Biography of Jordan Belfort

Jordan Ross Belfort (July 9, 1962) Lecturer and

former stockbroker, author of the biographical
novel "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2008). Belfort
was one of the most successful stockbrokers of
the 90's, he had it all until he was found guilty of
market manipulation in 2005. He has since
walked away from the stock market. He has
written three books and given several conferences
on the world of sales. His life and work was
brought to the big screen by Martin Scorsese in
2013.

Early years
He was born in the Bronx, New York, on July 9,
1962, the son of accountants Leah and Max
Belfort. His mother later graduated as a lawyer.
He was raised in Queens and from a very young
age he was interested in sales. In his teens he used
to sell lollipops with a friend. Dreaming of
becoming a millionaire, when he finished high
school he enrolled in the Baltimore College of
Dental Surgery, thinking that dentists amassed a
good amount of money. This idea was quickly
scrapped when the dean of the institution
mentioned to him that the golden age of dentists
had already ended.

So he left the institution to open a business selling

fish and seafood. The business was successful in
his early years, however, at 25 he had to file for
bankruptcy. It was around this time that I heard
the story of a young man who had become a
millionaire by starting to work on the stock
market.

Career
Shortly after going bankrupt, Belfort would try his
luck as a stockbroker apprentice at LF Rothschild.
In this he would learn several tactics before being
fired in 1988, due to the crisis that caused Black
Monday in 1987.
Frauds, wealth and prison
In the early 1990s, Belfort and his friend, Danny
Porush, set up Stratton Oakmont, a brokerage firm
or firm that sold and scammed investors with
fraudulent stocks. This style of boiler room
quickly gained recognition, attracting thousands
of investors. His tactics today known from his
books, led him to become one of the most famous
brokers of the nineties. Belfort had everything he
wanted, but in the end he fell into excess.

The complaints of his clients and his disorderly

lifestyle (drugs, sex, alcohol, parties, etc.),
attracted the attention of the authorities, for
which, in 1998, he was accused of securities
fraud, market manipulation and money
laundering. money. After collaborating with the
FBI, he was sentenced to 22 months in prison for
Pump and dump (inflation or market
manipulation), in addition he had to pay his
former clients the sum of 110.4 million (to date
not paid even half). Each year he must give half of
his earnings to restore the victims.

Books and talks

During his stay in prison, one of his colleagues
motivated him to write about his life. This is how
“The Wolf of Wall Street” appeared in 2007 and
“Catching the Wolf of Wall Street” in 2009. In
2017, he published “Wolf: Straight Line Selling:
Master the Art of Persuasion, Influence, and
Success”. In addition to becoming the author of
several bestsellers, Belfort would return to the
business world by founding the conference
company Global Motivation Inc. Since 2014, he
has spent around three weeks lecturing around the
world. His talks revolve around ethics in business,
sales and respect for the laws in the finance
sector. However, there are many who criticize his
speeches and tactics, since on some occasions he
returns to his ways and customs of the nineties.

His life, like that of many criminals, has inspired

several films, including "Boiler Room" (2000). In
2013, his novel "The Wolf of Wall Street" was
adapted for the big screen by Martin Scorsese
with the leading role of Leonardo DiCaprio.