How Much Was Bill Gates Worth in 2009?

With everything that happened with the economy, how was Bill Gates worth worth in 2009? And how much has he gained or lost recently? We all fantasize about being rich. In America, we can look to businessmen like Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, to see that the American dream of being a millionaire can come true. 

Due to the recession, the world's billionaires have seen their net worth fall. Bill Gates is no exception. Despite losing  $18 billion since 2008, Bill is still worth approximately $40 billion, according to Forbes (September 2009). After losing the #1 spot on Forbes' world billionaire rankings in 2008, a spot he held for 13 years, he regained the spot in 2009. He has also kept his place at the top of the Forbes Richest Americans list for 2009. He has held that title for 16 years!

To help maintain his wealth, Bill Gates continues to sell Microsoft stock every quarter. The proceeds from these sales are put back into his personal investments. Despite earning much of his wealth initially through Microsoft, this billionaire keeps building his portfolio by investing in other businesses such as Four Seasons Hotels and Televisa. These holdings make up 60% of his net worth.

Despite his worth being down, Bill Gates continues to donate money and 2009 was no exception. Bill increased donations given by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation by 15% in 2009, bringing the total given amount to $3.8 billion. (At the end of 2009, the Foundation's trust endowment was at $33.5 billion.) Mr. Gates started his Foundation in 2000 and stepped down from day to day duties at Microsoft in 2008 so he could focus more on philanthropy. It's nice to know that Bill Gates, as one of the richest men in the world, is sharing the wealth!

References:

The World's Billionaires

The Gates Foundation