Bill Gates

Bill Gates is 68 years old and is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft since 1975. He has been on the Forbes list of the world's top billionaires since 1987. In 1999, he became the first ever centibillionaire with a net worth of over $100 billion US dollars. He is the founder and chairman of several companies. He and his wife developed a charitable foundation known as the "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation". It is known as the world's largest private charity. Along with Warren Buffet, they founded "The Giving Pledge", where they along with other billionaires' pledge to give at least half of their wealth towards philanthropy. Bill Gates 's remarkable success can be attributed to his passion for computers, relentless effort, and his ability to learn from failures. When Microsoft became successful, he was the company's largest individual shareholder. 

Bill Gates to me is one of those people that gets up every day to make money. He has worked hard and has become rich beyond an unimaginable amount. He has involved other billionaires, and they are very generous to donate to good causes. Warren Buffet is ranked as the billionaire that has donated the most money. He has a lifetime giving of $56.7 billion. He is 93 years old and has a net worth of $131 billion. Bill and Melinda are next with a lifetime giving of $42.5 billion.  

                                              

Some interesting facts about Bill Gates. Bill's father was a prominent lawyer, and his mother served on a board of directors for the United Way of America. His parents wanted him to pursue a career in law. He was small for his age and was bullied as a child. His family encouraged competition. There was always a reward for winning and a penalty for losing. At 13 he wrote his first software program. That would have been in 1968, long before computers were in our daily lives. He dropped out of Harvard after three semesters to start Microsoft. His IQ is 160. He became the world's youngest self-made billionaire at age 32. He has never been formally diagnosed with autism but has some traits that suggest he may be on the spectrum. Bill and Melinda divorced in 2021. They had a net worth of $130 billion and was one of the richest divorces in history.   

What sparked my interest in Bill Gates was when I read the story of him giving a speech at a high school graduation. He arrived in a helicopter, spoke for 5 minutes, had an applause for 10 minutes and left on his helicopter. He shared 11 points to consider about life. I found them profound. His points centered around the first one which was, "Life is not fair - get used to it". He drove home the reality of how tough life can be, and you have to work for what you want. I bet the audience wondered what hit them. 

This is a real stretch for me to be writing about money, especially a centibillionaire. Money can be the root of all evil, but if used in a generous way, it can be life changing. I feel there is always a way to make money. Not billions but some extra cash if needed. I was blessed with a career, that if I needed money, I picked up more shifts. Not everyone has a job that you can do that. But there is always a little side job somewhere if you need to bring in more cash. It may be hard work or something you don't enjoy doing, but it will give you an income. Tap into your natural ability. There is nothing wrong with cleaning houses, selling your cooking, dog sitting, washing cars or mowing grass just to name a few. I find it hard to believe that some people say they can't find work. 

I have always believed that money makes money, cash generates cash. I love stories of people sharing their wealth. I think Bill Gates is a guy who worked hard and has great principles about how he manages his money. He wasn't born filthy rich he became that way. 

I doubt many desire to be filthy rich, it appears to come with huge responsibility. Many of us worked so we could provide for our family and hopefully be financially comfortable in retirement. In 2008 Bill Gates retired from Microsoft. He continues to chair the Gates Foundation where he works to give his wealth back to society.      

I hope you enjoyed my Bill Gates story. Because he is one of the richest men in the world, I had little interest in him. I doubt that matters to him. I still know very little about him as a person. I am sure to get that rich, he would have had to be ruthless at times. I just like the fact that he gives back. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. Their goal was to enhance healthcare and reduce poverty around the world. That is admirable.