比尔·盖茨净资产再创新高

彭博社报道称，据其亿万富翁指数（Billionaires Index）估计，随着微软联合创始人比尔·盖茨在加拿大国家铁路公司和Ecolab持有的股份升值，他在周五的个人净资产预计达到了900亿美元的历史新高。这是盖茨的个人财富首次达到900亿美元，不过在今年早些时候，他的身家也曾经接近这一数值。

到目前为止，盖茨仍是世界首富。他的净资产包括现金和在多家公司的股份，其中当然包括微软。近几年，偶尔会有人从盖茨手中抢走世界首富的名头，例如墨西哥大亨卡洛斯·斯利姆，但今年，盖茨的地位一直很稳定。

事实上，据彭博社报道，盖茨的财富在2016年经历了大幅增长。在今年年初，他的净资产价值约为750亿美元。在那之后，他的财富增加了约150亿美元。世界第二大富豪、西班牙零售业巨头阿曼西奥·奥特加的个人净资产超过760亿美元，这意味着盖茨有明显的领先优势。

但对于盖茨来说，金钱并不意味一切。他也是世界上最热心公益的亿万富翁之一，他通过比尔和梅琳达·盖茨基金会捐出了大量资金。他还支持了多项事业，包括在非洲等地区的清洁水和消灭疟疾等。

盖茨还与另一位亿万富翁沃伦·巴菲特建立了“捐赠誓言”（The Giving Pledge），加入该组织的富人承诺在世时或去世时，捐出至少一半个人净资产。盖茨和他的妻子梅琳达表示，他将在在世时和死后，捐出“绝大多数”财富，用于各项慈善事业。他们希望能够与其他亿万富翁一起，消灭疾病，帮助人类。

不管怎样，盖茨财富一直在稳步增长。例如，2012年，他的个人净资产价值还不到600亿美元。（财富中文网）

译者：刘进龙/汪皓

The Microsoft MSFT 0.38% co-founder’s estimated net worth hit a record high of $90 billion on Friday after his holdings in Canadian National Railway Company and Ecolab rose in value, Bloomberg reports based on its Billionaires Index. This is the first time Gates’ wealth has reached $90 billion, though he came close to reaching that threshold earlier this year.

Gates is by far the world’s wealthiest person. His net worth includes both cash and stock in several companies including, of course, Microsoft. Although occasionally surpassed as the world’s wealthiest individual in recent years by the likes of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, Gates has held strong this year.

In fact, Gates’ wealth has grown substantially in 2016, according to Bloomberg. At the beginning of the year, his net worth was around $75 billion. Since then, he has added about $15 billion. The world’s second-wealthiest individual, Spanish retail executive Amancio Ortega, is worth more than $76 billion, which means that Gates holds a comfortable lead

Still, it’s not all about the money for Gates, who is one of the most philanthropic billionaires by donating huge sums of money over the years through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has also championed several causes, including clean water and eradicating malaria in areas like Africa.

Gates, along with fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, has also established The Giving Pledge, which involves wealthy individuals promising to give away at least half of their net worth either while living or at their death. Gates, along with his wife Melinda, says he will donate “the vast majority” of their wealth to causes both during their lifetimes and after. Ultimately, they hope, along with other billionaires, to eradicate diseases and help humanity.

Regardless, Gates’ wealth is steadily rising. In 2012, for example, he was worth less than $60 billion.