Chelsea Clinton has been hustling since way back, going from presidential first daughter
to mother, wife, and philanthropist.
No matter what path she chose, she would have been famous, but she's also established a
successful career for herself, amassing a hefty fortune.
Here's how much she really makes.
While her famous last name no doubt opened doors for her, Clinton hasn't relied on her
parents to carry her through life.
The former first daughter began studying ballet at the age of four, learned how to invest
in the stock market when she was 11, and even skipped the third grade.
Her stellar high school record gained her admission to the elite Stanford University,
where she initially planned to become a doctor.
"We were really proud of her, really excited for her, but, you know, we were gonna miss
her, she was all the way across the country, and we were heading back to the White House
alone."
She eventually changed her major from pre-med to history, earning her master's degree in
international relations from Oxford University.
After a few years in the workforce, Clinton went back to school to get yet another Oxford
degree.
And in 2014, she graduated with a Ph.D. in international relations, at the age of 34.
Famous parents aside, such an impressive resume under her belt makes Clinton legitimately
qualified for any number of high-paying jobs.
"Were you asked to fix Middle East peace at any point?"
"No, that never came up."
Rumors persist that Clinton's parents are responsible for her fortune, including one
alleging that after graduating, she was hired by her parents, who then paid her a cushy
salary of $900,000 a year.
So how much truth was there to the allegation?
According to Snopes, absolutely none.
While it's true that Clinton was making a pretty big chunk of change at the time that
the rumor was going around, her real salary was nowhere near the almost million dollar
salary that the gossip claimed.
Her money also didn't come from her parents; she earned that from other sources.
Clinton entered the workforce straight out of grad school, landing a gig with consulting
firm McKinsey after completing her master's at Oxford, according to The Telegraph.
Clinton's starting salary for the job should have been roughly just over $50,000, but the
Observer claimed that Clinton was actually raking in a solid $120,000 in her first year
with the company.
Clinton reportedly stayed at McKinsey for three years.
But the job took its toll, and she eventually parted ways with the firm, telling The Telegraph,
"Was I going to continue to work 100 hours a week and invest time there and energy?
Or was I going to go do something else?"
Clinton went on to enter the hedge fund world, joining Avenue Capital Group, in 2006.
Founders, Marc Lasry and Sonia Gardener, were major contributors to Hillary's Senate re-election
campaign.
While Clinton's exact salary at Avenue Capital isn't publicly known, the Intelligencer estimated
that as a newcomer with limited experience, Clinton would have been expected to make a
starting annual salary of $100,000.
Hedge funds are also known for paying out substantial bonuses.
Chelsea's first-year bonus could have been as much as $150,000, more than doubling her
salary.
In 2011, Clinton joined NBC News and was paid quite handsomely for her contributions.
"We're so glad to have you."
"I'm so glad to be here."
As a special correspondent, she was reported to be making a jaw-dropping $600,000 per year,
more than many full-time correspondents were earning at the time, according to Vanity Fair.
Official sources were reluctant to comment on the details of Clinton's employment, with
a network spokesperson telling Politico at the time,
"We don't comment on details of existing contracts.
NBC News continues to enjoy a wonderful working relationship with Chelsea, and we are proud
of her work."
The job, along with the hefty salary, was criticized by many who thought that Clinton
didn't have the journalistic skills to justify her position.
The Los Angeles Times speculated that NBC was trying to, quote, "curry favor" with the
Clintons, while the Intelligencer criticized NBC for paying Clinton more than half a million
per year to, quote, "do nothing, basically."
While working for NBC wasn't a full-time gig, Clinton did work on assignments for Rock Center
with Brian Williams, and also contributed to NBC's Nightly News.
She left the position in 2014.
Since 2011, Clinton has also served as the vice chair of her family's organization, the
Clinton Foundation.
While she presumably doesn't draw a salary for her work with the philanthropic organization,
its mission is very important to her.
Clinton told The Telegraph that she wants to focus on issues that have…
"Existed too long in the shadows, that historically have made people uncomfortable."
The foundation works globally, focusing on initiatives that address global warming, providing
food and healthcare for people living in poverty, and children's health.
"87 percent of our funds go directly to support our work, whether that's our school work here
in the United States or our work on HIV/AIDS around the world."
Plenty of people claim she's profiting off her parents' success, and it's a reputation
that she wants to prove wrong.
She said in an interview with The Telegraph,
"I will just always work harder [than anybody else] and hopefully perform better.
And hopefully, over time, I pre-empt and erase whatever expectations people have of me not
having a good work ethic, or not being smart, or not being motivated."
In 2019, Clinton announced that she and her father plan to launch a podcast in connection
with the organization, called Why Am I Telling You This.
But while it's dear to her heart, the family Foundation is also a source of internal conflict.
She told The Telegraph,
"It is frustrating, because who wants to grow up and follow their parents?
I've tried really hard to care about things that were very different from my parents...[But]
I feel called to this work both as a daughter and also as someone who believes I have contributions
to make."
One of Clinton's most lucrative positions to date pays her hundreds of thousands of
dollars for attending just a handful of meetings.
She sits on the boards of two companies, IAC and Expedia, both of which are run by family
friend Barry Diller, a billionaire who donated over $400,000 to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential
campaign, according to the Daily Mail.
Chelsea has reportedly been on the board of IAC since 2011 and, in 2018, made nearly $300,000
in combined stock and cash for attending just six meetings.
According to SEC filings, Clinton owns more than $6 million in stock in the company.
Clinton also made over $300,000 for attending a couple of Expedia board meetings.
While she owns less stock in that company, her total Expedia stocks are worth over $400,000,
considerably bolstering her net worth.
Like both her parents, Clinton has also published several books, including children's books,
and she's also co-authored a book on global health.
"So, I'm so excited to share with you my next picture book, and outside of my children,
you're the first people to hear this book."
Her She Persisted series features a strong feminist message, and is centered on the lives
of famous women.
She explained to The Guardian that she wants to highlight the achievements of women, especially
as most popular children's books feature boys, explaining,
"It's so often the case that our stories are centered around men, told by men, the heroes
are men, and so I think it's hugely important that we make women more visible...[and] also
to imagine and create more female-centred stories moving forward."
With an estimated net worth of $15 million, Clinton is rich in her own right, but she
also married someone with a fortune of his own.
Her husband, Marc Mezvinsky.
grew up in a well-to-do family and, like his wife, also attended Stanford.
The Mezvinsky and Clinton families have been friends since the '90s, which is how the two
originally met.
Mezvinsky is an investment banker who has worked for Goldman Sachs as well as hedge
fund, 3G Capita, reportedly earning an estimated $2 million a year.
The couple also has some substantial assets, including a $10.5 million apartment in New
York City, according to Vanity Fair.
Their home boasts 5,000 square feet and is an upgrade from their previous place, which
they bought for the comparatively cheap sum of $4 million.
What do you give the person who has everything?
How about a really, really expensive wedding?
The lavish affair, which took place in 2010, caused a media frenzy.
Clinton's custom-made Vera Wang gown alone cost more than many normal weddings in their
entirety at an estimated cost of $25,000, according to The Knot.
Throw in a 500-pound wedding cake with 9 tiers standing at a total of 4 feet, estimated to
cost a minimum of $10,000, as well as an 18-piece big band orchestra, and you're looking at
quite a hefty overall price tag.
The wedding took place at Astor Courts estate in Rhinebeck, New York, where receptions can
cost up to $200,000, according to ABC News.
The total cost of the event was estimated to clock in at a whopping $2 million.
"For Hillary and me, it was a very special day and one I suppose I'll remember 'til the
day I die."
That's a lot of money, even for those as wealthy as the Clintons, but the family reportedly
didn't exactly foot the entire bill themselves.
In 2016, emails released by WikiLeaks indicated that the Clinton Foundation paid for at least
part of the lavish wedding, according to the Independent, but that claim has yet to be
confirmed.
As the only child of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Chelsea stands to add to her already massive
personal net worth when she one day inherits her parents' wealth.
The Clintons famously claimed to have left the White House with hardly any money, and
Hillary has also claimed that they didn't go in with much, either.
She told ABC,
"We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to piece together the resources
for mortgages for houses, for Chelsea's education.
It was not easy."
In the years that followed, though, the Clintons managed to amass a large personal fortune
through speaking events and book sales.
According to a 2016 Forbes analysis of their tax returns, the Clintons had raked in over
$240 million since leaving the White House.
While most of the money was made by the former president through book sales, they no doubt
added to their sizable nest egg the following year when Hillary's post-election loss book,
What Happened, broke sales records.
While she may be busy with her career, Clinton's most important job is being a mother.
"My most important identity now though is as a mother to my two children."
The former first daughter has her hands full with her growing family.
After the birth of her first child, she told Elle,
"Marc and I are like, 'What did we do before we were parents?'
My whole life is reoriented around my daughter in the most blessed sense.
I now understand…all of the enthusiastic, bombastically spectacular, wonderful things
people say about their children."
Being a mother might keep her busy, but it has also reinforced Clinton's commitment toward
gender equality.
She told Sky News,
"I didn't know that I could care anymore about gender equality until I became a mom, and
until I became the mother of a daughter.
What had been such an imperative to me…became all that more visceral, because now it's not
just all girls that I'm fighting for, it's also [my daughter] Charlotte."
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