The former President Barack Obama is expected to earn a whopping $1.3 million for his speaking
tour around Australia and New Zealand after already receiving thousands of dollars for
his appearance at Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Barack is expected to get a lot more cash during his one-week tour of Japan and Singapore
and could reach up to seven figures for his work.
These high prices are due to the former President having signed up to the Harry Walker Agency
which quotes speaking fees of $520,000 and $650,000.
Obama is staying at Sydney’s Intercontinental Hotel, which can cost up to $2,449 and has
visited Malcolm Turnbull, John Key and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during his time there
so far. In New Zealand, he was treated to a traditional
Maori welcoming ceremony and spent the night at The Landing, a resort where private houses
can cost between $4,500 to $14,500. Barack was reportedly paid $290,000 for the
speaking engagement in which he discussed current events as well as this time in the
White House. However, one of the major sponsors of the trip, Mastercard, would not reveal
how much he is being paid for the entire tour.
Barack Obama’s net worth is approximately $40 million.
Obama has an annual salary of $400,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Most of his net worth has accumulated from the sales of his books The Audacity of Hope
and Dreams from My Father and continued to grow after his speech at the 2004 Democratic
National Convention. Barack reportedly earns $3.75 for every hardcover
copy and $1.12 for every paperback he sells and after the release of his new book, his
net worth is expected to rise exponentially. During his presidency, his salary was $400,000
a year but he also had access to a $150,000 expense account, a $100,000 tax free travel
account and a $20,000 entertainment budget.
In 2004, Barack Obama earned $60,287 from the Illinois State Senate and $32,144 from
the University of Chicago Law School. He now also has assets in four financial funds worth
between $50,000 and $100,000 each. A year later, he received a $847,000 book
advance with Random House plus $378,000 off book royalties; during this time, his investments
in grew with the addition of a Nuveen Floating Rate Income Fund and he also reported deposit
accounts valued between $150,000 and $350,000. 2005 also saw the Obamas move into a $1.6million
house in Kenwood, Chicago. In 2006, he reported royalties of under $150,000
plus $425,000 off a book advance and went on to acquire publicly-traded assets worth
tens of thousands from the likes of Goldman Sachs and Vanguard. The next year he earned
$3.3million from Random House and $816,000 from Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
He also acquired a Northern Municipal Money Market Fund which was valued between $1million
and $5 million, in addition to US Treasury notes with a value of between $500,000 and
$1million. He also started to invest in college plans for Malia and Sasha, each worth up to
$250,000. At the time of his election, he owned between £1 million and $5.1 million
in US Treasury bills. Their 2009 tax return showed a household income
of $5.5million, an increase from $4.2million in 2007 and $1.6million in 2005 and his Nobel
Peace Prize came with an award of $1.4 million, but he donated it to a number of charities.
In 2010, he gave 14% of his income to non-profit organisations, of which $131,000 went to the
Fisher House Foundation, a charity that aids wounded veterans’ families.
Michelle Obama’s net worth is also reportedly $40 million.