You probably think Bill Gates just sits on a mountain of Microsoft stock and counts his Windows licenses. Honestly, that hasn't been the case for a long time. In fact, if you look at his balance sheet today in early 2026, the guy is more of a landlord and a logistics mogul than a "tech bro."
He owns a lot of dirt. Not just any dirt—prime American farmland. And trains. And garbage trucks. It's a weirdly "analog" portfolio for a man who basically invented the digital office.
What Does Bill Gates Own? The Short Answer
Basically, his wealth is split between three massive buckets. First, there’s Cascade Investment, which is his private investment office. Then you've got the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, which holds the billions he's earmarked for charity. Finally, there are the personal assets: the "Xanadu 2.0" mansion, the private jets, and the collection of Porsches.
As of early 2026, his net worth hovers around $104 billion. He isn't the richest man in the world anymore—guys like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos usually battle for that spot—but he’s arguably the one with the most diverse set of keys in his pocket.
The Farmland Obsession
People freak out about this. You've probably seen the headlines: "Bill Gates is the largest private owner of farmland in the U.S." It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it’s just boring math.
He owns roughly 275,000 acres across more than a dozen states. We’re talking about massive spreads in North Dakota, Washington, and Louisiana. Why? Because farmland is a "productive asset." It doesn't disappear during a market crash. People always need to eat. Some of those acres grow the potatoes that become McDonald’s french fries.
He has faced some heat for this, especially from small-scale farmers who worry about a billionaire "land grab." Gates usually shrugs this off in interviews, claiming it’s just a smart investment managed by professional groups. It’s not about him playing Stardew Valley in real life; it’s about steady, inflation-proof returns.
The "Boring" Stocks in the Gates Foundation
If you peek into the Gates Foundation Trust’s 2026 filings, you won't find much "bleeding edge" tech. Instead, you'll find things that make the world run.
- Berkshire Hathaway: Warren Buffett and Gates are old pals. Buffett has been dumping billions of his own shares into the Gates Foundation for years. Currently, Berkshire makes up nearly 30% of the Trust's portfolio.
- Waste Management (WM): Gates loves trash. He owns a massive stake in the company that picks up your garbage. It’s a monopoly-style business with a huge "moat," as investors say.
- Canadian National Railway: He owns enough of this railroad to basically influence how goods move across North America.
- Caterpillar and Deere & Co.: He owns the companies that make the tractors for his farms and the machines that build the roads.
It’s a circular economy. He owns the land, the machines that till it, and the trains that move the harvest.
Microsoft: The Dwindling Stake
Here is the shocker: Bill Gates barely owns any Microsoft anymore.
Over the last two decades, he’s been selling it off like crazy. In 2025 and early 2026, filings showed he held roughly 1.3% of the company. That’s still worth about $40 billion, so don't feel too bad for him, but it’s a far cry from the 45% he held when the company went public. He uses the proceeds to fund his foundation and buy, well, more dirt and trains.
The Real Estate and Personal Toys
You can't talk about what he owns without mentioning Xanadu 2.0. That’s his 66,000-square-foot house in Medina, Washington. It’s famous for having a trampoline room with a 20-foot ceiling and a library that houses the Codex Leicester—a 16th-century manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci that Gates bought for $30.8 million.
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He also owns:
- The Four Seasons Hotels: Through Cascade, he owns a majority stake in the luxury hotel chain.
- A Fleet of Planes: He famously called his private jets his "guilty pleasure." He owns at least two Bombardier Global Express jets.
- The Porsche Collection: He’s a well-known Porsche enthusiast, owning everything from a vintage 911 to the electric Taycan.
Why This Matters for You
Watching where Gates puts his money is a lesson in wealth preservation. He isn't chasing the next "meme coin." He is buying assets that are essential to human life: food, transportation, and waste disposal.
If you’re looking to build your own portfolio, the "Gates Method" isn't about being a tech genius. It's about diversification. He moved his eggs out of the Microsoft basket years ago and spread them across the entire physical world.
Your Next Steps
- Audit your diversification: Are you too heavy in one sector (like tech)? Consider looking at "boring" staples like utilities or transport.
- Research REITS: You can't buy 200,000 acres of farmland, but you can buy into Real Estate Investment Trusts that specialize in agricultural land.
- Follow the 13F filings: Large institutional investors like the Gates Foundation have to disclose their holdings quarterly. Use sites like WhaleWisdom or the SEC’s EDGAR database to see what they are buying and selling in real-time.