With a net worth estimated to be around 53.5 billion dollars, Mark Zuckerberg has certainly made his way onto the list of some of the wealthiest people on the planet. Considering that he turned 37 years old early this year, it’s easy to understand why people are curious as to what he does with all that wealth. Furthermore, it’s also interesting to understand Mr. Zuckerberg’s perspective on money, as certain media outlets have made it a top priority to understand how he spends and invests.
Back in 2015, Zuckerberg launched the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a limited liability company with charitable goals in contrast to a typical for-profit business, which marked the beginning of a slightly more visible philanthropic approach. Since it’s launch, the company was reported to have donated $1.9 billion to charitable causes.
Interestingly, according to the World Wealth Report released by Wealth-X in 2018, philanthropy is one of the main motivations contributing to accumulation of wealth, making the billionaire founded-initiative a bit more understandable.
Investments
Another main area of focus for Mr. Zuckerberg is his portfolio of investments which have been estimated to contribute heavily to his net worth. Reportedly, the majority of Zuckerberg’s investments are in technology-based companies, including Facebook’s associate firms and other start-ups.
A few other major elements of his investments have been in real-estate, reports have stated Zuckerberg to have invested at least 27 million dollars in Hawaii and California, prices reported to have varied from as low as 8 million to as high as 20 million.
More recently, Mr. Zuckerberg also became a noteworthy investor in the Arena Pharmaceuticals company. Reportedly, the intention of the investment was actually to benefit the company, as it is set to take advantage of its innovative approach to medicine research and production.
Mark’s Collection of Luxury Properties
Another interesting focus of Mark is his growing collection of luxury properties, as reports have stated Mr. Zuckerberg to have been involved in numerous property deals since the beginning stages of his fortune.
In addition to his properties in California and Hawaii, it has also been reported that Zuckerberg owns a luxury estate in Palo Alto, California, which was valued to be worth more than 59 million dollars in 2018. Also included in his real-estate references is the 750 acre ranch in Texas, as reports also have stated him to have been involved with the property for as long as six years.
In addition, other reports have stated that Mark Zuckerberg is also one of numerous celebrities to own property on Kauai, Hawaii. His estate has been reported to encompass 700 acres of land and to have cost approximately 46 million dollars.
Travels
A final noteworthy area of focus for Mr. Zuckerberg has been his various trips around the world. Reports have confirmed him to have traveled in various areas including South America and a few European countries where his visits have been characterized by his adventurous spirit, as he has tried activities as extreme as skydiving and bungee jumping.
Furthermore, his “Year of Travel” challenge, for 2017, led him to discover a few areas of the Untied States he had never visited before. Reports have also stated him to have taken some time off visiting national parks and colleges.
Political Involvement
A somewhat interesting subject related to Mark Zuckerberg, is his political and social ideological standing. Although reports have stated him to have had made it a point to move away from the concept of direct political involvement, his investments in companies such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, seem to suggest the contrary.
In addition, the social media platform of Facebook, has also been reported to have been a key element in hosting debates and encouraging participation in the political environment of the US, and other countries, to the point that it was even said to have been partially responsible for Trump’s victory in the 2016 Presidential Elections in the United States.
Philanthropy
With his European traveled wrapped, Zuckerberg and his wife visited 10 cities in the U.S in Jan. 2017. His focus on philanthropy included spending time with public service leaders and school students. The couple gave a series of lectures, visited refugee centers and spent time meeting people from the society’s margins. This was a part of their “personal challenge”. Zuckerberg went on to call their trip the ‘American Technology and Opportunity tour’.
That year, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was devoted to progress in Personalized Learning, Science, Justice and Opportunity. The initiative’s goal employed equity and impact investing and in July 2017, CZI announced that its impact fund had taken up a mission to invest in companies that had “business and mission alignment” with their long-term goal of advancing the human potential.
In March 2018, CZI was reported to have made an investment of $30 million in software development company Andela, a move that was aimed at connecting African technology talent with international businesses. Zuckerberg’s vision for CZI also included investment ventures in education, health and criminal justice.
Entrepreneurship
Mark Zuckerberg’s approach to business and financial management has been particularly interesting to analyze, due to his rather unorthodox methods of acquiring new resources, either through investment companies or private deals.
According to reports, one of the most daring investments he has made includes the purchase of the Oculus VR virtual-reality headset. Apparently, in the early stages of its development, the company was already worth more than 400 million dollars, which was deemed too costly by potential investors.
However, Mr. Zuckerberg had faith in the product and its potential to revolutionize digital experience, thus he had decided to invest in the company, a decision that he believes will shape the future of his tech empire. Mark is also known for his unconventional approach to business, as he rarely makes decisions based on financial gain, but rather selects opportunities that he believes bring the greatest contribution to society.
Giving Back to Society
As recently as April 2020, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife launched the Giving Pledge Initiative with the goal of inspiring wealthy individuals to contribute a substantial portion of their wealth to philanthropic causes. In addition, under the initiative, the couple also committed themselves to donating at least 99% of their wealth, in hopes that others would also do the same.
It’s worth noting that beyond his monetary contributions, Mark Zuckerberg often participates in events for the empowerment and development of entrepreneurs and small businesses. He regularly hosts events during which he works to expand the idea of contributing to society through the use of technology. Furthermore, he often joins calls and discussions in which he shares his knowledge and thoughts on technology, entrepreneurship and finance.
Technology in Education
Mark Zuckerberg has also made a number of important connections with the nonprofit education sector. In October of 2015, he launched a partnership with Khan Academy, a free educational website, and made an initial donation of 40 million dollars in order to help the platform get up and running.
In addition, in 2018, he made an even larger donation of 75 million dollars to further further education in the US, a move seen by many as a significant contribution to the expanding trend of online education.
More recently, he has been involved in numerous projects aimed at bringing technology to areas of the world where it is no the common to have access to it. Through partnerships with the Global Digital Library, for example, he has worked to provide students in remote areas of the world with access to digital education materials.
Conclusion
From his various investments and philanthropy to his pushing of technology into education and business, it’s clear that Mark Zuckerberg has a rather noble approach to managing wealth and his fortune. By investing in the right businesses and using technology to help those who may not otherwise have access, he is determined to make the world a better place and to bring society up to a higher level.
