(NewsNation) – With the wealthy name Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was born to be in the political spotlight – and to be a millionaire.
RFK Jr. is the son of the tardy Robert F. Kennedy, a senator from New York and U.S. Attorney General in the 1960s.
RFK Jr., like his father, ran for president. The elder Kennedy was shot while running as a Democrat, while the younger Kennedy, running as an independent, withdrew from the 2024 race in August.
He supported and was later nominated for President-elect Donald Trump Trump’s Cabinet on Nov. 14 to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services. Congress must approve the selection.
RFK Jr. Net Worth
RFK Jr.’s net worth is around $15 million. Forbes estimatesAs of Nov. 14.
Accordingly, the Kennedy family’s fortune was estimated at $1.2 billion in 2015 Forbes.
His uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, is the second richest American president in history with a net worth during his lifetime $1.3 billion (taking inflation into account).
Kennedy family fortune
Although RFK Jr. was not as wealthy as some family members when they were alive, he shared his father’s inheritance with his ten siblings.
According to Forbes, his share of the family fortune is worth about $4 million, along with a $1.75 million to $6.5 million stake in luxury apartments and office properties in Chicago.
The Kennedy family’s wealth was built over generations. His grandfather, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., made a fortune investing in stocks and then built an extensive portfolio investing in real estate and private companies.
In 1998, the family sold the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, once the largest building in the world, for around $300 million.
According to Forbes, the family’s money is held in trust funds that are passed down to each heir.
Forbes reported that RFK Jr. owns about $500,000 in stocks, private equity and hedge funds managed by the family-owned Park Financial Holdings.
How did RFK Jr. make his money?
Aside from inheriting wealth, RFK Jr. made his money as a top environmental lawyer.
He graduated from Harvard University and the University of Virginia Law School. RFK Jr. was an assistant district attorney in New York City before entering the nonprofit industry as an environmental lawyer in the 1980s.
He then founded the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University School of Law in 1987, where he served as the clinic’s lead attorney for three decades.
He was also a professor of law.
In 1999, RFK Jr. founded the Waterkeeper Alliance, a global network of environmental organizations dedicated to protecting waters, of which he served as president until 2020.
In 2000, he co-founded Kennedy & Madonna LLP, a successful environmental law firm that was featured in the 2010 HBO documentary Mann v. Ford” was presented.
He later became an advisor to Morgan & Morgan in 2016.
This is not an exhaustive list of ventures RFK Jr. has been a part of.
Investments, companies and real estate
In his opinion Financial disclosure 2023RFK Jr. owns between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of Bitcoin, earned nearly $5.5 million from his law firm Kennedy & Madonna LLP, and earned more than $1.5 million as a consultant for another law firm.
His wife Cheryl Hines, known for her acting role in the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” brought in $1 million in residuals from her acting projects between 2022 and early 2023.
According to Forbes, RFK Jr. owns an estimated $3 million property at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
He also owns a $7 million home in Los Angeles with Hines.
