Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek reelection in 2026, ending a 38-year congressional career on easy street.
Pelosi’s retirement will be a cozy existence after her net worth skyrocket to an estimated $280 million since she first took office four decades ago.
Pelosi and her husband Paul have raked in more than $130 million in stock profits over the course of her congressional career, according to The New York Post. That represents a return of 16,930% since she walked into office.
Before entering office in 1987, Pelosi and her husband reported between $610,000 and $785,000 in stocks in their portfolio, according to a financial disclosure form. Over time, that portfolio has soared in value. The profit of 16,930%, thanks to miraculously timed trades, exceeds the 2,300% that the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained during the same time period.
“The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America,” President Donald Trump said recently. “She was evil, corrupt, and only focused on bad things for our country. She was rapidly losing control of her party, and it was never coming back. I’m very honored that she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice.”
The California Democrat is one of the wealthiest members of Congress and one of the best-known investors on Capitol Hill. In the last three years, her disclosed trades had a volume of about $59 million, according to data from Capitol Trades, which tracks lawmakers from both parties.
Conservative commentator Scott Jennings joked that “President Trump should hire Nancy Pelosi in retirement to manage Americans’ stock market portfolios … We could all be retired in 6 months!”
The Pelosis’ portfolio includes major holdings in Apple, Amazon, Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet, and other technology companies that have benefited from laws coming out of Congress. Paul Pelosi handles investments for the Pelosi family through his firm, Financial Leasing Services Inc.
The Pelosis’ stock trading record has drawn intense scrutiny. In November 2023, Paul Pelosi purchased 50 call options for Nvidia stock with a strike price of $120, valued between $1 million and $5 million. This move resulted in an estimated gain of $5 million.
“She is up +210% in 197 days & still not sold her calls. Pelosi has made twenty times her salary,” Unusual Whales wrote on X. “Her portfolio is near all-time highs, up 93%.”
A New York Post analysis revealed that Pelosi’s portfolio surged about 65% in 2024 alone, trouncing the S&P 500’s roughly 24% gain.
In addition to their stock investments, the Pelosis own a real estate portfolio valued at approximately $45 million. Their properties include a vineyard in Napa Valley, California, and several commercial properties in San Francisco.
A cottage industry has sprung up of investors tracking Pelosi’s every move in hopes of replicating her success. A “Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker” account on X has amassed 1.2 million followers.
Dan Weiskopf, a senior portfolio manager at Tidal Financial Group, oversees an ETF fund whose ticker symbol is “NANC.” That fund invests in stocks that are bought or sold by Democratic members of Congress.
“It’s amazing – when Nancy Pelosi makes a trade, the community immediately hops on it, and it’ll move that market,” Weiskopf said. “So many people are following her decision-making. Other members of Congress have less of an impact.”
The NANC fund has about $263 million in net assets. Weiskopf said both of his congressional-based portfolios have largely outperformed the S&P 500.
Critics have long claimed lawmakers use non-public information to gain advantages in the stock market. Several bills have been introduced to curb or forbid stock trading by members of Congress and their spouses, including the “PELOSI Act” filed by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., in 2023.
Pelosi has denied any wrongdoing and rejected assertions that lawmakers like her are misusing insider information.
In 2024, 105 members of Congress traded nearly $290 million in stocks, according to a report from Unusual Whales.
Once Pelosi leaves Congress in January 2027, she will no longer be required to publicly reveal anything about her family’s stock holdings under federal disclosure laws.