At the time of his death in 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was a fabulously wealthy man. Between his collection of lavish homes, two private Caribbean islands and nearly $380 million in cash and investments, he was worth $578 million, according to his estate.<br /><br />Exactly how he accrued those riches is at the heart of the ongoing scandal. The less interesting possibility is that Epstein’s sex crimes were separate from his day job as a financial advisor to billionaires, to whom he offered investment, estate and tax planning services. In a 2013 corporate filing, Epstein described himself as “an experienced and successful financier and businessman,” an “entrepreneur who has built several highly profitable companies” and “one of the pioneers of derivative and option-based investing.” The more scandalous scenario, as alleged by many of President Donald Trump’s supporters and conspiracy theorists, is that Epstein secretly taped his wealthy friends engaging in sex crimes with trafficked minors in his homes and on his islands and then blackmailed them, with his financial business serving as cover.<br /><br />The full origins of Epstein’s wealth remain shrouded in mystery, but what is clear, according to Forbes’ review of court filings, an investigative memo and financial records, is that Epstein relied above all on two billionaire clients and a tax gimmick to build his fortune.<br /><br />Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2025/07/25/how-jeffrey-epstein-got-so-rich/<br /><br />Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1<br /><br />Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:<br /><br />https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript<br /><br />Stay Connected<br />Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com<br />Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes<br />Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes<br />Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes<br />More From Forbes: http://forbes.com<br /><br />Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
