Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world. In 2012 the Forbes list of richest people in the world placed him second with $61 billion in assets. steve Ballmer in #44 with $17.5 billion; and Paul Allen is #48 with $ 14.2 billion. In 2006, Gates announced that he world cut back his involvement at Microsoft to spend more time on philanthropy. The ฺBill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports many causes. Some are: helping to eradicate polio AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis; providing vaccinations for children and even reinventing the toilet among many other things.