Jordan Belfort

Biography

Jordan Ross Belfort was born on July 9, 1962, in the Bronx, New York City, and was raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Queens. From an early age, Belfort displayed a flair for sales and entrepreneurship. He initially pursued a career in dentistry but dropped out shortly after realizing it wasn’t his true calling.

With a sharp mind for business and persuasion, Belfort entered the world of finance, where he would go on to gain both notoriety and fame for his high-octane lifestyle and controversial business practices.

Career and Rise to Notoriety

Belfort’s career in finance took off in the late 1980s when he founded Stratton Oakmont, a brokerage firm that specialized in penny stocks. The company became infamous for its aggressive sales tactics and pump-and-dump schemes, in which stock prices were artificially inflated to attract investors, only for the firm to cash out and leave others with worthless shares.

At its peak, Stratton Oakmont employed hundreds of brokers and moved billions of dollars in stock, making Belfort extremely wealthy. His flamboyant lifestyle was marked by extravagant parties, luxury cars, yachts, and excessive drug use—elements that would later become central to his life story.

However, Belfort’s fortune came at a high cost. His firm eventually drew the attention of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the FBI. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to securities fraud and money laundering. He was sentenced to four years in prison but served 22 months after cooperating with authorities and testifying against former colleagues.

Post-Prison Life and Redemption

After serving time, Belfort reinvented himself as an author and motivational speaker. He wrote two memoirs: The Wolf of Wall Street and Catching the Wolf of Wall Street, chronicling his rise and fall in vivid, unapologetic detail. His story was adapted into the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film’s portrayal of Belfort's outrageous lifestyle and eventual downfall captivated audiences worldwide.

Belfort capitalized on the film’s success to launch a new career in public speaking. He now delivers seminars and corporate training sessions focused on sales techniques, ethics in business, and personal development. He often emphasizes the importance of learning from one’s mistakes and building success on ethical foundations.

Personal Life

Jordan Belfort has been married multiple times and has two children. His second marriage to Nadine Caridi was heavily featured in both his memoir and the film adaptation. After their divorce, he has maintained a lower-profile personal life, although he remains a public figure through his work as a speaker and author.