The Microsoft co-founder is said by Bloomberg to have earned $4.9 billion last year - an astonishing $13.6m every day of the year. He also chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable foundation.
How he spends it: Enjoys minibreaks in Iceland and spends longer family holidays on yachts in the Med. He said: "Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point. Its utility is entirely in building an organisation and getting the resources out to the poorest in the world."
JK Rowling: $379,861 a day
JK Rowling. Photo / AP
The Harry Potter creator earns money from the books, films, theme parks, merchandise and the stage show, as well as her new writing projects.
Forbes' latest rich list suggests she made $138m over the year - nearly $383,506 a day.
How she spends it: She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children and reportedly has bought her neighbour's home for $1.9m to make a bigger garden. She's also sold the family yacht and bought a place in Australia - the perfect antidote to Scottish weather.
Adele's third album, 25, earned $31.6m last year according to UK accounts, selling 20 million copies worldwide. Forbes magazine estimates the 29-year-old earned $100m in total.
How she spends it: Adele owns two mews houses in Kensington, knocked together into a family home, and two more in Hove, East Sussex. There's also a house in LA. These are shared with her 43-year-old husband Simon Konecki, a multi-millionaire charity executive, and their son Angelo, four.
David Beckham: $260,000 a day
David Beckham. Photo / AP
The former footballer has lent his lustre to plug everything from skin cream to whisky and casinos.
He drew a $24.4m salary from his image rights company last year, while the most recent Forbes figures say he made $94.9m in 2016.
His UK accounts show he has taken a stunning $86.2m in dividends in the past five years.
How he spends it: A new $11.5m home in the Cotswolds is being created from several converted barns - and ballet classes for daughter Harper, his little princess.
Sir Elton John: $240,151 a day
Sir Elton John. Photo / AP
Sir Elton is reported to have made $87.6m last year, much of it through live performances - he has a lucrative residency in Las Vegas - plus royalties from his more recent work, including an album.
More is to come as he is writing an autobiography and penning tunes for a Broadway musical.
How he spends it: You can buy a lot of flowers and diamante-trim glasses for $240,151 a day. Elton and husband David Furnish have two sons and homes in London, Windsor, LA, Atlanta and Nice.
The Queen: $224,834 a day
Queen Elizabeth II. Photo / AP
Her Majesty is given a Government grant of 15 per cent of the net surplus of the Crown Estate monies.
Last year, she received $82m - but this is to rise sharply to cover the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace.
How she spends it: Holidays at Balmoral and Sandringham don't add much to her annual expenditure - but caring for the many crumbling royal palaces is a major financial drain. She's a fan of Fulton umbrellas, Anello & Davide of Kensington shoes and Barbour jackets.
Lewis Hamilton: $183,921 a day
Lewis Hamilton. Photo / AP
The four-time world champion Formula 1 driver earned $67.1m last year from winnings, salary and endorsements - nearly as much as the Queen.
He will have paid little tax as he is resident in Monaco.
How he spends it: The F1 season runs from March to November and he is required for training and testing throughout the year. But he finds time to attend numerous fashion events and dabble in rap music. He's bought a $2.1m Ferrari - controversial, considering he drives for the Mercedes team.
Ed Sheeran: $147,623 a day
Ed Sheeran. Photo / AP
He may have an unassuming persona, but the singer-songwriter earns some of the biggest money in showbiz.
Forbes think he made $53.8m last year thanks to the success of his latest album.
How he spends it: He remarked that when he first made the Forbes list in 2015, it "****ed up" some friendships as people were envious about the amount he was earning. He's not vain though. Last year, at a charity auction, he bought a statue of himself as a pig, dubbed "Ed Sheer-ham", for $11,000.
Jennifer Lawrence: $95,613 a day
Jennifer Lawrence. Photo / AP
The Oscar-winning actress has grumbled about not taking home as much as her male counterparts - but she earned a reported $34.8m in 2016, which isn't half bad.
In that time she appeared in arty movie Mother as well as the futuristic dramas Passengers and X-Men Apocalypse.
She also earns money via endorsements for Dior.
How she spends it: On a $10.3m Beverly Hills pad and her own charitable foundation that helps poor and sick children in her home state of Kentucky.
The British model has fronted campaigns for Chanel, Rimmel and Puma and also appeared in films including Valerian and Suicide Squad.
The 25-year-old reportedly earned $15.3m in 2016, making her Britain's best-paid model.
She has written a young adult novel too.
How she spends it: On a $2.8m pad in Los Angeles with her sister Poppy. But she recently admitted she'd had to ask a fan to buy her a bottle of wine, because she was asked for ID at the tills and didn't have her driver's licence on her.
James Corden: $10,506 a day
James Corden. Photo / AP
James Corden is paid around $3.8m a year for hosting The Late Show in the U.S. He moaned to Billboard magazine this year that he was the 'lowest-paid talk show host on TV' and that he 'cannot imagine there is one paid less'.
This salary is topped up by money for hosting events and by a share of the revenues from the successful Carpool Karaoke slot, which now has its own spin-off show.
How he spends it: On a $13.4m Los Angeles pad which he shares with wife Julia. It's got an oak-panelled library and a pool.
Prince William: $10,192 a day
Prince William. Photo / AP
The second-in-line to the throne was paid $84,371-a-year for his part-time job as a helicopter pilot, which he gave up earlier this year.
He receives around $575,730 a year in interest payments from his mother's $19m legacy, plus a share of the $6.1m which his father gives to him and brother Harry annually.
If we assume that's divided equally, he has an annual income of $3.7m.
How he spends it: Well, polo kit doesn't come cheap. He's also a fan of Gieves & Hawkes tailoring and Ray-Ban shades.
Theresa May: $790 a day
Theresa May. Photo / AP
The PM's annual salary is $288,478, which gives her $790 per day - not enough for even half a pair of those infamous $1,908 leather trousers. Perks of the job include Chequers as a country retreat.
How she spends it: Frugal in general, the Prime Minister has to pay out to keep any of the many expensive gifts she receives. This year, she's splashed out on a pair of $949.51 luxury shoes from designer Charlotte Olympia, thought to be leopard print kitten heels, a $306.89 necklace and a $335.69 fountain pen.
