The Billionaire Who Did Nothing — And Got Richer Than Ever

Back in 2014, Steve Ballmer had already made his fortune. 

He’d just stepped down as CEO of Microsoft after 14 years at the helm. 

His net worth? Around $22 billion. 

And that same year, he made headlines by buying the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion — the highest price ever paid for an NBA team.

It was the kind of flashy move that gets people talking.

But here’s what most people missed…

That’s not what made him one of the richest people on Earth.

That came from something far less exciting… but far more powerful.

He didn’t sell.

In fact, Ballmer came this close to unloading all his Microsoft stock. 

He wanted emotional distance from the company after stepping down. But colleagues convinced him to think twice — and thank goodness they did.

Because Ballmer didn’t sell a single share, he didn’t chase the next hot IPO, launch a hedge fund, or trade in and out of ideas.

He did the hardest thing in investing:  He held on — and let time do the heavy lifting.

Fast forward to today…

Steve Ballmer is worth an estimated $133 billion — six times what he was worth just over a decade ago.

And while the value of the Clippers has more than doubled since he bought the team, that barely moved the needle. The real wealth came from sticking with Microsoft.

Here’s the kicker — Ballmer now earns nearly $1 billion a year in dividends from his Microsoft stock.

Let that sink in…

He didn’t found Microsoft. He’s no longer CEO. He doesn’t even work there anymore.

Yet by simply holding on, by backing a business he understood, he ended up with one of the biggest fortunes on the planet.

Copy Steve Ballmer

That’s the playbook we follow at American Prosperity.

We don’t chase headlines. We don’t react to stock price swings. And we don’t let short-term noise shake us out of world-class businesses.

We look for outstanding companies run by excellent managers and give them time to create long-term value. 

Sometimes, that means staying patient during market drops. Sometimes, that means ignoring what everyone else is doing.

But in the end, it means staying disciplined.

Ballmer’s story proves it: Wealth isn’t built by jumping from one shiny object to the next.

It’s built by knowing what you own — and holding it.

So the next time you’re tempted to sell a great company… ask yourself: 

What would Steve Ballmer do?

Odds are, he’d sit tight — and let his fortune grow

If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to drop me a note — shoot me an email at [email protected].

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Regards,

Charles Mizrahi
Prosperity Insider