believing gates makes most of his money off dividends Lmao
Due to strategic sales of Microsoft shares, which Gates can credit for the bulk of his current wealth, Gates' holdings in MSFT make up just around twenty percent of his holdings. The majority of Gates' financial assets are investments in corporations managed by Cascade Investments, LLC, an entity now partially run by Gates to purchase stakes in various businesses. Although Cascade is highly secretive, some information can be gleaned from its financial disclosures. (For more, see: Management Advice From Megalomaniacs, Villains and Innovators.)
The portfolio held for Gates by Cascade is certainly well-diversified with investments ranging from over $2 billion of Republic Services (RSG), a waste management company, to over $680 million in the national car dealership franchise AutoNation (AN). Nearly another $2 billion is stashed away in Ecolab (ECL), which produces cleaning supplies. In addition, it is reported that Cascade owns nearly a 50% stake in Four Seasons Hotels, over 10% of Canadian National Railway (CNI), around 7% of Arcos Dorados (ARCO), the largest McDonald's franchisee in the world, and a large chunk of the tractor maker John Deere (DE) – among others.(For a more complete list, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Investment)
Gates recently founded BGc3 (Bill Gates Catalyst 3), a think tank and venture capital firm dedicated to scientific and technological services, industrial research and using computing to combat poverty. He is also directly involved in Corbis, a digital image licensing and rights company, TerraPower, a nuclear reactor company, and Research Gate, a social networking sight for researchers and scientists.
Real Estate
His investment portfolio is certainly significant and well-diversified, but Bill Gates also puts his money to use buying real assets including a sprawling estate and a private island.
Bill Gates's home, Xanadu 2.0, is an ocean-side lodge boasting over 66,000 square feet with approximately 500 feet of private waterfront on Lake Washington. The estate features top of the line technology and gadgets befitting its six kitchens, twenty four bathrooms and six fireplaces. Nearly every amenity is computer controlled including automatic lights and music that follow you from room to room. In 2009, property taxes were reported to be US $1.063 million on a total assessed value of US$147.5 million – indicating that the market value today could be much larger than that amount.
In 2013 Bill Gates purchased a mansion in Wellington, Florida for $ 8.7 million. The house has extensive equestrian facilities, such as a show jumping area and a twenty stall horse barn. The Gates family uses the house when their daughter Jennifer is training for her successful show jumping career.
Gates is also rumored to own Grand Bogue Caye, a 314 acre island off the coast of Belize in Central America – the largest island in that country. Grand Bogue Caye is home to pristine beaches, abundant marine life and excellent diving. It is reported that Gates purchased the island for upwards of $25 million. (For more, see: Exploring Real Estate Investments.)
Planes & Automobiles
Bill Gates owns his own private jet – a Bombardier BD 700 Global Express. This ultra-long range corporate jet can reach Mach 0.88 and likely cost around $45 million. Through his membership in Netjets, Gates also owns a share of a Boeing Business Jet or BBJ. Gates uses his private jets routinely, chiefly for his work for his namesake charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He also likes a fancy set of wheels, and owns a number of Porsche automobiles. He is reported to have a 1999 Porsche 911 Carerra convertible, a 930 Turbo which he bought with his early Microsoft money, and a rare 1988 959 Coupe of which only 337 were ever made. He likes to drive himself around town in a “normal” Mercedes and he also owns a minivan to cruise around with the family.
Collectibles
While it's certainly an achievement to own one-of-a-kind real estate and rare cars, it is another to own precious, irreplaceable collectibles – and Bill Gates certainly has accumulated quite the collection.
In 1994, he purchased a celebrated Leonardo da Vinci manuscript at auction for $30.8 million. Known as the Codex Leicester, this work documents many of da Vinci's scientific discoveries and observations. Gates once remarked on his purchase, “ Yeah, I feel very lucky that I own a notebook. In fact, I remember going home one night and telling my wife Melinda that I was going to buy a notebook; she didn't think that was a very big deal. I said, no, this is a pretty special notebook; this is the Codex Leicester, one of the Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci.”
In 1998 Gates acquired the painting Lost on The Grand Banks by prominent American painter Winslow Homer for a record $36 million. He followed that up in 1999, purchasing George Bellow's Polo Crowd at auction for $28 million. Among his vast art collection, he has also picked up Frederick Childe Hassam's work Room of Flowers for $20 million, William Merritt Chases' The Nursery for $10 million and Andrew Wythe's Distant Thunder for $7 million.
TL;DR: BILL GATES CAN LIQUIDATE HIS ASSETS AT ANY MOMENT HE WANTS.