U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent's Net Worth Is High for a Government Official
Bessent was a Chief Investment Officer for Soros Fund Management.
Published Sept. 9 2025, 2:30 p.m. ET
The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, has an enormous net worth, which is extremely high for a government official. Bessent previously worked as the Chief Investment Officer for billionaire George Soros. He was nominated for his current post by Donald Trump in 2024 following the presidential election, per CBS News.
Bessent made headlines in September of 2025 for an altercation he had with Trump's Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte.
According to Politico, the two had an altercation during a private dinner hosted by the president after Bessent went off on an explicit-filled tirade claiming that Pulte disparaged him to Trump.
"Why the f--k are you talking to the president about me? F--k you," he said. "I’m gonna punch you in your f--king face.”
"It’s either me or him,” he said to club co-owner Omeed Malik. “You tell me who’s getting the f--k out of here.”
“I’m going to f--king beat your a--," he exclaimed to Pulte.
Scott Bessent's net worth is enormous.
According to Forbes, Bessent's net worth is a whopping $600 million. He was born on Aug. 21, 1962, in Little River, S.C. Bessent was voted "most likely to succeed" in high school before attending Yale University to study journalism and finance.
Scott Bessent
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Former Chief Executive Officer for Soros Fund Management
Net worth: $600 million
Scott Bessent is the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He previously worked as the Chief Investment Officer for billionaire George Soros.
Birthdate: August 21, 1962
Birthplace: Little River, S.C
Education: Yale University
Spouse: John Freeman
Children: Cole and Caroline
Bessent worked for billionaire George Soros from 1991 through 2000 at Soros Fund Management in London and is known for assisting Soros in ruining the British pound. They did so by betting against the pound's high exchange rate with the German deutschemark, and it made Soros the first person to make $1 billion in 30 days.
Bessent made an attempt to start a hedge fund of his own back in 2000. Soros backed the venture with $200 million, but by 2005, it had failed to take off. The millionaire went back to his Alma Mater and taught economic history while also working for the hedge fund Protege Partners.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary married John Freeman in 2001. Bessent and the former New York prosecutor have two children — Caroline and Cole. Bessent later began working for Soros again as his Chief Investment Officer and made the billionaire $10 billion. He started another firm, Key Square, in 2015, with $2 billion from Soros.
The firm bet that the U.K. would leave the European Union, and the pound sank again. Investors later found the firm's returns "too inconsistent," per Reuters, and Bessent worked for Trump's presidential election campaign as an economic adviser in 2024.
Bessent and his family live in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood in a $12.5 million estate. He also has a $4.25 million home in Cashiers, N.C., and has bought at least 20 homes throughout his career.