- Chris Gardner Net Worth
- Childhood & Early Life
- Career
- Major Works
- Awards & Achievements
- New Beginning
- Personal Life & Legacy
Chris Gardner’s story is one of the most well-known examples of a person rising from poverty to prominence. This guy had the most meagre beginnings; he grew up without single material possession. His stepfather was aggressive and cruel, so he spent most of his childhood in foster care after being taken from his mother.
Surgeon Robert Ellis believed in the war veteran’s future medical career and hired him as a research assistant when he retired. Unfortunately, the salary was rather poor, so the young guy gave up on his ambition of becoming a doctor to provide for his family.
Soon, though, he felt the need to do something more satisfying, so he decided to get into the stock market. He applied and was accepted into the training program at ‘Dean Witter Reynolds’ after many unsuccessful efforts at other businesses.

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Chris Gardner Net Worth
Christopher Gardner is an American author, investor, and businessman, and his net worth is now estimated to be $70 million. The story of Christopher Gardner has become more well-known as a direct consequence of Will Smith’s performance as that character in the critically and commercially successful film “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Christopher’s life story is the stuff of myths and legends; he is the epitome of the phrase “rags to riches” success stories. Christopher went from being needy to being wealthy. After that, he started and ran a successful brokerage firm.
Childhood & Early Life
His mother remarried, and he gained a stepsister named Ophelia and two half-sisters named Kimberly and Sharon by way of Freddie Triplett, her third husband.
When Bettye was falsely accused of crimes by the tyrannical Triplett, the children were separated from their mother and endured a difficult childhood. Chris’s mother, however, was the driving force behind his achievements, encouraging him to stand on his own two feet no matter what life threw at him.
Chris Gardner’s Career
- After graduating high school, Gardner followed his uncle Henry’s counsel and enlisted in the United States Navy, spending four years stationed at “Camp Lejeune” in North Carolina.
- The young guy got a hospital clinical research assistant job after leaving the Navy in 1974.
- Gardner had already shown his worth within the first two years, and in 1976 he was promoted to head a laboratory and collaborate on medical publications with Ellis. The pay was terrible, and he had a family to support, so he took a job selling medical equipment.
- He once wondered about a well-dressed guy driving a Ferrari because he was intrigued by the man’s occupation. The young salesman’s life was transformed by Bridges’ training and the doors he opened for him.
- He quit his job as a salesperson to become a stockbroker after reading ‘Hutton.’ Unfortunately for Gardner, his recruiter had already left the company by the time he officially signed up.
- Not long after, he was employed as a trainee by the company “Dean Witter Reynolds,” where he would work for free until he was offered a permanent position. The only means he lived by was the little money he got from selling medical equipment.
- The aspiring stock broker put a lot of time and effort into his training, making over 200 calls every day and never leaving the workplace after passing the ‘Series 7’ examination in 1982. Soon after, Chris was hired as a stockbroker by ‘Bear Stearns & Company,’ a San Francisco firm.
- He started the business with just $10,000 out of his little flat in the “Presidential Towers.”
- Chris owned a sizable portion of the company, and it was successful. After selling his shares in “Gardner Rich” in 2006 for a tidy sum, he formed the multinational corporation Christopher Gardner International Holdings, with headquarters in London and offices in San Francisco, New York, and Chicago.
- He is currently plotting the launch of a business with investors from South Africa to generate a sizable number of new jobs.
Major Works
This well-known entrepreneur and stock broker is perhaps most recognized for the firm Gardner, Rich & Co., which he established and grew from the ground up over his career. Because the company’s creator had a deep and abiding affection for the well-known tycoon Marc Rich, the name “Rich” was chosen for the company.
Awards & Achievements
Since 2002, Gardner has been presented with several accolades, including “Father of the Year,” “25th Annual Humanitarian,” and “Friends of Africa.”
New Beginning
Chris Gardner and his kid could find shelter at a nearby Methodist church thanks to Reverend Cecil Williams, who observed Chris while waiting in line for free meals provided by his charity program.
After a year-long, unpaid internship at Dean Witter Reynolds, Chris took and passed the Series 7 test, making him a fully licensed stockbroker. The effort put in throughout the years has now borne fruit.
Soon after, he was hired by Bear Stearns & Company in San Francisco (where the careers of many prominent American businesspeople began; for example, see our Henry Kravis Bio). Chris got a studio apartment thanks to a modest but steady income.
Chris Gardner made the most of his time as a stockbroker by putting in more hours than anybody else he knew in the industry. As he had hoped, he eventually achieved widespread praise and financial success.
Personal Life & Legacy
- The marriage quickly became tense when the young guy realized he couldn’t become a doctor.
- Jackie, a young woman he had an affair with while still married, became pregnant shortly afterward. After divorcing his wife, he began living with Jackie almost immediately.
- Chris and Jackie’s relationship broke up shortly after, with Jackie accusing Chris of torturing her physically. The businessman rejects the charges, but he was forced to spend a few months in jail away from his son.
- Jackie had Christopher Jr. back in her arms after four months, and the ambitious stockbroker had taken full responsibility for the youngster despite his or her dire circumstances (including poverty, hunger, and homelessness).
- This wealthy entrepreneur grew up poor and abused, so he now makes it his mission to ensure that the poor have access to shelter and basic necessities.
- In addition to his work as a caring parent, he serves on the boards of directors for the non-governmental organisations National Fatherhood Initiative and National Education Foundation.