's also an "avid bridge player," as he once told Reddit.

Gates hates to shop for himself, but did admit that he likes to "buy nice things" for his wife, Melinda.

However, he once told Reddit that he doesn't like overspending on clothes and jewelry.

But Gates' splurges are only a fraction of his massive fortune. He previously told The Telegraph, "I have no use for money." Instead, he often donates to or invests his money in good causes.

Gates previously invested in Amyris, a synthetic-biology company that originally produced precursors to malaria drugs and hydrocarbon-based biofuel. Today, it focuses on health through fragrances, skincare, and sweetener.

In November 2017, Gates invested $50 million into Alzheimer's research.

He continued these efforts by recently investing $30 million with a group of investors into the Diagnostics Accelerator, a "venture philanthropy" fund to diagnose Alzheimer's earlier.

Gates and Melinda are huge on philanthropy. They were recently named the most generous philanthropists in the US by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, having donated more than $36 billion to charitable causes through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates agreed to give away most of his fortune through the Giving Pledge, which he launched in 2010.

The Gateses spent money traveling to Tanzania and other countries for charity work.

In 2017, they donated $4.78 billion, mostly to projects run by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

They donated more than $2 billion in 2016 to causes related to global health and development and US education.

They've pledged about $2 billion to defeat malaria, donated more than $50 million to fight Ebola, and pledged $38 million to a Japanese pharmaceutical company working to create a low-cost polio vaccine.

The Gates Foundation has also committed at least $2.5 billion to the GAVI Alliance, which works to improve access to vaccines in poor countries.

Bill and Melinda also prioritize education. The Gates Foundation established the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which has received $1.6 billion.

It also partnered with the Dangote Foundation in 2016 to spend $100 million on eliminating malnutrition in Nigeria.

When it comes to the future of his fortune, Gates is leaving $10 million to each of his children, a fraction of his net worth.

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