Fact Check: Does the Rothschild family's net worth stand at $500 trillion? Rumors debunked

Lord Jacob Rothschild, the renowned British financier and member of the Rothschild banking family, recently died at the age of 87. The news of his death was announced by his family on Monday, February 27.

In the wake of the RIT Capital founder’s death news, several rumors and theories surrounding the Jacob's family’s wealth have caught fire, one of them being that their net worth is $500 trillion. However, a report shared by Metro UK on Wednesday stated that the estimated net worth of Jacob's family is £15.7 trillion which, when converted to USD, doesn’t surpass even $2 trillion.

The Rothschilds are a Jewish family that rose to prominence in the 18th century and were believed to possess the largest private fortune in the world one century later. However, their family wealth declined substantially in the 20th century due to being divided among many descendants.

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The Rothschild family does not have a net worth of $500 trillion

The generational wealth in the Rothschild family has been subject to speculations for a long time, including theories about their alleged association with the Illuminati, the New World Order, and several other dark money groups known for pulling the strings of World Government.

Jacob's death has now intensified speculations surrounding the family’s money. However, the rumor of the family's net worth standing at $500 trillion has already been debunked in 2016 by a Snopes article, which deemed the figure to have been “grossly exaggerated.”

It also reported that the total global wealth in 2015 was only $250 trillion, half of what the rumors claimed to be the family’s net worth alone. In the same year’s Forbes list of world billionaires, only one member of the family was included, ranked at #1121 – Benjamin de Rothschild, who had a net worth of $1.61 billion at the time.

Keeping all these revelations in mind, it’s evident that the rumors of the family possessing a net worth of $500 trillion is nothing more than a false claim, having no factual information to back it up.

The main source of the fortune amassed by the Rothschild family is their long-standing banking business, which was established by Mayer Amschel Rothschild in the 1760s. Thereafter, the financier built an international family banking business through his five sons in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Naples.

According to Metro UK, Jacob, who passed away recently, was a great patron of art and supported his community deeply, having donated £66 million to Jewish causes, education, and art.

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Sharing the news of Jacob's death, the Rothschild Foundation - of which the financier was the chair - stated:

"Jacob Rothschild was an extraordinary person and his loss will be felt by many. We will all be inspired by his vision, ambition, and his commitment to success."

Jacob’s wife of 50 years, Serena, passed away five years ago in 2019. The financier is survived by their four children – Hannah, Beth, Emily, and Nat – and many grandchildren.