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For the 21st year in a row, Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT co-founder Bill Gates topped the Forbes list of the wealthiest Americans. Gates makes more in a single day doing nothing than the average person makes in a lifetime. By a long shot. Bill Gates stills owns tons of Microsoft shares For the longest time, Gates was the single largest individual Microsoft shareholder. Earlier this year, he passed that title to his longtime friend and CEO successor, Steve Ballmer, who himself resigned as CEO earlier this year.

Still, as of Gates' most recent SEC Form 4 disclosure, he still owns nearly million shares of Microsoft. This doesn't include theshares that his wife, Melinda Gates, owns.

Gates doesn't have to do anything other than hold his shares to earn that money. Additionally, this doesn't include Gates' investment income, interest income, or various other forms of compensation. Bill Gates is actually selling his shares Many years ago, Gates actually set up a prearranged 10b trading plan to slowly cash out his sizable holdings in the company he founded.

Gates sells approximately 20 million shares per quarter.

14 Interesting Facts About Microsoft's CEO Bill Gates' Money

That's why Ballmer is now Microsoft's largest individual shareholder, with over million shares. At this rate, Gates how much money does bill gates make yearly sell all of his holdings by mid That means that over time, Gates' annual dividend income will also decline, but How much money does bill gates make yearly don't think he'll have any trouble paying his electric bill anytime soon.

While Gates officially transitioned away from daily operations back inhe continued to serve as chairman of the board for many years. When Microsoft named Satya Nadella as its new CEO earlier this year, it also said Gates would assume a new role as technology advisor, helping Nadella with product decisions thorpe stock trading relinquishing the chairman title.

Gates said Nadella asked him to "pitch in," and Gates is expected to take a more active role at the company again as a result. Through the Foundation, Gates is able to tackle humanity's most challenging problems. Few people in the world have the wherewithal to fight malaria and poverty on such a massive scale, and there's perhaps no better person to responsibly and generously dedicate such a fortune to helping mankind.

Evan Niu, CFA has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.

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How Much Money Does Bill Gates Have (Live-Counter)

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Evan is a Senior Technology Specialist at The Motley Fool. He was previously a Senior Trading Specialist at a major discount broker, and worked briefly at Tesla. Evan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a CFA charterholder. Skip to main content The Motley Fool Fool. Premium Advice Help Fool Answers Contact Us Login.

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