Gates dropped out of school and founded Microsoft in just 20 years, becoming the richest man in the world. Since then, this man, praised by Americans as "the man sitting on the top of the world", has never stepped down from this position, and he has been sitting for 12 years.
The internet is still full of charm.
In fact, Gates' life as the richest man in the world is full of twists and turns. Before the Internet bubble appeared in 1998, Gates' wealth had reached nearly 1000 billion dollars. In 2000, the internet craze began to fade, Microsoft's share price fell by nearly 63%, and Gates' worth also shrank by nearly half. Although Gates still maintains the position of the richest man in the world, the gap with the second place is getting smaller and smaller. At that time, people predicted that with the bursting of the internet bubble, Gates would give up the throne of "the world's first" sooner or later. However, things did not develop as people imagined. Since 2003, the strong economic recovery in the United States has driven the recovery of the Internet industry. Not to mention the rising stars such as Google, which has repeatedly created miracles, Microsoft's performance in the stock market is also very eye-catching, and Gates' wealth has once again risen. In the past year, Gates' wealth has increased by nearly 8%.
Don't put your eggs in the same basket.
Warren Buffett once commented on Bill Gates: "If he sells hamburgers instead of software, he will also become the king of hamburgers in the world." The implication is that Microsoft didn't make Gates, but its business talent made him the richest man in the world.
For financial management, Gates naturally has his own set. Because of his confidence in the future of Microsoft, Gates still invests most of his wealth in the company's stock. Although he is no longer the CEO of Microsoft, as the chief architect of Microsoft, he still dominates the development direction and strategic planning of the company. But smart, he will also cash out some stocks and sell them at a good price. According to the stock market transaction records, Gates sold 6,543,800+shares of Microsoft in the open market last month, with a profit of nearly $27 million. Of course, a smart person like Gates would never put his eggs in one basket. Long before the Internet bubble burst, the visionary Gates began to diversify his investments. Gates set up an investment company on 1995. It is understood that the portfolio value managed by the company is10 billion US dollars, a large part of which is invested in the bond market with stable income, mainly national debt.
Gates is optimistic about the digital and biotechnology industries that represent the new economy, but he does not exclude the traditional economy when investing, especially the heavy industry sector with stable performance. Gates once acquired a 7.8% stake in Newport News Shipbuilding Company through his own investment company, and later these shares almost doubled; His investment in the Canadian national railway company also brought him rich returns. In less than a year, his share price rose by about 1/3. In addition, Gates also likes to invest in public utility companies with strong market risk resistance. Gates' interest in scientific innovation also makes him take medicine and biotechnology industry as an important investment direction.
Claiming to make good use of every penny
Someone has calculated how to spend money like Bill Gates. The conclusion is: You can buy a 3 1.57 space shuttle, or a 344 Boeing 747, a 268 Titanic, and a 1.56 million Rolls-Royce Bentley continental luxury car. But in fact, the extremely rich Gates and his wife live a frugal life. The only luxury is their $53 million mansion on the outskirts of Seattle. But according to people who have been to Gates' house, the furnishings in the mansion are quite simple, not as magnificent as most people think. Gates once said: "I will spend every sum of money I earn very valuable." Bill Gates won't waste a penny. "
In the past few years, Gates has donated a lot of his personal wealth to charity. According to statistics, Gates has so far donated nearly $29 billion to global charities, making him the most generous rich man in the world. At present, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation named after the Gates is the largest private charity organization in the world. Its fund scale is three times that of the old Ford Foundation and 10 times that of the Rockefeller Foundation. When celebrating his 50th birthday in London on June 5438+065438+1October last year, he told the reporters present that the huge wealth under his name was not only a great right but also a great obligation for him personally, and he was prepared to donate all this wealth to the society instead of leaving it to his children as a legacy.
The world's evaluation of Gates is mixed. Some people say that he is a successful entrepreneur, others say that he monopolizes the industry and bullies the weak; Some people say that he is "the most generous philanthropist", while others say that he is a hypocrite-his charity is only the most expensive public relations activity in history; Some people say that he is the richest man in the world. Some people say that he will only greedily cash in the stock market and squeeze money from Microsoft users ... but as Americans say, "Whether you love him or hate him, you can't ignore him-this is the charm of Bill Gates."