Oprah Winfrey is worth nearly $3 billion - here's what she spends her money on, including property in Maui, a private jet, and a stake in Weight Watchers

Shana LebowitzSep 29, 2018, 18:51 IST

Oprah WinfreyMark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey's net worth is $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.
She spends her fortune on property across the globe, a private jet, vacations for her friends and staff, and investments in health and wellness-oriented companies.
Winfrey also donates time and money to a variety of philanthropic causes.

Oprah Winfrey came from humble beginnings - now she's worth $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.

So what exactly does she do with all that cash?

We took a look at Winfrey's spending habits over the last few decades, and learned that she's got property across the globe and a private jet - but she also supports a range of philanthropic causes. And she's been known to take her friends and staff on lavish vacations, including "glamping" in Yosemite and a 10-day cruise.

Find out more about how Winfrey spends her money:

See Oprah Winfrey is worth nearly $3 billion - here's what she spends her money on, including property in Maui, a private jet, and a stake in Weight Watchers >>

Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul, a philanthropist, and an actress.

Her current net worth is $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.

Source: Forbes

Winfrey spends her fortune many ways, purchasing real estate across the globe, investing in businesses, and supporting philanthropic causes.

In 1991, she bought a $42 million private jet, after an encounter with a rude person at the airport.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, INSIDER

Winfrey has spent over $100 million on property around the world.

Source: MSN

That includes an estate in Montecito, California, which she purchased for $52 million in 2001.

Sources: MSN, Business Insider

Winfrey also owns 163 acres in Maui (a nearby property sold for $32 million in 2016).

Source: MSN

In 2014, Winfrey purchased a comparatively tiny home (8,700 square feet) in Telluride, Colorado, for $14 million.

Source: MSN

Winfrey shelled out nearly $29 million for a 23-acre horse farm estate, also in Montecito, in 2016. It's called Seamair Farm.

Source: MSN

Her most recent acquisition is a 41-acre estate on Orcas Island in Washington state. It cost her about $8.3 million.

Source: MSN

She's a true jet-setter.

Source: Vanity Fair

In 2006, Winfrey and her best friend, Gayle King, went on an 11-day, cross-country road trip, from Santa Barbara to New York City.

Source: Vanity Fair

In 2010, the pair went "glamping" in Yosemite.

Source: Vanity Fair

Winfrey lets others have some travel adventures too: In 2009, she took her staff on a 10-day cruise that cost her a reported $9.2 million.

Source: New York Post

Winfrey and King joined stars like Diane Sawyer at David Geffen's yacht party in 2017. The yacht was reportedly anchored in Sicily, near an exclusive Google retreat.

Source: People

As for Winfrey's business dealings, she was a co-founder of Oxygen Media, which she sold to NBC in 2007 for $925 million.

Source: CNN

In 2015, Winfrey bought 10% of Weight Watchers for $43 million. Her investment is now worth more than $400 million. In March 2018, she sold some of the shares, making $110 million.

Source: CNN

Potentially thanks to Winfrey's involvement (she's also on the company's board and appears in commercials), Weight Watchers has reported a boost in subscriber numbers.

Source: CNN

Her interests in health and wellness continue to influence her spending. In July 2018, Winfrey announced that she had invested in True Food Kitchen, a health-food-focused restaurant chain based in Phoenix, though she didn't reveal how much she'd invested.

Source: CNBC

Throughout her career, Winfrey has also donated time and money to a variety of philanthropic causes.

When she hosted her own talk show, Winfrey was known for giving out gifts to the audience. In 2006, hundreds of fans were each given a $1,000 gift card to donate to their favorite charity organization.

Source: GoBankingRates

And in 2007, Winfrey opened The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, in South Africa. In 2017, she said she'd spent about $140 million over the past 10 years to maintain the school.

Source: GoBankingRates

Most recently, she reportedly donated $100 million to the Time's Up campaign.

Source: GoBankingRates

"You get from the world what you give to the world," Winfrey has said.

Source: Oprah.com

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Oprah Winfrey is worth nearly $3 billion - here's what she spends her money on, including property in Maui, a private jet, and a stake in Weight Watchers

Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul, a philanthropist, and an actress.

Her current net worth is $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.

Winfrey spends her fortune many ways, purchasing real estate across the globe, investing in businesses, and supporting philanthropic causes.

In 1991, she bought a $42 million private jet, after an encounter with a rude person at the airport.

Winfrey has spent over $100 million on property around the world.

That includes an estate in Montecito, California, which she purchased for $52 million in 2001.

Winfrey also owns 163 acres in Maui (a nearby property sold for $32 million in 2016).

In 2014, Winfrey purchased a comparatively tiny home (8,700 square feet) in Telluride, Colorado, for $14 million.

Winfrey shelled out nearly $29 million for a 23-acre horse farm estate, also in Montecito, in 2016. It's called Seamair Farm.

Her most recent acquisition is a 41-acre estate on Orcas Island in Washington state. It cost her about $8.3 million.

She's a true jet-setter.

In 2006, Winfrey and her best friend, Gayle King, went on an 11-day, cross-country road trip, from Santa Barbara to New York City.

In 2010, the pair went "glamping" in Yosemite.

Winfrey lets others have some travel adventures too: In 2009, she took her staff on a 10-day cruise that cost her a reported $9.2 million.

Winfrey and King joined stars like Diane Sawyer at David Geffen's yacht party in 2017. The yacht was reportedly anchored in Sicily, near an exclusive Google retreat.

As for Winfrey's business dealings, she was a co-founder of Oxygen Media, which she sold to NBC in 2007 for $925 million.

In 2015, Winfrey bought 10% of Weight Watchers for $43 million. Her investment is now worth more than $400 million. In March 2018, she sold some of the shares, making $110 million.

Potentially thanks to Winfrey's involvement (she's also on the company's board and appears in commercials), Weight Watchers has reported a boost in subscriber numbers.

Her interests in health and wellness continue to influence her spending. In July 2018, Winfrey announced that she had invested in True Food Kitchen, a health-food-focused restaurant chain based in Phoenix, though she didn't reveal how much she'd invested.

Throughout her career, Winfrey has also donated time and money to a variety of philanthropic causes.

When she hosted her own talk show, Winfrey was known for giving out gifts to the audience. In 2006, hundreds of fans were each given a $1,000 gift card to donate to their favorite charity organization.

And in 2007, Winfrey opened The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, in South Africa. In 2017, she said she'd spent about $140 million over the past 10 years to maintain the school.

Most recently, she reportedly donated $100 million to the Time's Up campaign.

"You get from the world what you give to the world," Winfrey has said.