Donald Trump's billionaire investment portfolio and financial strategy

A look at Trump's billionaire status

Donald Trump, the former United States (US) President and property mogul, is currently running in the US presidential race against Kamala Harris. Donald Trump was a well-known billionaire long before his US presidency, frequently featuring in Forbes’ most-wealthy list over the past decade.

Trump is the founder of the Trump Organization, a private holding company for most of his business ventures and investments. This company manages a selection of luxury real estate across the US and internationally, including commercial and residential properties, golf courses, hotels, estates, and retail spaces.

As a private company, the Trump Organization is not required to report its earnings with the same transparency as public companies. This makes it difficult to accurately estimate Trump’s true wealth and investment holdings, as this information is not freely available.

Analysing Trump's financial disclosure

In August of this year, Trump was legally required to release a financial disclosure document as part of his presidential candidacy. This 250-page report details hundreds of investments, which helps analysts determine where his wealth lies. However, without specific figures for these investments ( CNN estimating $1 million to $5 million), it's impossible to determine exactly what and how much he has invested in.

How much is Donald Trump worth?

According to a Forbes estimate in May 2024, Donald Trump is worth $7.5 billion. However, following the release of the August disclosure document, Forbes places his net worth at $4.2 billion. The publication doesn’t explain how it arrived to this latter figure.

Trump originally amassed his wealth through real estate, starting with a $1 million loan from his father. He later ventured into reality television, professional wrestling, books, and, more recently, the Greenwood Bible.

What's in Donald Trump’s investment portfolio?

Trump’s portfolio consists of a diverse mix of assets, including stocks, property, cryptocurrency, bonds, US treasuries, and money-market funds (according to Forbes, Nasdaq, CBS News, Axios, MSNBC). However, the bulk of his wealth is invested in Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns the social media network, Truth Social.

While recent financial disclosure documents provide some insights, the most accurate estimates of his investment portfolio stem from reports earlier this year. Our analyses are based on both the August financial disclosure document and the May 2024 report from Forbes on Trump’s net worth and investments. This means the percentages do not add up perfectly, but instead range from 101.48% to 108.2%.

Trump's investment portfolio

Trump's liabilities and court judgments

Trump’s liabilities are primarily related to legal fees, stemming from judgments in court proceedings where he was found guilty, such as the E. Jean Carroll civil cases, where he faced two separate convictions.

Evaluating the risk-reward balance

Trump's investment portfolio carries a relatively high risk. Although about 9% of his holdings are in 'safe haven' investments like bonds and treasuries. IG Group analyst Axel Rudolph reported in August 2024 that Trump Media & Technology shares have been declining, dropping about 70% since their post-Digital World Acquisition Corporation merger in March of this year.

Given that most of Trump’s portfolio is concentrated in Trump Media & Technology shares, he has skewed toward more risk than reward.

Investments are generally thought to be safer than leveraged products, like CFDs, with which you can take a position whether the market is moving up or down. However, investments can lead to you getting back less than you put in.

How does Trump’s portfolio compare to Kamala Harris’?

Trump’s investments are inherently riskier. Kamala Harris’ portfolio primarily consists of retirement funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds – investment vehicles considered more passive and safer. Unlike Trump, Harris does not invest in individual shares.

How to invest in stocks and ETFs

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Investing in shares or ETFs means you become a partial owner of a company or fund. Potential returns can come from increases in value and possibly dividend distributions. Past performance is no indicator of future returns.

Risk management in leveraged trading

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