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How Bill Gates Spoils Himself

What the world's second richest guy spends his money on

By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 20, 2010 8:32 AM CDT

(Newser) – When you're the world's second-richest man, you can have anything you want. So what, exactly, does Bill Gates buy when he's feeling indulgent? Books, he tells Mary Riddell for the Telegraph. "I buy a lot of books, which is nice. I just buy them.” Travel makes the list, too. First-class, asks Riddell, quickly realizing "that this is like wondering if the queen takes the bus." Replies Gates, “No, even better than that. I happen to have a plane. But beyond that extravagance, how much food can you eat, how many clothes can you wear?"

Continues Gates, who says he plays tennis, bridge, and skis, “My kids go to a nice school, and I have an exercise machine that I should use more. Beyond a reasonably limited amount, it all goes to charity, but in no sense have I denied myself anything I wanted. I just didn’t happen to want to build a pyramid and own many things." Should his kids want said pyramid, they'll have to build it on their own. Gates says he's leaving "well over 95%" of his fortune to his foundation, adding that “once they graduate from college, then they’re largely on their own." (But if they come home to visit, they're in for a treat. Click here for more on his mansion.)

Bill Gates smiles during a ceremony honoring him and his wife Melinda Gates with the 2010 Fulbright Prize for International Understanding at the Library of Congress in Washington, on Oct. 15, 2010.
Bill Gates smiles during a ceremony honoring him and his wife Melinda Gates with the 2010 Fulbright Prize for International Understanding at the Library of Congress in Washington, on Oct. 15, 2010.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 28 comments
A_Duey_Pile
Oct 21, 2010 2:24 PM CDT
I heard he actually broke down and bought himself a cookie the other day.......but he only ate half.....and is saving the rest for a rainy day..........
goldenslumbers
Oct 21, 2010 2:23 PM CDT
Something tells me that Bill Gates didn't start Microsoft to make a ton of money... it just ended up working out that way. Sure no one drops out of Harvard for the fun of it but it's obvious that he's not money hungry in anyway. How refreshing.
JohnBowers089057
Oct 21, 2010 6:55 AM CDT
@vjh 17 hours ago in reply to UnrighteousFury He was raised right. Bill Gates Sr. is a "stand up guy". He supports (and helped write) an state income tax in Washington State that will only affect those making more than $250,000. No Way! guess he has a socked away.
 

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