Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband reportedly earned at least $130 million in stock profits during her 37 years in Congress, which reflects an astonishing return of about 16,930%.
This week, Pelosi, who is 85, announced her decision to retire at the end of her term in January 2027.
She gained notoriety as the first woman to hold the Speaker position and became quite well-known for her remarkable stock market performance.
Before becoming a Congress member in 1988, the then-47-year-old Pelosi and her husband, Paul, who is a venture capitalist, had a reported stock portfolio valued between $610,000 and $785,000, according to a financial disclosure document they provided in 1987.
The couple owned stocks in over a dozen companies, including Citibank, as well as some that are no longer publicly traded.
Now, their portfolio is estimated to be worth $133.7 million. This translates to an incredible profit percentage, especially when comparing it to the Dow Jones’ return of 2,300% during the same time frame.
Pelosi’s average annual return stands at about 14.5%, surpassing the performance of the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones, which dabbled around 7% to 9% during her investment period.
Last year, their investment portfolio yielded an estimated return of 54%, more than double the S&P 500’s 25% gain, outpacing all major hedge funds according to recent data.
Pelosi’s trading practices were so famous they have sparked legislative attempts to ban similar activities and inspired an ETF named after her.
Pelosi’s current net worth is estimated at $280 million, significantly up from around $3 million when she first entered Congress.
In addition to stocks, the couple holds investments in various ventures, including a Napa Valley winery, a Bay Area Italian restaurant, and commercial real estate, valued between $5 million and $25 million.
They own a home worth $8.7 million in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights and also have a secondary property in Washington, D.C., which they purchased for $650,000 in 1999.
Pelosi’s exit from public service comes amid increasing calls to prohibit trading in individual stocks by lawmakers, who may possess market-sensitive information. Recently, an updated anti-dealing bill was introduced in the House.
Pelosi is well-known for her trading strategies; past legislation has even included her name, and there are ETFs aimed at replicating her trades.
“What I’ll probably miss most is how she navigates the market,” noted Dan Weiskopf, who manages an ETF tracking Pelosi’s trades, called NANC.
Weiskopf described her trading style as bold and heavily reliant on options trading, suggesting that she shows a high level of conviction in her decisions.
One of her notable successes was the exercise of a call option she bought in late 2023 for about $1.8 million, allowing her to purchase shares of Nvidia at a fraction of the market price, which now reflects a considerable gain.
The Republican National Committee spokesperson remarked, “Nancy Pelosi’s true legacy is her extraordinary success in trading within Congress. If anyone else turned $785,000 into $133.7 million, they would likely find themselves in prison.”
Pelosi’s office did not respond to requests for comments regarding these allegations and financial activities.
