How Much Is Melinda French Gates Worth in 2025? Divorce, Stock Transfers, and Independence

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Melinda French Gates is worth an estimated $29.4 billion, an amount that comes mainly from the division of assets after her divorce from Bill Gates and her subsequent independent investments, according to Forbes.

French Gates' wealth largely stems from her divorce settlement, which divided the couple's estimated $130 billion fortune. Forbes estimates she received $25 billion as a result.

The details of the Gates' separation contract are private at their request, but filing for divorce in Washington, a community property state, meant assets acquired during their marriage would be equally split because there was no prenuptial agreement.

Among the assets to be divided was the couple's $124 million art collection, which included works by Leonardo da Vinci, George Bellows and William Merritt Chase.

The couple also had real estate to split up. Their 66,000-square-foot primary residence in Medina, Washington — dubbed Xanadu 2.0 — was valued at more than $131 million. They also had a six-bedroom beach house in Del Mar, California, which they paid $43 million for in 2020. The couple paid $18 million in 2014 for a 228-acre equestrian ranch in Rancho Santa Fe, California, near San Diego.

Other major assets in the divorce included Microsoft stock, Cascade Investment and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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How French Gates Got Here

After 27 years of marriage, Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates announced their divorce in May 2021.

Shortly after that, Bill Gates' investment vehicle, Cascade Investment, transferred nearly $2.4 billion in securities to French Gates, according to Forbes. The stocks included 2.94 million shares of AutoNation, 14.1 million shares of Canadian Railway Co., 25.8 million shares of Mexico-based Coca-Cola Femsa and 155.4 million shares of Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa SA. The transfers made French Gates a billionaire overnight.

When French Gates resigned as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2024, she received an additional $12.5 billion, which she committed to work focused on women and families. The money came from Bill Gates, not the foundation.

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Since 2021, French Gates' net worth has grown to an estimated $29.4 billion.

French Gates' Assets

The exact breakdown of French Gates' assets is not entirely public because the separation agreement remains undisclosed.

She has stakes in Autonation, Canadian National Railway Co., Coca-Cola Femsa and Grupo Televisa.

The couple divided their real estate portfolio, which included Xanadu 2.0 and the Rancho Santa Fe equestrian ranch, although specific ownership has not been made public.

The couple’s substantial art collection, valued at over $124 million, which included works like Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester, was also part of the assets divided.

French Gates organizes some of her investments and philanthropic gifts through Pivotal Ventures, an organization she formed in 2015. Pivotal Ventures is described as an independent executive office of Melinda French Gates for pursuing ideas, projects and investments outside the Gates Foundation, focusing on women’s issues.

French Gates' Legacy

French Gates is known as a global advocate for women and girls, a businesswoman, and a philanthropist. For over two decades, she co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, helping to set its vision and direction in tackling global health, education and poverty.

Post-divorce, she has increased her focus on her independent philanthropic efforts through Pivotal Ventures. She has committed $12.5 billion from her settlement to her work on behalf of women and families, specifically aiming to advance women’s power and influence in the U.S. and globally, including women’s health issues.

French Gates has publicly stated her renewed professional recognition and independent agency since the divorce, emphasizing her excitement for this new chapter

Her memoir, The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward, released in April 2025, reflects on her personal growth and journey post-divorce, discussing transitions such as becoming a mother, divorce and leaving the Gates Foundation.

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This article How Much Is Melinda French Gates Worth in 2025? Divorce, Stock Transfers, and Independence originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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