The Wolf of Wall Street tells the story of corruption and how the Jordan Belfort net worth helped lead to his downfall. In the film, directed by Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio played Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who made millions before being imprisoned for financial fraud and stock market manipulation. The Wolf of Wall Street, based on Belfort’s memoir of the same name, saw him gain notoriety and become a millionaire, but Belfort is no longer worth as much as he used to be.
After Belfort’s fraudulent behavior was revealed, he went to prison for 22 months. But that didn’t deter him; he wrote his memoir and then became a motivational speaker. He charges upwards of $75,000 to speak at conferences, and even more for a sales seminar. To say that Jordan Belfort is struggling financially would be untrue, as he continues to earn a significant income from speaking engagements, memoirs, and his investment portfolios. But Belfort isn’t the Wolf of Wall Street anymore, and his current net worth is below what he made at the height of his career.
Jordan Belfort’s Peak Net Worth Explained
Belfort Was Worth Between $200 Million & $1 Billion
Before being found guilty of financial crimes, Jordan Belfort’s net worth was estimated at $200 million (via Own Your Own Future, not adjusted for inflation), but there have been suggestions that the actual amount could be upwards of $1 billion. Belfort was at his peak in the mid-1990s, and his company, Stratton Oakmont, issued stocks totaling more than $1 billion before everything went downhill.
Belfort’s net worth at the time allowed him to live a life of great wealth and comfort — over-the-top parties, drugs, luxury cars and yachts, and mansions were things he could afford. The Wolf of Wall Street highlights many of these aspects of Belfort’s life. The former stockbroker was living large at his career peak. However, Belfort’s rise to the top didn’t last very long.
He was asked to pay back an estimated $110 million to the investors
In 1999, Belfort was charged with money laundering and securities fraud, and sentenced to four years in prison a few years later in 2003. While he was only in prison for a little under two years, Belfort’s net worth plummeted in that time, as he was asked to pay back an estimated $110 million to the investors who were swindled out of their money. Belfort still owes $100 million, though, since he only paid back $10 million in resтιтution, and continues making money through other means.
What Jordan Belfort’s Net Worth Is In 2025
He Is Either Worth $115 Million Or Negative $100 Million
Jordan Belfort’s net worth in 2025 is estimated at around $115 million (via Start Up Booted). This is mainly due to the income from speaking engagements, memoir sales, and the ᴀssets he owns — 12 real estate properties, nine luxury cars, three yachts, and more. That said, Celebrity Net Worth reports that Belfort’s current net worth is negative $100 million because of the resтιтution amount he still owes but has not paid in full. The Wolf of Wall Street subject still makes an annual income of $18 million. It isn’t anywhere near the amount he was making at the height of his career.
Did Jordan Belfort Make Money From The Wolf Of Wall Street Movie?
Jordan Belfort Made Almost $1 Million For The Movie Rights
In 2020, Jordan Belfort sued Red Granite, the financer behind The Wolf of Wall Street, for $300 million. He claimed that the production company was funded with “dirty money” and that he never would have sold the rights to his memoir if he had known this (via The Hollywood Reporter). In the lawsuit, Red Granite’s lawyers responded with this comment: “Jordan Belfort’s lawsuit is nothing more than a desperate and supremely ironic attempt to get out from under an agreement that for the first time in his life made him rich and famous through lawful and legitimate means.“
As they said in their filing, Belfort became “rich and famous” thanks to The Wolf of Wall Street. However, what seems most shocking was that he got the money for selling the film rights and never actually had to pay them to the people to whom the courts ordered resтιтution. Business Week reports that Belfort received almost $1 million and never paid anything to the people he ripped off:
“Red Granite Pictures purchased the rights to The Wolf and its sequel for $1.045 million, according to the letter (it had been optioned by Warner Brothers in 2007), of which Belfort got $940,500; an additional $250,000 is forthcoming. That same year, the government contends, Belfort made $21,000 in resтιтution payments.”
Also, Belfort was paid a $500,000 advance from Random House for the book on which the movie was based. He also wrote a second book, Catching the Wolf of Wall Street. After that, he wrote a motivational self-help book and then an investment book on how to make money on the Stock Market. He clearly used his fame from The Wolf of Wall Street movie to become a best-selling author, and Belfort claims he offered 100% of his book sales as resтιтution, but the courts reportedly declined this offer.
