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Bill Gates is once again the richest person in the world. Here's how he spends his $110 billion fortune, from a luxury-car collection to incredible real estate.

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bill gates

Bill Gates is once again the world's richest person.

On Friday, Gates overtook fellow centibillionaire Jeff Bezos on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. The news came after Microsoft beat out Amazon for a $10 billion cloud-computing contract from the Pentagon, spiking Microsoft's shares and sinking Amazon's, Bloomberg's Tom Metcalf reported.

Gates, 64, has a net worth of $110 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.

SEE ALSO: A billionaire who signed the Giving Pledge in 2012 said Bill Gates' philanthropy pact isn't 'growing as rapidly as we hoped'

DON'T MISS: A 24-year-old who has shared photos of himself partying with Rihanna and Bella Hadid just became Hong Kong's newest billionaire overnight

Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, has an estimated net worth of $110 billion, making him the world's richest person.

Source: Bloomberg



On Friday, Gates reclaimed the title of the world's richest person from Jeff Bezos on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index after Microsoft beat out Amazon for a $10 billion cloud-computing contract from the Pentagon. The contract spiked Microsoft's shares and sank Amazon's.

Source: Bloomberg



He's roughly $10.5 billion richer than he was one year ago and $25 billion richer than he was five years ago.

Source: Business Insider



His net worth puts him in a three-man club of people worth more than $100 billion along with Jeff Bezos and French businessman Bernard Arnault.

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source:Business Insider



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

Source: Forbes



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.

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source:Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Wall Street Journal



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

Source: Wall Street Journal



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.

Source: Wall Street Journal



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....

Source:Travel + Leisure, Forbes



....and Belize and the Amazon in Brazil.

Source:Travel + Leisure, Forbes



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.

Source: The Daily Mail



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

Source: The Telegraph



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source:Business Insider



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

Source: CNBC



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

Source:CNBC



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.

Source: The Telegraph



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.

Source:Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Travel + Leisure



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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

Source: Business Insider



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.

Source: Business Insider



On October 28, 2019, Melinda shared an Instagram post of Gates wearing a goofy birthday hat for his 64th birthday. In the caption, she explained that Gates first wore the hat by request of his then-pre-school-aged daughter, Jen, 20 years ago.

Instagram Embed:
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Source: Instagram

 




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