Introduction

Danielle Steel is an American professional writer with an estimated net worth of $600 Million. 

Quick Facts

• Earned an estimated $201 million between 2010 and 2018
• Peak annual income of $35 million in 2011
• A former bookkeeper allegedly stole $2.7 million from her in 2009
• 67th richest self-made woman in America

Net Worth History

Although not a billionaire, Forbes has been tracking Danielle Steel’s net worth for over a decade because she is a member of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. In 2016, she had an estimated net worth of $310 million, and for the next several years, this figure grew by $10-20 million annually. In 2024, her net worth jumped from $420 million to $500 million, and at the time of writing, she’s ranked as the 67th richest self-made woman in America, with an estimated net worth of $600 Million.

Earnings History

According to reports, between 2010 and 2018, Danielle Steel earned approximately $201 million from all endeavors. She often earned substantial annual sums from book advances, film and TV rights, and royalties. This included estimated earnings of $32 million in 2010 and $35 million in 2011, which were her highest-earning years of the decade. During the 2010s, Steel’s earnings gradually declined, dropping to between $22 million and $26 million in the mid-2010s and to $12 million by 2018. 

Legal Issues & Lawsuits

In 1993, Steel filed a lawsuit against author Lorenzo Bene, who was going to disclose that her son had been adopted by her husband at the time, John Traina. California law states that adoption records must remain sealed to protect adoptive families and can only be opened under very special circumstances. Generally, the records can be disclosed for medical purposes or with the consent of the adopted child once they reach adulthood. Steel believed that if her son’s adoption went public, it would violate her family’s privacy.

Despite her arguments, the state supreme court ruled in favor of opening the adoption record, which was highly unusual given that her son was still a minor at the time. Controversially, the court decided that, because of Steel’s public profile, privacy standards didn’t apply to her and therefore agreed that the records could be opened.

Theft By Former Assistant

In 2009, Steel was the victim of theft after her bookkeeper stole approximately $2.7 million from her. Kirsty Watts had worked for Steel for 15 years when, in November 2008, Steel discovered irregularities in the way Watts had handled credit cards and subsequently terminated her employment. An investigation later revealed that Watts had stolen the money by writing herself cheques and paying herself bonuses. She also used Steel’s credit card reward points to buy flights and gift cards for her family.

Watts was sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing over several years and agreed to surrender her assets to help repay the money. So far, she has returned the majority of what she stole, mainly through the sale of her home, its contents, and her family’s vehicles.

Real Estate

Danielle Steel and her husband, Thomas Perkins, own the Spreckles Estate in San Francisco, California. The property has a significant history. It was initially split into four units before Steel acquired it and began her restoration efforts. She also reportedly purchased approximately 25 parking permits for guests in the adjoining streets.

While we don’t know precisely how much Steel paid for the home, recent estimations place its current valuation at roughly $19.2 million. Public records show that the annual property taxes range from $130,000 to $140,000. Over at least twenty-five years of ownership, the couple is estimated to have spent at least $2.5 million on property taxes alone. 

Introduction

The Fat Jewish is an American professional writer, actor, model, winemaker, and entrepreneur with an estimated net worth of $80 Million. 

Net Worth Details

While The Fat Jewish is a man of many talents and industries, almost all of his net worth comes from a single venture. This was his alcohol company, Swish Beverages, which was acquired by Anheuser-Busch in 2019 for between $150 million and $200 million. In the years leading up to the sale, he’d only been worth several million dollars, but thanks to an estimated $120 million payout, his net worth ballooned to roughly $80 Million.

Swish Beverages

In 2015, The Fat Jewish partnered with Alexander Ferzan and actors Tanner Cohen and David Oliver Cohen to launch their American wine brand, Swish Beverages. Later that year, the company released its flagship product, White Girl Rosé, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and White Zinfandel. It was sold in 750ml bottles for the low price of $14.99.

The following year, Swish launched a canned sparkling Rosé called Babe Rosé, followed by Babe Grigio and Babe Red in 2018. These three canned drinks all mimicked the same simplistic branding, featuring bold lettering on a plain white can with different colored fonts (blue, purple, and red).

After rolling out the full collection, the Babe line in particular began receiving significant attention from potential investors, and the company even secured a small investment from DJ Diplo. At the end of 2018, Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired a minority stake in Swish Beverages through its venture capital arm, ZX Ventures. A year later, they acquired the remaining stake, taking full ownership of the company in a deal reportedly worth between $150 million and $200 million. 

It’s believed that The Fat Jewish held the largest stake at the time of the sale, and some reports suggest he personally received $120 million before taxes. Interestingly, Anheuser-Busch InBev discontinued White Girl Rosé and the entire Babe collection in 2023.

Real Estate

In July 2022, The Fat Jewish paid $2.5 million for a 3,873-square-foot, six-bedroom home in Miami Shores, Florida. He returned the property to the market in June 2024, asking for $4.25 million, but reduced the price to $3.85 million in September. It’s currently still for sale.

Introduction

Jordan Peterson is a Canadian psychology professor, YouTuber, and author with an estimated net worth of $8 Million. 

This profile details our research into Jordan Peterson’s net worth, and more importantly, some of the legal issues he’s been involved in.

Wilfrid Laurier University Lawsuit

In 2018, Peterson filed a lawsuit against Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, and several of its faculty members for defamation. The lawsuit came after Lindsay Shepherd, a teaching assistant at Laurier, played a video clip to her class, which showed Peterson debating the use of pronouns. Following complaints from some of her students, Shepherd attended a disciplinary meeting with three University professors. Although the meeting was closed to the public, Shepherd secretly recorded the professors comparing Peterson’s speech to Adolf Hitler and accusing him of creating a toxic classroom environment.

Shepherd then made the recordings public in November 2017, posting them on social media and sending them to the National Post newspaper in Canada. Following the release of the tapes, the University issued a press release saying that Peterson would benefit from the controversy. In response, Peterson added this to the defamation suit and asked for an additional $1.7 million, as the press release had caused him reputational harm. After many years of back and forth, Peterson voluntarily dropped the lawsuit, and the case was officially dismissed on November 7, 2024.

College of Psychologists Dispute

Several years later, in 2022, Peterson was involved in a second legal case following complaints to the College of Psychologists of Ontario, the governing body for Psychologists in Ontario, Canada. Since 2018, the College has received numerous complaints from members of the public about Peterson’s posts on gender identity, climate change, and politics.

In November 2022, further concerns were raised after Peterson appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he made negative comments about a former client. The College of Psychologists of Ontario agreed that some of Peterson’s comments were unprofessional and went against their code of conduct about the use of respectful language. Eventually, the College admitted that Peterson’s comments could damage public trust in psychology and, on November 22, 2022, ordered Peterson to go on a social media coaching program. They also issued a warning that if he didn’t comply, it could lead to allegations of professional misconduct and he could lose his licence to practise.

Peterson argued that his posts were his own personal opinions and the order violated his right to free speech. However, the court disagreed, and in August 2023, a judge ruled that, as Peterson kept publicly referring to himself as a psychologist, he had to follow professional regulations. The Judge explained that Peterson couldn’t use his professional title while also ignoring the responsibilities that come with it, and the coaching order was to make sure he followed professional rules. The Judge also rejected Peterson’s challenge and ordered him to pay $25,000 in legal costs.

In August 2024, Peterson made a second appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but his case was rejected, and Peterson had no choice but to attend the social media coaching program.