Bill Gates transferred billions to Melinda before divorce
Bill and Melinda Gates may have decided how they were going to split their $130 billion (AUD$167 billion) in assets before announcing their divorce, with Gates' investment firm transferring $1.8 billion (AUD$2.3 billion) in stock to Melinda the day they announced they would be going their separate ways.
The transfer was made by Cascade Investments, a holding company formed by Bill Gates to manage his financial assets.
According to a securities filing viewed by the New York Post, two separate transfers were made to Melinda Gates - more than 14 million shares of Canadian National Railway and 2.9 million shares of AutoNation were also transferred.
The transfer was made the same day as the divorce filing. Getty
The transfers were made on Monday, the same day the couple's divorce petition was filed in King County Superior Court in Washington State.
Bill and Melinda Gates, who were married for 27 years and have three children, did not have a prenuptial agreement but have reportedly signed a separation contract agreeing on how they will be dividing up their assets.
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In a statement announcing their divorce the couple expressed an intention to continue the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a nonprofit fighting poverty, disease and inequity around the world.
The Gates Foundation has spent more than US$50 billion (AUD$64 billion), mostly on essential global health and development initiatives. Vaccinations, education and campaigns against HIV/AIDS and malaria have long been on the foundation's agenda, but over the years, it's been Melinda's voice heard pushing for an increased focus on family planning efforts.
In their statement they expressed an intention to continue the work of the foundation. WireImage
Their statement read: "We have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.
"We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together as the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."
The couple were married for 27 years and have three children. Walt Disney Television via Getty
Gates famously told The Daily Mail in 2011 their children will need to forge their own financial paths with the couple deciding each will only get a "minuscule portion" of their wealth.
"It will mean they have to find their own way," he said.
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