After 27 years of marriage and more than two decades of philanthropy, the announced divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates has come as a surprise to most of us. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest in the United States and the second largest in the world, with an endowment approaching $50 billion. Only Denmark’s Novo Nordisk Foundation is larger, with an endowment of around $73 billion.
The Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 with the merger of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. The former had been established by Bill Gates’s father and the latter was created by Bill and Melinda Gates in 1997. The foundation’s website notes that since 2000 it has spent $53.8 billion.
About half of the Gates Foundation’s endowment is invested in stocks. According to a federal filing made in February, the foundation’s largest holding is about $9.8 billion in Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate founded and still managed by Warren Buffet.
Here’s a list of all the foundation’s equity holdings as of December 2020.
| Name | Ticker | Value ($ Millions) | Shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alphabet | GOOGL | 37.8 | 21,554 |
| Alphabet | GOOG | 37.7 | 21,491 |
| Amazon | AMZN | 98.5 | 30,230 |
| Apple | AAPL | 133.0 | 1,002,088 |
| Berkshire Hathaway | BRK-B | 9,762.7 | 42,104,399 |
| Canadian National | CNI | 1,865.2 | 16,979,268 |
| Caterpillar | CAT | 2,049.7 | 11,260,857 |
| Coca-Cola FEMSA | KOF | 286.5 | 6,214,719 |
| Crown Castle | CCI | 848.9 | 5,332,900 |
| Ecolab | ECL | 944.7 | 4,366,426 |
| FedEx | FDX | 785.4 | 3,024,999 |
| Grupo Televisa | TV | 139.1 | 16,879,104 |
| Liberty Global A | LBTYA | 51.3 | 2,119,515 |
| Liberty Global C | LBTYK | 86.1 | 3,639,349 |
| Liberty Latin America C | LILAK | 7.5 | 676,979 |
| Liberty Latin America A | LILA | 3.1 | 276,443 |
| Schrodinger | SDGR | 552.8 | 6,981,664 |
| TWTR | 14.8 | 272,420 | |
| UPS | UPS | 762.1 | 4,525,329 |
| Walmart | WMT | 1,672.6 | 11,603,000 |
| Wasste Management | WM | 2,197.5 | 18,633,672 |
100 Million Americans Are Missing This Crucial Retirement Tool
The thought of burdening your family with a financial disaster is most Americans’ nightmare. However, recent studies show that over 100 million Americans still don’t have proper life insurance in the event they pass away.
Life insurance can bring peace of mind – ensuring your loved ones are safeguarded against unforeseen expenses and debts. With premiums often lower than expected and a variety of plans tailored to different life stages and health conditions, securing a policy is more accessible than ever.
A quick, no-obligation quote can provide valuable insight into what’s available and what might best suit your family’s needs. Life insurance is a simple step you can take today to help secure peace of mind for your loved ones tomorrow.
Click here to learn how to get a quote in just a few minutes.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
