Bill Gates invests his money in corporations: the majority of his financial assets are held by Cascade Investment LLC, an entity controlled by Gates to manage his investments. Bill Gates also puts his money to use buying real assets, including a sprawling estate and a private island. He also owns collectibles: In 1994, he purchased a celebrated Leonardo Da Vinci manuscript at auction for $30.8 million, as well as Andrew Wyeth's "Distant Thunder" for $7 million in 1996 and William Merritt Chase's "The Nursery" for $10 million in 1997.