May 6 2021, Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates announced their divorce in a joint statement Wednesday. Foreign media revealed that on the same day that the couple announced the end of their 27-year marriage, Bill Gates’ investment company transferred more than $1.8 billion worth of stock to Melinda.
On May 3, Bill Gates transferred about $1.8 billion worth of stock to his wife, Melinda, through his Cascade investment firm, including more than $1.5 billion worth of canadian national railroads and more than $300 million worth of shares valued at The Nation’s largest auto dealer, According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Foreign media believe that the transfer of property and the Gates divorce and the division of property related. Their divorce filing in King County Superior Court in Washington state shows that the two did not sign a prenuptial agreement to distribute an estimated $130 billion in assets. Under Washington state law, couples’ property should be evenly distributed, but janet George, a family lawyer, told Bloomberg that in practice, the court can support one of the spouses and award a larger portion of the jointly owned property to one party.
Bill Gates is the world’s fourth-richest man, worth more than $130 billion, or about $841.4 billion, according to Forbes. He and Melinda Gates have previously pledged with Buffett and others to donate more than half of their personal fortune.
