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Fortune
Fortune
Chloe Berger

How Kamala Harris made her millions—and it’s not from politics

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. (Credit: Megan Varner / Stringer—Getty Images)

Compared to the tycoons on Wall Street, presidents don’t get paid much while in power. Presumptively candidates go into the game of “serving the country,” extra grays, and an incoming book deal. But Kamala Harris won’t necessarily depend on the potential new salary–she already has some wealth under her belt.  

Harris’ net worth, combined with husband Doug Emhoff, stands at $8 million—according to Forbes’ estimates. While Donald Trump’s wealth is highly contested by nature of his secrecy, Harris remains more public about her finances than her opponent. 

During her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris released 15 years of personal tax returns. That’s more than any of her opponents at the time, except for President Biden who released tax returns as a result of his long-standing political career, Forbes points out.

How much money did Kamala Harris get in her past jobs? 

The bulk of her worth isn’t really from her time in politics though. Making $235,100 annually as Vice President, Harris didn’t make much more as a district attorney in San Francisco and actually raked in less as an attorney general of the state. As a senator, she made $174,000 annually. Harris’ time as an author has bolstered her wealth. She’s earned more than $500,000 in royalties from books she wrote.

The real secret to her worth lies within L.A. property. Emhoff and Harris’ house, which was bought in 2012, has since ballooned in value from $1 million to $4.4 million as of 2021, per Forbes. Sharing assets doesn’t hurt either, as Emhoff made more than a million dollars annually as an entertainment lawyer back in 2019, adds the outlet.

Harris and Emholff hold between $2.9 million and $6.6 million in investments, cash, and retirement funds, according to 2024 forms filed in May —per Barron’s. Due to her career in public office, Harris is able to rake in a waning benefit for her generation: pensions. She has two pensions worth slightly under $1 million, according to Forbes.

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