John Paulson
- Net worth $3.7 billion
- Birthday December 14, 1955
- Status -
- Country United States
- Source(-s) of wealth Investor
How much is John Paulson Worth? John Paulson Net Worth in 2026
John Paulson’s net worth is estimated at $3.7 billion as of November 2026. Today’s fortune is smaller than the nearly $9 billion he reportedly took home in just two years, 2007 and 2010. More than half of his listed stock book now sits in two mining stories, one of them tied to a merger due for a shareholder vote on 3 November, with no result published when we checked.
| Net worth | $3.7 billion (our estimate, range $3 billion to $4.5 billion) |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 December 1955, Queens, New York (age 70) |
| Country | United States |
| Known for | The 2007 subprime mortgage trade, Paulson and Co, Donlin Gold, Steinway |
| Main income sources | Family office investments in mining, biotech and financial stocks, private companies |
How much is John Paulson worth in 2026?
We estimate about $3.7 billion. The stock positions are well documented, thanks to securities filings, so most of the uncertainty sits in what filings don’t show: borrowing, trusts and private holdings. Public estimates disagree because many are struck on older share prices, and a mining portfolio can swing by hundreds of millions in a season. Older figures also tend to confuse his firm’s assets, $38 billion in 2011, with money that was ever his.
How John Paulson built it
- Bet on one researched view. He bet against subprime mortgages, and the trade paid him nearly $4 billion in 2007.
- Stayed heavily invested in mining. About 57 percent of his listed book is now Donlin and Perpetua, by our calculation.
- Gave away large named sums. His named gifts total $850 million, including $400 million to Harvard in 2015.
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Get the Alux appHow we got to $3.7 billion
| Source | Our estimate | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Donlin Gold and NovaGold | $1.76 billion | The NovaGold merger release gives Paulson about 40 percent of the economics of a company worth about $4.2 billion at $5.63 a share, or about 746 million shares. At $5.89 on 3 November 2026, that is $4.39 billion, and 40 percent is $1.76 billion. The deal had not closed when we checked. |
| Perpetua Resources | $0.52 billion | About 32.4 million shares, from the 30 June 2026 filing data ($672 million at $20.76), at $16.16 on 3 November 2026. |
| Other listed stocks | $1.74 billion | Madrigal $720 million, Acadian $418 million, Bausch Health $361 million, International Tower Hill $208 million, Thryv $33 million, Alphabet $2 million. All at 30 June 2026 prices, the latest we could open. |
| Steinway Musical Instruments | $0.5 billion | Our assumption: the 2013 purchase price of about $512 million, with no gain or debt counted, because no later value is public. |
| Hebrew University gift | Minus $0.25 billion | Reported in October 2026. We deduct it in full, assuming it isn’t already out of the holdings above. |
| Debt and holdings that aren’t his personally | Minus $0.6 billion | Our assumption: 15 percent of the $4.02 billion listed book. Filings show holdings, not borrowing, family trusts or other people’s share. |
| Total | $3.67 billion | Sum of the rows above. We round to $3.7 billion. |
The range comes from that last assumption and from gold stocks. Double the deduction and the total is about $3.1 billion. Remove it, and add a 25 percent gain on the June prices of the other stocks, and it is about $4.7 billion, which we trim to $4.5 billion because we don’t believe he has no debt at all.
$9 billion earned, $3.7 billion left
Our calculation starts with two years. Gregory Zuckerman reported nearly $4 billion for Paulson personally in 2007, described as the largest one-year payout in financial market history, on a trade that made about $20 billion for clients and staff across 2007 and 2008. Nearly $5 billion more is credited to him for 2010, mainly on gold. Add those and you have about $9 billion before tax. Our $3.7 billion is about 41 percent of it, ignoring everything he made in every other year.
Some of the difference is easy to find. Zuckerman reported about $1.5 billion in federal and state tax payments in one stretch. His named gifts total $850 million: $100 million to the Central Park Conservancy in 2012, $400 million to Harvard in 2015, $100 million for an NYU building in 2022 and, as of October 2026, $250 million to Hebrew University. Losses explain much of the rest: his firm lost money in 2011 on Bank of America, Citigroup and Sino-Forest, and firm assets fell from $38 billion in 2011 to under $9 billion in 2019, most of it his own. He handed back outside money in 2020.
Two mines hold most of the listed book
By our math, Donlin and Perpetua together are $2.28 billion of the $4.02 billion in listed stock: about 57 percent. Perpetua shows the risk. The company’s February 2026 presentation had him at 26.0 percent, and the June 30 filing data valued the position at $672 million. At $16.16 on 3 November, the same shares fetch about $523 million. That is $149 million gone in four months with no decision on his part.
Donlin is the bigger bet and the stranger deal. Under the July 2026 agreement, NovaGold buys his 40 percent of the project for shares, priced at a 10 percent discount to its value, and his vote is capped at 19.99 percent even though his economic interest is about 40 percent. He accepted less voting power than he owns, at a discount, in return for shares in one listed company holding all of a project with about 40 million ounces of measured and indicated gold. What he paid for that 40 percent wasn’t disclosed in the release, so we can’t show a gain.
What would move the figure
A NovaGold shareholder meeting on the deal was set for 3 November 2026, with closing expected in the fourth quarter. At about 298 million shares, each $1 on the NovaGold price moves him by about $300 million. Madrigal is the other big swing: at $720 million, a 25 percent move is worth $180 million. The Steinway holding could also reset the total if it is ever sold, since we are still carrying it at a price from 2013, about $512 million. Conn-Selmer, an instrument maker his firm owns, moved its brass production from Ohio to China in June 2026.
John Paulson net worth FAQ
What is John Paulson’s net worth?
Our estimate is $3.7 billion as of November 2026, with a range of $3 billion to $4.5 billion. Listed stakes are documented, and borrowing and private holdings are our assumptions.
How much did John Paulson make from the subprime trade?
Nearly $4 billion personally in 2007, reported as the largest one-year payout in financial market history. The trade made about $20 billion for clients and staff across 2007 and 2008.
What does John Paulson own now?
Mainly stakes in NovaGold and Donlin Gold, Perpetua Resources, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Acadian Asset Management and Bausch Health, plus Steinway, bought for about $512 million in 2013.
Is Paulson and Co still a hedge fund?
No. It returned outside money in 2020 and became a family office. Firm assets had fallen from $38 billion in 2011 to under $9 billion in 2019.
How much has John Paulson given away?
We count $850 million in named gifts: Central Park Conservancy, Harvard, NYU and $250 million to Hebrew University in October 2026.
How old is John Paulson?
He is 70, born on 14 December 1955 in Queens, New York. He founded his firm in 1994 with $2 million and one employee.
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How we estimate net worth
Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.
Last updated: November 2026.