Jordan Belfort Net Worth 2024: Revealing the Story Behind The Negative Income Of The Real Wolf Of Wall Street

Jordan Belfort, aka, the real face behind The Wolf of Wall Street, had the world’s attention for all the wrong reasons. The once-a-millionaire has a net worth of a negative 100 million dollars today. 

He was involved in penny stock scams particularly pump-and-dump schemes during the 1990s and made millions. The world has always been curious to know details on not just Jordan Belfort net worth but also about his life mantra and ways of business. So how much is Jordan Belfort worth today?

Overview of Jordan Belfort Net Worth 

Net Worth	-$100 million
Profession	Former stockbroker, author, and motivational speaker
Source of Wealth	Public speaking, Investment guru, and Entrepreneur
Date of birth	9 July 1962
Place of birth	The Bronx, New York City, United States
Nationality	United States of America

What is Jordan Belfort’s Net Worth Today?

Today Belfort has a net worth of negative $100 million. But what went down for the digits to be on the negative side?  

Belfort was ordered to four years in prison for fraudulent activities and manipulating the stock market. He decided to cooperate with the authorities leading to a concession. Eventually, he served 22 months in prison for fraudulent activities and manipulating the stock market. 

Before the imprisonment, Jordan Belfort net worth was estimated at $200 million. After his plea of going bankrupt during the time he was asked to pay back $110 million to investors out of which he has only paid back $10 million in restitution. Hence, the net worth value of negative $100 million. 

Even after his imprisonment, he was never demotivated and wrote a memoir from the prison. He published The Wolf of Wall Street and Catching the Wolf of Wall. Fun fact is, he was never called the wolf of Wall Street in real life as the movie portrays. Neither did he target the filthy rich people. His victims were modest people who could not afford to lose such huge amounts of money to a scammer. 

Jordan Belfort’s Source of Income: Where Is the Wolf Hunting Now?

Jordan Belfort is past his image of a stock market fraud and has established himself as an author, motivational speaker, and investment guru. He has an official website where you can get an insight into the services provided by him.

Belfort has been earning a good amount of proceeds from his memoirs as well as the movie since his release from prison, adding to Jordan Belford net worth. 

• From the publication of his first memoir, he earned above $500,000 from Random House.
• Belfort earned above $1.2 million from the movie adaptation of his memoir The Wolf of Wall Street.
• For each public speaking engagement, he charges between $30,000 to $75,000.
• For sales seminar, the charges go up to $80,000.

There is no data available on Belfort’s annual income but in 2006 he was asked to pay 50% of his income every year to the victims he defrauded. Later, the amount was fixed to $10,000 per year for life. 

Jordan Belfort Net Worth At Peak

Belfort and Stratton Oakmont were at their peak during the mid-1990s with around 1000 stockbrokers employed in the company and Jordan Belfort net worth was reported to be $200 million. Stratton Oakmont dealt in penny stocks and used the pump-and-dump scheme to con its investors.

There were reports that Belfort laundered money into Swiss banks and also smuggled money to Switzerland with the help of his wife and mother-in-law. 

The success was shortlived as later in 1999, Belfort was charged with money laundering and securities fraud. 

Jordan Belfort’s Life Story: Where It All Started

Jordan Belfort always had a single goal in his life: to make it big. He didn’t care if it was by hook or by crook. He enrolled in Dental School but walked out the very first day when a faculty told him that being a dentist was not a way to being rich.

Before turning 25, he established a meat and seafood selling business but filed for bankruptcy to work as a stockbroker trainee at L.F. Rothschild. But after the 1987 Black Monday stock market crash he was dismissed from the company. He was determined to crack the stock market and founded Stratton Oakmont in 1989 with his partner, Danny Porush, and the rest is history.

From Financial Criminal to The Wolf of Wall Street

Though he was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment, he only served for 22 months. During his prison life, he came across Tommy Chong, his cellmate, who suggested he turn his life experience into a book. Hence, the iconic The Wolf of Wall Street happened.

Renowned director Martin Scorses bought the rights to the book from Belfort and turned it into a movie. He went ahead and wrote two more books titled Catching the Wolf of Wall Street and The Way of the Wolf. 

His life story had such an impact on the audience that he ended up becoming a motivational speaker and has a podcast channel on YouTube as well as Spotify. 

Controversy Between Jordan Belfort and The Wolf of the Wallstreet Film Studio

The Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie starrer blockbuster The Wolf of the Wall Street covered Belfort’s journey from being a stock broker to a money launderer to an author.

Jordan Belfort sued the filmmakers of The Wolf of the Wall Street for $300 million. He claimed that Red Granite Production was funded illegally and concealed the funding sources from him. Jordan Belfort sued the filmmakers of The Wolf of the Wall Street. Eventually, the producer of the movie was arrested in Malaysia for money laundering. 

The claims feel ironic and the movie had an equally dramatic release as Belfort’s real life. 

Nonetheless, DiCaprio did an impressive work and was applauded by the audience and critics alike. The movie earned him a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. If you have watched the movie, Jordan Belfort makes a cameo towards the end. (If you haven’t, this is your sign)

Conclusion

Jordan Belfort’s net worth might be a negative number on paper, but he is far from being broke. His criminal record did not stop him from dreaming big in life. While some might loathe his ways of earning and fraudulent activities, there still are people who believe that Belfort is a one-man institution and hence look up to him for financial as well as life learnings.