He was ranked 21st on the 2022 Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, included in Forbes's 2023 list of America's Most Generous Givers, according to which he has donated $1.56 billion to various charitable causes, primarily in education, economic mobility, and medical research.

Who's this billionaire investor and American businessperson?

Kenneth C. Griffin started one of the most successful alternative investing companies in the world, Citadel, and now serves as its CEO and co-chief investment officer.

In 1986, as a first-year student at Harvard, Ken, intrigued by finance, began making investments. A focus on great personnel, cutting-edge predictive analytics, and robust software engineering led him to start Citadel four years later. 

With over 2,500 employees, Citadel has established itself as a world leader in the investment industry, to provide superior long-term returns on behalf of the world's leading research institutions, universities, and healthcare organizations.

In this article, you’ll discover Ken Griffin's net worth and how he built his fortune through investing.

Plus find out how we can coach you to build your net worth for FREE.

Net Worth$34 billion
Full nameKenneth Cordele Griffin
Date of BirthOctober 25, 1968
EducationHarvard University B.A.
GenderMale
NationalityUnited States of America
OccupationFounder, investor, entrepreneur

How much is Ken Griffin's net worth?

Ken Griffin's net worth is estimated to be $34 billion.

Who is Ken Griffin?

Griffin is the chief executive of Citadel, a hedge fund with $59 billion in assets under management. The Miami-based company has five core strategies in fixed income and macro, quantitative strategies, commodities, equities, and credit. He also founded Citadel Securities, a global market-making business.

What are the sources of income for Ken Griffin?

  1. Investment Income
  2. Stock Gains
  3. Income from Hedge Funds
  4. Fees for Managing Funds
  5. Gifts and Donations
  6. Earnings from Businesses
  7. Rental Income
  8. Bonus Payment
  9. Income from Trading Activities
  10. Income from Art and Real Estate Properties

FAQ

How much is Ken Griffin's net worth?

Ken Griffin's net worth is estimated to be $34 billion.

What is Ken Griffin's background?

Griffin was born in 1968, in Daytona Beach, Florida. 

Griffin grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, with some time in Texas, and Wisconsin.  He went to middle school in Boca Raton and Boca Raton Community High School, where he was the president of the math club.

He started at Harvard College In the fall of 1986, where he graduated in 1989 with a degree in economics.

How did Ken Griffin make his fortune?

In 2002, Ken and his partners established Citadel Securities, now one of the leading global market makers. Serving more than 1,600 clients, including many of the largest sovereign wealth funds and central banks, Citadel Securities has delivered enormous benefits to investors around the world

What companies does Ken Griffin own?

He is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Citadel, one of the world’s leading alternative investment firms.

What charitable donations has Ken Griffin made?

Griffin is a passionate philanthropist, he is committed to strengthening humanity’s future by supporting initiatives that advance breakthroughs in science and medicine, and expand access and opportunity in education. His catalytic giving empowers students across our country to succeed and enables people to live longer and healthier lives.

During the pandemic, Ken quickly recruited government, corporate, and healthcare partners to support COVID-19 research. He returned hundreds of Americans from Wuhan, China, safely. Ken's thinking leadership helped design Operation Warp Speed's expedited vaccine development tactics, saving hundreds of thousands of lives.

Ken led the effort to provide free high-speed broadband to 400,000 low-income families in Chicago and Miami throughout the pandemic. Ken has financed transformative college scholarships to empower thousands of low-income and first-generation students to achieve the American Dream.

In March 2022, Griffin donated $40 million to the American Museum of Natural History in New York to help complete the 230,000-square-foot renovation.

In July 2022, he donated $130 million to Chicago nonprofits before his move to Florida.

What is Ken Griffin's trading strategy?

Griffin believes that losses are part of investing because not every transaction can make you money. Instead, you need to stay focused even if you occasionally lose money while trading

How has Ken Griffin's net worth changed over time?

In November 2020, Griffin's net worth surpassed $20 billion due to an increase in the value of Citadel, of which Griffin's stake was worth about $11.2 billion. 

Citadel Securities, a market maker, increased its profit to $2.36 billion during the first half of 2020 compared to $982 million for the same period in 2019, due to increased volatility, volume, and retail trader engagement.

What controversies has Ken Griffin been involved with?

In 2021, The Chicago-based billionaire faced controversy involving Wall Street chatrooms, the Robinhood Trading app, and GameStop's stock.

What real estate portfolio does Ken Griffin own?

Griffin, who is estimated to be worth $31 billion, has recently acquired at least $1.3 billion in residential and commercial real estate in South Florida, in addition to his portfolio of high-end properties in New York, Chicago, London, and elsewhere. About 4% of his wealth is in his Florida property.

Takeaway

Griffin started investing as a freshman at Harvard. He was determined to go all the way to achieve his dream of becoming one of the top American investors.

Here's one golden piece of advice he gave to students: “My advice to every student who's trying to make decisions for the years after graduation: take the opportunity in your mind, the one you are most passionate about and that you find most interesting, and save the rest of your life for being risk averse.

Whatever you want to do, this time is to pursue it. Twenty years from now, your freedom to take risks will be limited.

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