Gates spreads the wealth

Outside of his Microsoft stock, Gates has about $5 billion in his personal investment portfolio but is not betting the farm on tech stocks.

The Microsoft CEO, according to a March article in Fortune, has a personal money manager, Michael Larson, who oversees his personal portfolio and also two foundations with combined assets of $6.5 billion.

Gates, the richest man in the world, has the lion's share of his wealth in Microsoft stock, which is valued at more than $76 billion.

But the industry mogul largely stays away from the tech sector when it comes to investment decisions for his personal portfolio and foundations, given his large Microsoft holdings.

Money manager Larson has 70 percent of Gate's personal portfolio in short-term U.S. government and corporate bonds--with a smattering of foreign bonds, according to Fortune.

The remainder of Gates' portfolio includes buyout funds, commodities, real estate, short positions, and direct investments in firms such as satellite communications company Teledesic, which is owned by Craig McCaw, according to the publication. Gates also owns about $500 million in stocks that include Liberty Media, Tele-Communications Inc., Cox Communications, and bridge pal Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

Meanwhile, the Gates Learning Foundation and William H. Gates Foundation are largely invested in short-term U.S. government and corporate bonds.

According to the report, Larson and Gates often converse via email and phone and meet about every six weeks to discuss investments. Though the two are in frequent contact, Larson has the freedom to make decisions on Gates' portfolio.