Bill Gates attends the 11th Breakthrough Prize ceremony on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Los Angeles. Photo:Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has confirmed that he plans to leave less than 1% of his fortune to his three children, Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe. The rest will go to charity.
Gates spoke about this in the podcast Figuring Out with Raj Shamani.
“My children have received a great education and a start in life. But they will receive less than 1% of my fortune. I want them to build their own lives, not live under the shadow of my fortune,” Gates said.
The total amount that his descendants will receive will still be significant, given that Gates’ fortune is estimated at $108 billion (according to Forbes).
Not wealth, but values
Gates stressed the importance of having a frank conversation with children to avoid misunderstandings in the future:
“Explain your position to children, share your vision, make them feel that they are equal and will get incredible opportunities, but most of the resources will go to those who really need them,” he stressed.
His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, supports this position. In an interview with Elle, she said that she had always taught her children not to associate their worth with the Gates name:
“I wanted them to have a grounding in reality, to understand that being ‘special’ doesn’t mean being better,” Melinda said.
The bulk of the legacy will go to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting poverty, disease and inequality in the world.
