Several former presidents found creative and lucrative ways to boost their wealth after leaving office. From publishing deals to investments and entrepreneurship, they leveraged their status to generate significant income.
George Washington expanded grain production on his plantation, where more than 300 people were enslaved at the time of his death in 1799. John Quincy Adams and William Howard Taft obtained new government jobs as congressman and chief justice of the Supreme Court , respectively. Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia , while Teddy Roosevelt launched a 15,000-mile expedition into the Amazon rainforest.
These are just a few of the ways former presidents spent their time after leaving arguably the most important office on the planet. While each commander in chief had different experiences, life after the White House proved to be quite lucrative in recent times, as these former leaders leveraged their status and fan base to land lucrative speaking engagements, book deals and other deals.
Now Donald Trump is taking this to a new level, becoming the first person to make $1 billion from politics in less than four years after losing re-election and as he embarks on his third bid for president. Here’s a breakdown of the post-presidential wealth of every living ex-president.
Except for Trump, net worth estimates represent minimums. All book sales data comes from BookScan .
Donald Trump
Net worth: $3.8 billion.
The richest president in U.S. history ended his first term in deep financial straits, with his entire real estate empire — commercial holdings, hotels, licensing deals — upended by the combination of a global pandemic and a landlord at odds with the American public.
Yet Trump, who has already survived four bankruptcies, two impeachments and near-constant scandals, has managed to pull through once again: Since leaving office, his fortune has soared, nearly tripling at its peak.
The billionaire restructured or paid off billions of dollars in debt and saw his golf course and resort business flourish, with followers flocking to his properties. But the biggest boost to his finances, at least on paper, came from Truth Social , his alternative version of Twitter , which, despite generating just $3.4 million in the 12 months through June and posting a net loss of $380 million, became a way for MAGA -friendly retail traders to personally invest in their favorite president and his prospects.
As of Thursday, his market value was estimated at around $3 billion. Trump’s stock is worth nearly $1.7 billion, allowing him to return to the Forbes 400 list after being left off twice in the past three years.
Barack Obama
Net worth: over $70 million
Obama earned about $20 million during his 12 years in Washington DC as a senator and president, and had an estimated net worth of $6 million in 2012. That figure skyrocketed once he left office. He and his wife, Michelle , sold the rights to his memoir to Penguin Random House for $65 million in 2017, according to the Financial Times .
A year later, they founded Higher Ground Productions and signed a four-year deal with Netflix ; Obama has since won two Emmy Awards , and the production company, which released hits such as the post-apocalyptic film Leave the World Behind (starring Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali ), renewed its contract with Netflix in June.
The couple has also reportedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking engagements. According to real estate agents, they own properties in Chicago , Hawaii , Washington DC , and Martha’s Vineyard , with a combined value of $35.5 million (as appraised).
George W. Bush
Net worth: over $40 million
An early stint in the oil industry and a successful investment in the Texas Rangers earned him a handsome fortune. He was already a millionaire when he was elected president, but his wealth apparently dwindled while he was in office, according to his financial disclosures. He promised a reporter that he would «replenish the coffers» after leaving office.
The book deal for his memoir, Decision Points , which sold more than 2 million copies, reportedly earned him $7 million in 2009. He also made more than 200 paid speeches. Today, he and his wife, Laura , own two properties in Dallas valued at $4 million and $2.8 million , in addition to the family’s $10 million ranch outside Waco . The Texan has also published two books of his paintings and a biography of his father, the 41st president.
Jimmy Carter
Net worth: N/A
The 99-year-old former president, who served just one term, was never interested in giving high-paying speeches, telling the Washington Post in 2018: «It was just never my ambition to be rich.»
After leaving the White House in 1981, he and his wife, Rosalynn (died 2023), sold their debt-ridden peanut farm and, in 1994, donated their rural Georgia home , valued at less than $170,000, to the United States government.
Although they lived modestly, by all accounts, the Carters probably earned a tidy sum writing 34 books, including a memoir, a collection of poetry, a children’s book and reflections on aging. Their 2006 book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid , about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sold more than 300,000 copies.
