From his first day working as a stockbroker, Jordan Belfort fell in love with money. This inspired him to run scam after scam, with his pump-and-dump schemes stealing millions from everyday people.
And yet, there’s something irresistible about this perpetrator of securities fraud. Aided in no small part by the Martin Scorsese film about his life, The Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort is now a famous man.
He’s also an author.
Having penned the book on which the above film was based, Belfort has gone on to enjoy further literary success. This article reviews the books that he’s written.
The biography of Jordan Belfort
From his early life as a kid living in the Queens district of New York, Jordan Belfort showed a talent for sales.
He started his career by running a seafood and meat business. However, his talents couldn’t stop that company from going under. Belfort also briefly studied dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. But that wasn’t for him either.
In 1987, he turned his attention to stocks. After a brief stint on Wall Street, he learned about penny stocks. He found he could sell these low-cost stocks in the thousands to ordinary people.
Buoyed by his early success, Belfort started the Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm. Working alongside his co-founder, Danny Porush, Belfort used pump-and-dump schemes to defraud investors out of millions of dollars.
He also wasn’t shy about living the high life. Belfort bought a yacht from Coco Chanel and developed an addiction to quaaludes. He even married a model named Nadine Caridi, for whom he divorced his first wife, Denise Lombardo.
After achieving his biggest success by taking the Steve Madden show company public, Belfort fell under the watchful eye of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).
The SEC slowly cataloged the money laundering and fraud happening in Belfort’s Long Island offices. In 1992, the SEC closed Stratton Oakmont due to its fraudulent activity. And in 2003, Belfort was sentenced to pay $110 million in restitution on top of a four-year prison term.
For many, that’s where the story would end. But Belfort used his time in prison to write his autobiography, The Wolf of Wall Street.
That book became a Hollywood blockbuster, giving Belfort a taste of the Los Angeles lifestyle. The film featured Leonardo DiCaprio as Belfort alongside Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie, and the film earned five Academy Awards.
Today, Belfort is out of prison and working as a motivational speaker. He’s also active in the crypto world and hosts The Wolf’s Den podcast.
Books by Jordan Belfort
Whatever you may think of Belfort’s professional or personal life, there’s no denying that the man is interesting. He’s also penned three books.
Way of the Wolf: Straight Line Selling: Master the Art of Persuasion, Influence, and Success
If you subscribe to the theory that Belfort is still a talented seller, Way of the Wolf is the book for you.
Belfort digs into the secrets of what makes him so good at persuading and manipulating others. He introduces a sales system that he claims can turn anybody into a money-making machine.
Of course, you may have some misgivings due to Belfort’s past crimes. However, the book has valuable lessons you can apply to a crime-free life, even if those lessons are colored by Belfort’s past.
Previously only available as part of Belfort’s online training courses, Way of the Wolf is a must-read for those who want to master the art of persuasion,
The Wolf of Wall Street
The New York Times’s bestselling book is the basis of the film of the same name. It charts Belfort’s rise from plucky street kid to Wall Street swindler.
Along the way, you’ll read about some amazing stories. A standout passage covers how Belfort crashed his yacht while trying to reach the Italian coast.
While some of the stories may be embellished, this is a highly entertaining story.
Catching the Wolf of Wall Street
Essentially a follow-up to The Wolf of Wall Street, this book features Belfort talking about what “really” happened.
Focusing more on his arrest and subsequent jailing, the book still contains plenty of the salacious stories that made its prequel so popular.
For some, the book is further reason to condemn the man. But to subscribers of the Wolf’s philosophy, it’s a riveting tale of misadventures and criminality.
Listen to Jordan Belfort audiobooks with Speechify
There’s no denying that Jordan Belfort isn’t the most squeaky-clean author in the world. He made his name (and his money) from fraud. To this day, his detractors suggest he isn’t doing enough to atone for his crimes.
But besides all of that, he’s a talented author with an amazing way with words.
With Speechify Audiobooks, you can discover the gripping nature of Belfort’s words. The audiobook platform counts several of Belfort’s books among its 60,000-strong library.
With Speechify, you don’t pay a subscription fee to access audiobooks. Instead, you sign up at no cost. Then, you choose the audiobooks you want to buy and own, with no obligation.
If you want to explore Belfort’s work, you’ll find Catching the Wolf of Wall Street and the self-narrated The Way of the Wolf on the platform. As a bonus, you can get one of these books for free when you sign up for Speechify Audiobooks.
FAQ
What is Jordan Belfort doing now?
Jordan Belfort currently travels the world as a motivational speaker. He’s also an author and has spoken at prestigious institutions like American University. He’s also active in the cryptocurrency space.
How true was Wolf of Wall Street movie?
Most of the scenes in the film are accurate to the book, though some character names are made up. Whether the book is a completely true story is up for debate.
Does Stratton Oakmont still exist?
No, the firm Stratton Oakmont no longer exists.
What is the net worth of Jordan Belfort?
Wealthy Gorilla estimates that Belfort is worth $100 million. This is despite the restitution Belfort makes to his victims of stock market manipulation.
How many people were employed at Stratton Oakmont?
At its peak, the Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm had over 1,300 employees.
