**Nancy Pelosi and Husband Amass Over $130 Million in Stock Gains During 37 Years in Congress**
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi, have made at least $130 million in stock profits over the course of the California Democrat’s 37 years in Congress—a staggering return of 16,930%.
Pelosi, 85, announced this week that she will retire when her term ends in January 2027. The San Francisco politician became famous as the first woman to wield the Speaker’s gavel, and infamous for her exceptional stock market returns.
Before first taking Congressional office in 1988, the then-47-year-old freshman and her husband, venture capitalist Paul Pelosi, reported between $610,000 and $785,000 in stocks in their portfolio, according to a copy of her “hand-delivered” 1987 financial disclosure form. They held a dozen stocks, including Citibank, many of which are no longer publicly traded.
That portfolio has since soared to an estimated $133.7 million today, according to the latest data from Quiver Quantitative. This represents an eye-watering profit of 16,930%, compared to 2,300% for the Dow Jones over the same period.
Even with the power of compound interest, this windfall amounts to a staggering 14.5% average annual return—beating out the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Jones performances over those years, which ranged from about 7% to 9%.
Last year alone, their investment portfolio pulled in an estimated 54% return—more than double the S&P 500’s 25% gain and outperforming every large hedge fund, according to Bloomberg’s end-of-year tally.
Pelosi’s 2024 financial disclosure form shows holdings in roughly two dozen individual stocks, including millions in each of NVIDIA, Palo Alto Networks, Salesforce, Netflix, and between $25 and $50 million in Apple stocks—their largest holding.
The Pelosis are now worth an estimated $280 million, compared to around $3 million when Nancy Pelosi joined Congress. Beyond stocks, they have stakes in various other ventures, including a Napa Valley winery valued between $5 and $25 million, a Bay Area Italian restaurant, commercial real estate, and a political data and consulting firm.
The couple owns a home in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood valued at $8.7 million, as well as a residence in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., purchased in 1999 for $650,000.
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### Controversy and Calls for Reform
Nancy Pelosi is leaving public life as momentum grows to ban lawmakers and their spouses from trading individual stocks, amid concerns they have access to market-moving information ahead of the public.
In September, the latest iteration of a trading-ban bill was introduced in the House of Representatives. Pelosi has become so notorious for her trading that past versions of the bill were informally named after her. Some ETFs have even attempted to copy her trades.
“I think what I’ll miss most is how she trades,” said Dan Weiskopf, portfolio manager of an ETF called NANC that follows members of Congress’ trades, nicknamed the “Queen of Stocks.”
“It’s so high conviction and aggressive. The only reason why you make such trades is if you’ve got a process that gives you confidence, and as far as I know, they’re not buying off technicals. So, they must be doing it because of information around the companies themselves,” he added.
Weiskopf noted Pelosi’s trading style is marked by prolific use of options trading. “You only do that because you want leverage, and you only really want leverage on that kind of trading if you have a lot of convictions,” he explained. “She’s buying deep in the money and putting up a lot of money in doing it. And we’re not seeing her panic. We don’t see a lot of flip-flopping on her trading activity.”
One of Pelosi’s greatest hits, according to Weiskopf, was exercising a call option in December that was bought in late 2023 at an estimated premium of $1.8 million. This allowed the Pelosis to acquire 50,000 shares of hot AI chip stock NVIDIA for $12 a share—less than one-tenth of its market price. In total, the couple paid an estimated $2.4 million for the investment, which on paper is now worth over $7.2 million.
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### Reactions and Criticism
“When you’re supposed to be called an honorable member of Congress, maybe you should look yourself in the mirror and say, I want to do the right thing,” Weiskopf said.
“Nancy Pelosi’s true legacy is becoming the most successful insider trader in American history,” said Kiersten Pels, spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. “If anyone else had turned $785,000 into $133.7 million with better returns than Warren Buffett, they’d be retiring behind bars.”
Pelosi’s office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/08/us-news/nancy-pelosi-made-130-million-in-stock-profits-in-her-37-years-in-congress-a-profit-of-16930/
