Billionaires Seem To Have Their Life All Sorted. So It Comes as a Shock When They Get a Divorce. Here Are 15 Reasons Why.
27 years is an impressive innings, and despite attempts to work on the relationship, Bill and Melinda Gates have announced they’re getting divorced. It’s a shock… and we’re going to unpack 15 reasons why billionaires get a divorce.
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1
Mismatched Financial Values
Mismatched financial priorities are cited as one of the main reasons to push people towards divorce. This is usually because one partner is a saver and the other is a spender.
When it comes to billionaires, it’s much the same.
An article published on cnbc.com stated, “Overall, divorces tend to pick up, rather than decrease, in periods of economic growth, when incomes rise across the board.” This was according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Aluxers, there are a million examples of mismatched financial priorities. Perhaps on a billionaire budget it’s more to do with which charity should receive the next big donation, or which EV should be added to the fleet… but they’re all decisions that cause conflict, and a possible breakdown of marriage.
2
Bigger Budget, Bigger Problems
Think about how people become billionaires… Not many.
They’re risk takers. They have an idea, and they doggedly go at it. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t.
In our video, 15 Millionaire Statistics, we mentioned that millionaire’s file for bankruptcy an average of 3.5 times. Imagine what it must be like for billionaires; they have so much more to lose as the risks taken are far greater.
This can add an enormous amount of stress to a billionaire relationship.
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3
Billionaires Are Busy
So, how do you make a billion dollars? You work for it! And yes, your money is making money for you, but it doesn’t come with zero input from yourself. And sure, if becoming a billionaire was just down to hard work, then we’d all be billionaires.
Billionaires, like Bill Gates, are running empires. They have thousands of people dependent on their every decision. Even just the charity organization that he and Melinda run takes a huge chunk of time and administration.
According to Reuters, “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has become one of the most powerful and influential forces in global public health, spending more than $50 billion over the past two decades to bring a business approach to combating poverty and disease.”
And right there, is a lot of work. And if one partner is always working and the other not, Aluxers, it’s one of the most certain reasons to get a divorce.
4
Social Calendars Are Packed to the Brim
On top of being super busy with work, being a billionaire also means your social calendar is crammed with dinners, events, galas, sports games, film festivals, golf tournaments and horse races – you know – the ush.
And it’s exhausting.
You must look your best, be on your best behaviour, speak to people you may not like and basically play a role all the time.
Sage words were given to Melinda when she married Bill, from his mother Mary. She gave Melinda a letter which closed with these words, “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.”
5
Too Much Time Apart
Aluxers, it’s pretty da*m difficult to work on a relationship when one partner is never home. Besides attending all the events and social gatherings we just mentioned, billionaires travel a lot.
They’re constantly jetting off from one country to another, doing business all around the world. This is not conducive to working on a healthy, well-balanced relationship.
And even if the couple do keep up the communication, when the respective partner comes home again, it’s challenging to slot into routine. The partner at home has had to get into a rhythm to ensure the kids get to school on time, that things are running smoothly at home and that life at home doesn’t fall apart.
When the partner arrives home, everyone must get used to a new routine again, and that can be extremely taxing on any relationship.
6
People Hate on You
Aluxers, since we’re on about Bill Gates, remember when he became the voodoo doll of Covid conspiracies?
As published on bbc.com, “Some accuse of him of leading a class of global elites. Others believe he is leading efforts to depopulate the world. Still more accuse him of making vaccines mandatory, or even attempting to implant microchips into people.”
It must be tough to carry all that blame and hate, and we speculate, but it’s possible that shouldering that kind of stigma is taxing on a married couple.
Aluxers, if you’re going through a divorce – we encourage you to take a listen to “I Wish I Knew This Before My Divorce,” available on Audible. Get your free download by going to alux.com/freebook.
7
One Wants To Take It Easy, The Other Wants To Keep Going
There comes a time in most marriages when future plans don’t coincide. Where one wants to retire at 50, and the other wants to continue working until the day they die.
It’s one of the common reasons among billionaires to get a divorce. Having opposing thoughts on the future can often lead to disputes and unhappiness. One may want to down tools to travel or spend time with the children, while the other wants to continue making billions and working hard.
How do you marry those 2 differing ideas? You don’t, you just divorce them.
8
Billionaires Have Everything Already
We did an entire video on this called 15 Reasons You May Not Want to Become a Billionaire and highlighted how material gifts lose value and importance.
Truthfully, what would you even buy a billionaire or the partner of a billionaire? That’s why we have bizarre gifts available, like buying someone a title, like Dame, Lady or Sir, or purchasing a bag of unicorn farts off Amazon.
And while these gifts are a great gag, they’re also just another item the billionaire will chuckle at and then toss out… well, probably not the unicorn farts, but they wouldn’t tell you that.
9
There’s Nothing New To Do Anymore
You’ve been there, done that, got the bag, shoes, and hat to match.
When you have everything at your disposal, what do you have to look forward to?
Safari in South Africa – check.
Hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti – check.
Kayaking in Patagonia – check.
The thrill of anything new is no longer there. The anticipation of working towards being able to afford something is gone, and that adrenaline of the new experience is a thing of the past.
10
The Marriage Was Purely Financial
Let’s get real, Aluxers, often marriages are purely for financial reasons. In the case of Melinda and Bill, they have a combined wealth of $146 billion, and while this marriage did not begin with the financial outcome in mind – many do.
People marry into wealthy families knowing full well they’re going to divorce the person to gain half their wealth.
Forbes released an article a few years ago which was labelled, “The Rich And Unfaithful.” The article revealed that only 11% of people who had a net worth of $10 million and over had a prenup in place.
Stick around for some examples of some of the most expensive divorces in history.
11
It’s Hard To Find True Friendships and You’re Lonely
When you’re a billionaire, how do you know when people are trying to be your friend or are just out to screw you? It’s not easy, so often the life of a billionaire can be quite lonely.
If you think that globally there are only 2,755 billionaires, you only share commonalities with those 2,755 people. And they’re not all your neighbours. And the problems you’re faced with are on a completely different level to everyone else.
In fact, everything about you is different. People will find it difficult to relate to you and eventually you find solitude and safety away from others.
This can lead to tensions in a marriage and creates reasons for getting a divorce.
12
Billionaire Traits Can Be Hard To Live With
The ex-wife of billionaire Elon Musk, Justine Musk, said the following about Elon when replying to a question on Quora.
The question was, “How can I be as great as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or Sir Richard Branson?” To sum it up, she replied you can’t… but it went deeper. She believes there are two kinds of success – normal success, the regular hard work kind of way, or the extreme version which is for those born that way. As she puts it, “They are dyslexic, they are autistic, they have ADD, they are square pegs in round holes, they pi*s people off, get into arguments, rock the boat.”
And that’s all very well, Aluxers, but that person may not be the easiest person to live with. Home life could be a never-ending cliff hanger, and that’s not going to make for a great marriage. And so these billionaire traits are reasons that they get a divorce.
13
Traditional Gender Roles Are Often Assumed
The billionaire men go out and work and the wives of the billionaire men stay home and make the house look pretty.
And, perhaps some women don’t mind that, but most women we know want to go out and make their own billions.
However, in many relationships where the male is earning the higher salary, it’s assumed the female partner will just slot into her domestic role easily. And that may work for a little while, but long – term… many wives would put their shoes on and get out of the kitchen.
14
A Billionaire Divorce Is an Expensive Business Expense
It’s not common that billionaires get divorced. And that’s possibly due to the fact that it will be the most expensive business transaction that a billionaire will experience.
Even the most amicable divorces can get really ugly when it comes to the finances. Let’s just hope that Bill and Melinda can be the role models that every couple going through a divorce can look up to.
15
The Age-Old Affair Debacle
Right, so if you think about the extra-marital affairs going on, on the daily, think about how much temptation presents itself to billionaires.
Suffice to say, a fair amount.
And while we’re not condoning extra-marital affairs, we’re merely stating that this is one of the reasons that many … and not just billionaires… marriages don’t last.
If you are looking for some reasons why even non billionaire marriages end, check out 15 Reasons Why 50% of Marriages End in Divorce.
Question:
What are your thoughts about Bill and Melinda Gates announcing their divorce? We’d love to hear your comments.
