$ decrypt wealth_file.db --follow-the-money
Bill Gates Net Worth
Forty years of money, reconstructed from public records: every Forbes valuation since the 1986 Microsoft IPO, every disclosed holding from SEC 13F filings — and the $59.5 billion that quietly left the ledger.
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Support this archive →$108B
Latest Forbes Estimate
2025 World's Billionaires list
$101B
All-Time Peak
Dot-com peak, 1999 — at 43 years old
$59.5B+
Given Away
Transferred out since 2000
13 yrs
World's Richest
13 of 16 years, 1995–2009
[NET_WORTH_HISTORY.DAT] · plot --from=1986 --unit=usd_billions
Net Worth History
Every annual estimate since the Microsoft IPO. Sources: Forbes Billionaires list, Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Hover any year for the exact figure and year-over-year change.
NET_WORTH_HISTORY.DAT · 1986–2025 · UNIT: USD_BILLIONS
PLOT: OK
01 MSFT IPO '86
02 World's #1 '95
03 Foundation est. '00
04 Steps down as CEO '08
05 Steps down as Chairman '14
06 Divorce announced '21
First record: $0.31B (1986)
Latest: $108B (2025)
≈ 348× in 39 years
[OUTBOUND_TRANSFERS.LOG] · grep "donation" --total
The Money Leaving the Ledger
The unusual part of this file isn't the accumulation — it's the outflow. He has already transferred more wealth out of his own name than anyone alive, and the chart above barely flinched. The plan on record ends with the Foundation spending every remaining dollar and shutting its doors in 2045.
$trace_the_donations↵$59.5B+
Donated Since 2000
Through the Gates Foundation — the largest private charitable transfer in modern history.
95%
Pledged in 2010
Co-created the Giving Pledge with Warren Buffett, committing the vast majority of his wealth.
99%
Committed in 2025
Announced virtually all remaining wealth goes to the Foundation, which sunsets in 2045.
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[PORTFOLIO_FEED] · SEC_13F · PUBLIC_DISCLOSURES
Known Public Holdings
Positions sourced from SEC 13F filings (Gates Foundation Trust) and public disclosures (Cascade Investment LLC). Share counts as of Q3 2024.
Tracked Value
$35.17B
Public equities only — excludes private assets
Day Move
+$167M
▲ +0.48% today
Top Position
BRK-B
53.6% of tracked portfolio
Positions
8
Across 6 sectors · 2 entities
| Company | Sector | Shares Held | 52W Range | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRK-B Trust | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl B Financial Services | Financial Services | 38.5M | $489.39 | −$0.26 | ▼-0.05% | L: $455.19 H: $516.85 | $18.86B | 53.6% |
| WM Trust | Waste Management Inc. Environmental Services | Environmental Services | 35.2M | $236.38 | +$3.20 | ▲+1.37% | L: $194.11 H: $248.13 | $8.31B | 23.6% |
| CNI Cascade | Canadian National Railway Co. Transportation | Transportation | 16.6M | $127.91 | +$0.81 | ▲+0.64% | L: $90.74 H: $129.53 | $2.12B | 6.0% |
| CAT Trust | Caterpillar Inc. Industrial | Industrial | 2.3M | $889.31 | −$0.66 | ▼-0.07% | L: $405.46 H: $1073.46 | $2.09B | 5.9% |
| ECL Cascade | Ecolab Inc. Environmental Services | Environmental Services | 6.2M | $266.88 | +$2.68 | ▲+1.01% | L: $243.15 H: $309.27 | $1.65B | 4.7% |
| FNV Cascade | Franco-Nevada Corporation Metals & Mining | Metals & Mining | 6.0M | $214.11 | +$6.71 | ▲+3.24% | L: $157.19 H: $285.67 | $1.29B | 3.7% |
| MSI Trust | Motorola Solutions Inc. Technology | Technology | 2.1M | $404.33 | −$1.95 | ▼-0.48% | L: $359.36 H: $492.22 | $845M | 2.4% |
| CNHI Trust | CNH Industrial N.V. Industrial | Industrial | 49.0M | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Σ Total Tracked Portfolio | $35.17B | 100% | |||||||
$ tail -f sec_13f.log · positions update quarterly · prices cached ~5 min · not investment advice
[FAQ.LOG] · most_requested_records
The Questions Everyone Asks
QUERY_01
How much is Bill Gates worth right now?
The most recent Forbes World's Billionaires list estimates Bill Gates's net worth at roughly $108 billion. The figure moves daily with markets — most of his fortune sits in diversified investments managed by Cascade Investment LLC and in the Gates Foundation Trust, both tracked live on this page.
QUERY_02
What was Bill Gates's highest net worth ever?
His wealth briefly touched $101 billion in 1999 at the height of the dot-com boom, making him the first person in history widely reported as a 'centibillionaire.' Adjusted for inflation, that 1999 peak is equivalent to roughly $190 billion today. His highest Forbes list valuation was $130.5 billion in 2021.
QUERY_03
How did Bill Gates make his money?
Nearly all of it traces to Microsoft, which he co-founded in 1975 and took public in 1986 — his 45% founding stake was worth $350 million on IPO day. Since 1994 he has systematically sold down Microsoft stock and diversified through Cascade Investment LLC into railroads, waste management, energy, agriculture, and hospitality. Today Microsoft is a minority of his fortune.
QUERY_04
How much money has Bill Gates given away?
More than $59.5 billion to date, primarily through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In May 2025 he announced that 99% of his remaining wealth will flow to the Foundation, which will spend down its entire endowment and permanently close by December 31, 2045.
QUERY_05
What stocks does Bill Gates own?
Per SEC 13F filings, the largest tracked positions are Berkshire Hathaway, Waste Management, Canadian National Railway, Caterpillar, Deere-adjacent agriculture holdings via CNH Industrial, Ecolab, Motorola Solutions, and Franco-Nevada. He also holds major private stakes, including TerraPower (nuclear energy) and Four Seasons Hotels.
EOF · wealth_file.db · all figures from public records — nothing here is secret, it just reads like it should be