Some U.S. presidents were born into wealth while some began as ordinary individuals and had to work their way up to the top. While some presidents left with impressive amounts of money, others left the office completely broke. In this article, we will be going through what the net worths of U.S. President have been along with how their finances changed during and after their time in office.
List of U.S. President According to Wealth
1. Donald J. Trump
Net Worth Before: $3.7 billion
Net Worth After: $2.3 billion
Donald Trump is perhaps the wealthiest leader in U.S. history. Yet, although he amassed a substantial part of his fortune in real estate, his presidency did cost him some money — plunging 700 million dollars in value because of several lawsuits, ruinous brand management, and drastic improvement of his real-estate holdings. Still, post-presidency finances haven’t looked this good since his final term and Trump continues to dominate the financial charts among U.S. presidents.
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2. John F. Kennedy
Net Worth Before: $1.3 billion
John Kennedy F. belonged to a wealthy family. His father had vested in banking and real estate as well and that helped the family build a fortune. Even though Kennedy’s life and presidency were cut short by a few years, he still ranks among the most financially successful presidents of his time. The former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy’s, financially well-off family was also a factor in his wealth.
3. George Washington
Net Worth After: 525 million dollars (adjusting for inflation)
As the first President of the USA, George Washington owned many plantations across Virginia. This was where his wealth came from: Approximately 8000 acres of land and over 300 slaves. Washington’s name continues to feature among the wealthiest individuals of all time.
4. Thomas Jefferson
Net Worth Before: 240 million dollars
Net Worth After: Broke
Even though Thomas Jefferson had vast land holdings under his name, he was always under duress as the rest of his family fought wars on the financial side of things. He lived on a high-spending lifestyle which meant that most of his estate had to be sold after he passed. His story has many morals to it of how not to spend wealth.
5. Theodore Roosevelt
Net Worth Before: 168.6 million dollars
The Stimulus Trust Fund was in the name of Theodore Roosevelt but instead of funding, he focused more on serving the public and thus spending most of the funds. His life was one of limited budget growth since he focused a lot on political activities and conservation. But nowhere in history has there been a political leader and reformer like him.
6. Andrew Jackson
Net Worth After: 132.6 million dollars (in today’s currency)
Andrew Jackson began his life in poverty but later became a lawyer and relished on plantations. Yet his wealth did not come overnight. It’s tainted with the controversy of being slave driven. Jackson’s ideals as well as his money greatly contributed to his financial status at that time.
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7. James Madison
Net Worth After: 136.7 million dollars (Inflation adjusted)
Wealthy from being a descendant of a family that owned plantations, James Madison, known as the ‘Father of the Constitution,’ derived a sizable net worth from his estate Montpelier, the land he possessed, though most of it was through the forceful labor of enslaved people.
8. Lyndon B. Johnson
Net Worth After: $131.9 million
Lyndon B Johnson along with his wife Lady Bird ventured into building a media business and owned radio and television stations which along with their owned land in Texas placed Johnson as one of the richest presidents alongside his business endeavors.
9. Bill Clinton
Net Worth Before: 1.3 million dollars
Net Worth After: 241.5 million dollars
Bill and Hillary Clinton were the highest-earning couple in America after their presidency with wealth increasing significantly post-Bill’s presidency due to charity speeches and attorney fees dominating their income followed by book publications. The wealth grew more when Hillary stepped into Zjhe’s political world.
10. Barack Obama
Net Worth Before: 1.3 million dollars
Net Worth After: 70 million dollars
John. Barack Obama, unlike many modern presidents, didn’t start his presidency with a lot of money. But after leaving the white house along with Michelle the two used their stardom and fame to all the money grabbing and following multi-million dollar book deals. On projection, the net worth is still increasing and is supposed to reach 242 million.
11. Ronald Reagan
Net Worth Before: $10.6 million
Net Worth After: $15.4 million
His acting profession financed Ronald Reagan prior to his political engagement. Even though he had Alzheimer’s some years after leaving the presidency, his finances increased at a slow rate, mainly from speaking engagements and writing books.
12. George H.W. Bush
Net Worth Before: $4 million
Net Worth After: $23 million
The elder Bush was able to boost his riches further after serving as a president by joining various corporate boards and taking up speaking engagements. Being a former CIA director and vice president also enhanced his financial lures.
13. Jimmy Carter
Net Worth Before: $2.3 million
Net Worth After: $10 million
Carter restructured the model by which an individual finances himself after the office term as president. Although when he left office he was in dire financial straits, he earned huge profits through writing books and speaking in public and became a humanitarian icon.
14. Gerald Ford
Net Worth Before: $1.4 million
Net Worth After: $7 million
During the two years of his presidency, he went from Gerald Ford to former Ford in a short span and signed books and went for speaking engagements since after being a president it was the best time for earning.
15. Richard Nixon
Net Worth Before: $2 million
Net Worth After: $15 million
Perhaps the most extreme example of actually rebuilding oneself after suffering defeat and dying financially would be the case of Richard Nixon. His story is a fascinating tale of how to write memoirs, give speeches, and utilize other opportunities post serving as a president. Most interestingly, he was able to increase the size of his wealth by a whopping 650 percent.
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The Evolution of Presidential Wealth
A senior office role in the US means that you can easily find chances for employment after leaving the position. Among other things, many offices will offer their members the opportunity to write a book, or sometime in the future more likely every single ex-president will become a public speaker as this is the more typical presentation of a modern president rather than the set in Stonehouse within the framed but influential fiber logically called the Oval Office.
As wealth accumulation is a constant struggle, every single ex-president seems to have had the hardest (financial) time of their life for an ex-president’s set of conditions shows a different story every time. This story keeps getting richer as years go by because it shows the interplay between the politics of power and politics of cash – presidents do not solely have to serve the public.
