Jordan Belfort Net Worth: How Rich Is the Wolf of Wall Street?

Former stockbroker and financial criminal Jordan Belfort is thought to be worth between $100 million and $134 million. After serving his jail sentence, Belfort has reinvented himself as an author, motivational speaker and sales expert. Let’s take a closer look at the rise, fall and return of the Wolf of Wall Street. 

Who is Jordan Belfort?

Jordan Belfort, CEO of the now-defunct Stratton Oakmont, Inc. Image source: The Independent

Born on July 9, 1962, in the Bronx, New York City, USA. Jordan Belfort is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, sales trainer, author, former stockbroker and film producer. Belfort attended American University, where he earned a degree in biology. 

He also enrolled in a dental school, but he got out on the first day when the school dean gave a speech and said that those who are looking to make a lot of money from dentistry are in the wrong place. Belfort was born into a Jewish family, and his parents were both accountants. Belfort has two children, and he has been married four times and divorced three times.

Belfort became a door-to-door meat and seafood salesman on Long Island, New York. The business was an initial success, as he claims in his interviews. He grew the business, employing several workers and selling up to 2,300 kilograms of meat and fish per week. In the long run, the business failed and he filed for bankruptcy at the age of 25. 

Shortly after filing for bankruptcy, he found a job as a trainee stockbroker at L.F. Rothschild. However, he was laid off after the 1987 Black Monday stock crash. This didn’t stop him, as he continued to work for multiple financial firms, where he gained all the experience he needed. Then, in the early 90’s, Belfort founded his own company called Stratton Oakmont, Inc. 

What is Jordan Belfort’s net worth in 2024?

Jordan’s Belfort net worth is estimated at between $100 million and $134 million. He accomplished this by being an author, a sales trainer,  an entrepreneur, a motivational speaker and stockbroker. 

Of course, Jordan Belfort’s story cannot be complete without mentioning that he gained notoriety for being a financial criminal. His memoir The Wolf of Wall Street inspired the film of the same name, in which Belfort was played by world-famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

In his “prime” as a stockbroker, Belfort employed more than 1,000 stockbrokers and had over $1 billion under management. However, Belfort was an unethical broker, which got him into trouble with the SEC.

Belfort and his associates were found guilty of using pump-and-dump schemes where they artificially inflated the prices of stocks to sell them at a profit, which ultimately left investors with worthless shares. In 1999, Belfort was indicted on charges of securities fraud and money laundering. In 2003, he was sentenced to four years in prison, but he only served 22 months of his sentence. 

Belfort later had a restitution agreement to pay 50% of his income, which is a total of $110 million. After legal battles, he agreed to pay a minimum of $10,000 per month for life. According to Celebrity Net Worth, they believe Belfort’s current net worth is actually at a negative $100 million because he still owes restitution to his former clients.

Writing, film adaptation and motivational speaking career

In 2007, Belfort published a book titled The Wolf of Wall Street. The book was about his rise and fall on Wall Street. He also wrote Catching the Wolf of Wall Street. In 2013, director Martin Scorsese produced a movie based on his books, and the earnings from this movie have brought Belfort more than $50 million.

In 2017, Belfort went on to write another book titled Way of the Wolf: Straight Line Selling: Master the Art of Persuasion, Influence and Success. The book details the sales techniques he used with his team of brokers while operating on Wall Street. In 2023, Belfort released another memoir titled The Wolf of Investing, which claims to detail the ultimate strategy for making money on Wall Street.

After his release, Jordan Belfort embarked on a new career path as a motivational speaker. He used his life experiences to teach sales and entrepreneurship skills to others. Through this, Belfort’s net worth reportedly saw a 20% growth annually. Booking Belfort at a speaking engagement costs between $30,000 and $75,000.

The bottom line: Belfort remains one of the most controversial figures in Wall Street’s history

From meat sales to founding Stratton Oakmont, Belfort attempted to build an empire by any means necessary, even if it involved illegal or unethical practices. Despite his past as a financial criminal, Belfort’s charisma and unique life experience have made him a sought-after motivational speaker, author and sales educator.

If you want to learn more about the net worths of other prominent individuals, feel free to check out articles about the real estate mogul Grant Cardone and Bitcoin inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto.