Cascade Investment, Gates’ investment vehicle, transferred 3.3 million shares of automotive retail AutoNation to French Gates on Thursday. The 3.3 million shares hold a collective worth of $387 million. Gates also transferred 2.8 million shares, worth $1 billion in total, of the manufacturer Deere & Co. to his ex-wife through his investment vehicle, as well as 9.5 million shares of Canadian National Railway, also worth $1 billion.
Bill and Melinda Gates finalised their divorce last week after 27 years of marriage. Gates, who was the fourth-richest man in the world, has now dropped to fifth position. According to Forbes, the Microsoft co-founder is now worth $129.6 billion, coming in at slightly less than Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Following their divorce, Melinda French Gates now has an estimated net worth of $5.6 billion. Collectively, their net worth had stood at $152 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
