Bill and Melinda French Gates’s $130bn divorce was one of the most expensive splits in the history of the world. Call it the bane of being among the wealthiest people in the world; when they split, so does their collective fortune. The world’s most affluent couples divided their wealth, and Bill Gates gave ex-wife Melinda Gates $850 million worth of shares in Deere & Co. That’s not all; Bill also transferred to AutoNation and Canadian National Railway shares.
Melinda French Gates sold $467 million worth of Canadian National Railway Co. shares this month to free up cash for her philanthropic endeavors and investments. A total of 3.65 million shares were sold in the Montreal-based company from Dec. 7 to Dec. 16, bringing her ownership level down to 4.7%. Melinda still has about 33 million shares (20 million shares and another 13 million shares through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust) in her kitty.
As per the norms, she is no longer obligated to report transactions now that her stake is below five percent. On the other hand, Bill Gates owns 81.8 million Canadian National shares, with the average price per share reaching $127.84. He enjoys an 11.6% stake in the company. According to the Star, a representative from French Gates’s Pivotal Ventures didn’t respond to a request for comment about the sale. Pivotal is French Gates’s philanthropic investment and incubation firm that focuses mainly on gender equality.
