Tonight I happened to listen again to an interview with Bill Gates where he talks about something that honestly still surprises me: his wealth of over 128 billion dollars, and how he decided to leave his children less than 1% of that fortune. That is, just over 1 billion dollars per person, when the total net worth is monstrous.

Gates clearly stated on a podcast: his three children - Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe - have had an extraordinary education, top-tier universities, but they will inherit almost nothing. The logic is interesting: he believes that giving too much money to children doesn’t help them, in fact it ruins them. He wants them to create their own path to success, not live off their father’s fortune. He said something that struck me: "I don’t ask them to manage Microsoft. I want them to have their own income, their own success."

Basically, Bill Gates’ wealth is mainly invested through his foundation to support those who truly need it. It’s a conscious, almost philosophical choice about how wealth should be passed on.

Interesting is the contrast with Warren Buffett, who is a friend of Gates and a longtime donor to his foundation. Buffett has been called "more generous" because he donated 1.143 billion dollars in Berkshire shares to family foundations managed by his three children. But he also has a similar view: in his will, he wrote that wealthy parents should leave their children "enough to do anything, but not so much that they don’t have to do anything."

What strikes me is that both billionaires share the same concern: confusing and poorly communicated wills destroy families. Buffett even emphasized the importance of sharing the will with family members while still alive, to avoid surprises and conflicts later.

So Bill Gates’ wealth doesn’t go to his children, but to foundations and global projects. It’s a completely different perspective from what we’re taught about generational wealth transfer. Both believe that true value lies in creating independent people, not in transferring fortunes intact. Honestly, it’s a philosophy that makes sense when you think about it.