What Is Gisele Bündchen’s Net Worth? Here’s How Much Money She Makes & How She Spends It

Gisele Bündchen is the textbook definition of a supermodel. Since starting her modeling career in the mid-’90s, the Brazilian-born international celebrity has been the face of countless luxury brands, commanding attention on runways and red carpets. Throughout her prolific career, she’s also starred in countless designer campaigns, dabbled in movies (yes, she’s in “The Devil Wears Prada“) and authored a book. Bündchen has even launched some significant entrepreneurial endeavors in fashion and beauty to fill her copious spare time.

With this undeniable top-model status and empire-building behavior, you may wonder how much Bündchen is actually worth at the end of the day. Though many expect top actors and chart-topping musicians to be worth millions, there isn’t much awareness around what counts as top-model money. But Bündchen, who was the world’s highest-paid model from 2002 to 2017, is a perfect case study for the net worth of the biggest names in modeling.

Between her massive modeling paydays to her affinity for real estate investing, Bündchen is ridiculously wealthy and incredibly money-wise. Curious to know more about Gisele Bündchen’s net worth? Read on to learn how she makes her money — and how much fortune she’s amassed in her almost 30-year career.

What is Gisele Bündchen’s net worth?

Before diving into specifics, it’s helpful to know a little about net worth estimations. Net worth is calculated by subtracting one’s liabilities, or what they owe, from their total assets, or what they own. The average person’s most valuable asset, for instance, is often their home, as it’s often the largest item to one’s name monetarily speaking. But for the rich, assets also can include any investments, cars, collectibles, clothing and jewelry.

Deciphering Gisele Bündchen’s net worth isn’t easy, as verifying someone’s net worth accurately requires the release of private financial records and personal data. Forbes, however, is arguably one of the most respected sources for estimating celebrity financials. 

Forbes, however, does not disclose a full net worth for Bündchen. For that estimated figure, sites like Celebrity Net Worth are highly cited for releasing net worth estimations of public figures based on available financial and asset data. 

“Our data is rooted in financial analysis, market research, and inside sources that we have meticulously developed over the last decade to maintain accuracy and breadth of knowledge,” the site reports, adding that each estimate is formed by taking into account the celebrity’s known salaries, real estate holdings, royalties and endorsements. The site says it employs a “proprietary” formula that excludes “estimated taxes, manager’s fees, agent fees and lifestyle expenses.”

But these amounts may be a touch inflated, especially if you ask the opinion of Bündchen from decades past. In 2008 during a GQ interview, Bündchen famously addressed rumors that she made $35 million in one year: “I would like to know who this reporter is finding out all of these amounts. I would like him to talk to my accountant and figure out where is the cash that’s missing. Because I haven’t seen it.”

How does Gisele Bündchen make her money?

Gisele Bündchen began her professional career at age 14 after learning the modeling ropes at a course her parents enrolled her in to help correct her bad posture. With better posture in tow, she was discovered at a Brazilian shopping center by Elite Model Management in 1994. She walked in her first New York Fashion Week in 1996 for Alexander McQueen. The show was famous for including a rain-soaked runaway that was extremely difficult to traverse. After a successful show, McQueen famously nicknamed Bündchen “The Body,” skyrocketing her bookings and overall success.

Though she retired from modeling in 2015, Bündchen has made a good chunk of her fortune from modeling contracts with top fashion and beauty brands. Signed by Elite and IGM Models during her career, she modeled for fashion giants like Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Valentino and Versace. From 2000 to 2007, Bündchen was also a Victoria’s Secret Angel, which is reportedly quite lucrative. The top model was the highest-paid Victoria’s Secret model ever, signing a reported five-year $25 million contract in 2000.  Forbes also cites Bündchen’s “lucrative fragrance and beauty deals with Chanel and Carolina Herrera” as large paydays for the model. Even after retiring in 2015, Bündchen still ranked among the top five highest-paid models of 2018, some three years later.

Though magazines often don’t pay for celebrities to cover their magazines, Bündchen has reportedly been on the cover of more than 2,000 magazines in her career, helping to cement her desirability as a model for top brands. When it comes to endorsements over the course of her career, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Bündchen has made more than $500 million. Notably, the “Brazilian bombshell” appeared in every single ad campaign for Dolce and Gabbana from 1993 to 2003. Other major endorsements and ad campaigns for Bündchen include representing Pantene, American Express, Apple and Under Armour. By the time she retired in 2015 after 20 years of modeling, Bündchen appeared in more than 500 ad campaigns, 800 fashion shows, 2,000 magazine covers and 3,500 magazine editorials, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Forbes also highlights Bündchen’s lingerie line Gisele Bündchen Brazilian Intimates with Brazilian lingerie brand Hope and her now-defunct skincare line Sejaa as aiding in building her fortune. But that’s not all: Bündchen also launched a line of designer sandals with Brazilian footwear company Grendene called Ipanema, which reportedly made up an estimated 60% of the company’s revenue in 2013. Forbes estimated in 2014 that products bearing Bündchen’s name through partnerships or endorsements generate roughly $1 billion in sales per year.

In 2015, the model also released a limited-run coffee table book titled “Gisele,” which chronicled her 20 years in fashion. There were only 1,000 copies printed, each selling for $700. The limited-run sold out even before the books could make it to stores, pulling in some $750,000 virtually overnight.

Bündchen also dabbled in acting in the mid-2000s, appearing in the 2004 remake of “Taxi” and the famed 2006 movie “The Devil Wears Prada.” Bündchen was assumingely paid well for both gigs, which came at the height of her modeling career — at the same time she had that $25 million contract with Victoria’s Secret. It’s not clear how much she made from her brief stint in films.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, it’s estimated that Bündchen has earned a career total of $500 million from modeling and endorsements alone. The site clarifies that this enormous figure doesn’t include her “real estate assets and various other non-liquid investments.”

Gisele Bündchen is a known philanthropist. Does that factor into net worth?

Bündchen is lauded for her focus on philanthropy, especially when it comes to environmental causes and their human impact. In fact, Bündchen is a United Nations Good Will Ambassador focusing on environmental concerns, which is further proof of her recognized dedication. With that in mind, Bündchen has donated some of her fortune to the issues she cares about most.

Donated money and other monetary contributions made by Bündchen don’t factor into her net worth, counting solely as money out the door. Tax write-offs as a result of monetary giving do, however, factor into estimating net worth. This means Gisele has technically “made” much more than $400 million through her career and assets, since this figure doesn’t count the millions she has gifted to non-profits.

Bündchen, for example, authored a book titled “Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life” in 2018. It became a New York Times bestseller in the U.S. and was the bestselling book in Brazil for more than six months, making a significant profit for the star. But Bündchen didn’t use the success to build up her bank account. Proceeds from sales of her book went to support social and environmental causes. But that’s not the only venture that Bündchen has channeled into charitable giving. A portion of the profits from her sandal line with Grendene is reportedly donated to help protect Amazon Rainforest water sources.

Additionally, Bündchen founded the Luz Foundation with her husband Tom Brady in 2017, a private foundation the couple channels money into to support humanitarian, environmental, educational and social causes. In April 2020, the foundation created a fund with Brazil Foundation to aid in emergency response efforts in Brazil related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bündchen also gave $1.5 million to the Red Cross after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, donated 750,000 meals through Feeding Tampa Bay in 2020, and launched an initiative to plant 40,000 trees in the Amazon Rainforest for her 40th birthday in 2021.

Through her philanthropy, Bündchen is particularly focused on giving back to her native Brazil, reportedly supporting organizations like Y Ikatu Xingu, Nascentes do Brasil, De Olho nos Mananciais, and ISA.

What are some of Gisele Bündchen’s assets?

As far as financial assets go, almost nothing beats out real estate investments—and Bündchen has a robust collection of properties in her name. In late 2020, Bündchen and Brady dished out $17 million for a mansion on the ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island, otherwise known as Billionaire Bunker, which is located just outside of Miami Beach. The couple also currently owns a $3.5 million dollar apartment in New York City, which serves as a hub for their time in the Big Apple.

Bündchen and Brady are also reportedly members of the exclusive Yellowstone Club in Montana, which requires members to own property in the neighboring area. Houses in this area cost anywhere from $2 million to $25 million, though not much is known about this potential real estate asset, according to Architectural Digest.

The pair have also invested in real estate by buying and flipping properties, sometimes building mansions from the ground up only to sell mere years later. One such California property built by the duo, an $11.75 million eco-conscious mansion built on land the couple bought in 2008, sold to Dr. Dre for a healthy $40 million in 2014. In total, the couple has sold at least four properties throughout the past decade and a half, gaining some millions in profit off each sale. This includes a gorgeous Brookline, Mass., home (bought as land in 2014 for $4.5 million) that sold for $35.5 million in 2020; a Flatiron NYC condo (bought in 2014 for $11.7 million) that sold for an estimated $13.95 million in 2018; and a Tribeca NYC apartment (bought for $25.5 million in 2018) that sold for $40 million in 2020.

When talking about real estate, it’s also worth mentioning that Bündchen also reportedly owns a hotel called Palladium Executive in Brazil, which sources say she bought in 2005. Not much else is known about the venture, including how much she spent on the purchase and if she still owns the property.

Though Tom Brady seems to be more of a car enthusiast than Bündchen, the pair have quite the joint collection of cars that they casually rotate through. A recent estimate of the couple’s car collection — which includes a Tesla Model S, a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, a Rolls-Royce Ghost and a Ferrari M458-T — clocked in at a cool $5 million. The pair also own two boats to enhance their coastal lifestyle, one being a 77-foot superyacht worth an estimated $6 million and the other a 55-foot yacht worth an estimated $2 million.

When it comes to other non-liquid assets, Bündchen likely owns sizable assets like expensive jewelry, designer clothing, and luxury accessories that are quite valuable “investments.” Yet, purchases like these are fairly under-the-radar, making them hard to track. Her engagement ring from Bragy, however, is estimated to clock in at $145,000.

In fact, Bündchen and Brady are often noted for their relatively modest lifestyle even with access to incredible wealth. The pair don’t own a private jet (despite rumors), keep a meager two to three real estate properties and keep a relatively low profile for mega-stars. Celebrities, they’re just like us.

Does Tom Brady’s money contribute to Gisele Bündchen’s net worth?

The short answer is no. Bündchen’s $400 million net worth only accounts for her independent paydays and estimated assets. But, like any married duo, Brady and Bündchen likely share a good deal of assets, meaning their net worths are slightly intertwined.

Though Brady is lauded as one of the best football players in NFL history and ranks as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, his personal estimated net worth doesn’t come close to Bündchen’s total estimated wealth. Celebrity Net Worth, Brady is worth an estimated $250 million, which brings the couple’s net worth to at least $650 million.