Celebrities who failed to look after their finances, and the winners who did

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Celebrities who failed to look after their finances

29/02/2012

With the Oscars recently highlighting the glitz and glamour of the celebrity world, we go beyond the red carpet to see who the real winners and losers are in financial terms.

Winners

George Clooney
George Clooney might not have picked up an Oscar, but the film star was by far the richest nominee at the awards with a net worth of $160 million, according to the US website CelebrityNetWorth. The actor, producer, writer and director has made his millions through successful TV shows, a string of box office hit films, TV adverts and some lucrative product endorsements. The Hollywood heart-throb can also look forward to an endless supply of his favourite coffee after becoming a Nespresso Ambassador.

Fun fact: George Clooney became the first person in Oscar history to be nominated for directing one film and staring in another in the same year.

Adele
Acclaimed artist and songwriter Adele Adkins was worth an estimated fortune of £6 million as of summer 2011. However, after the recent haul of awards she has picked up both here and in the U.S.A, that figure will certainly have increased.

The 23 year-old singer has enjoyed record breaking success with her second album, 21, remaining in the US charts for 52 consecutive weeks recently.

Since its release in February last year, the album has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide. As a result, radio stations across the globe will give her hit singles a consistent amount of airtime.

Whilst the singer has vowed never to ‘sell-out’ by signing up to numerous endorsement deals, after 78 year old fashion god-father Karl Lagerfeld’s comments about her being ‘too fat’, she has stated that she is more than happy to represent everyday women.

We can smell a deal in the making, Dove’s ‘real women’ campaign perhaps?

Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell is no stranger to a few laughs, but when it comes to personal finances he clearly takes things very seriously. The American comedy actor has come out on top of a recent Forbes list as one of the most overpaid stars of our time. He is unlikely to worry too much though, consistently commanding large fees for his film roles.

Ferrell has his fingers in a few different pies and with his comedy partner in crime, Adam McKay, they have set up the popular video streaming website, funnyordie.com. The website has become an internet sensation and is estimated to be worth around $300 million.


Losers

Whilst not everyone pocketed a golden statue at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony recently, the losers did get a nice sympathy basket of goods consisting of $1,654 worth of ‘non-surgical’ beauty treatment, a $ 3,350 holiday package, a £10,000 home makeover, $15,000 worth of Disaronno with a bartender to serve it and an African safari which was also worth $15,000.

Some celebrities will need a break after blowing their finances in the same way as this lot;

Bono
Bono, the U2 front man, has made quite a few financial slip-ups in his time.

The Irish celebrity is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Elevation Partners, a private equity form which is largely dedicated to large scale investments in media, entertainment and consumer-related businesses.

By investing in Yelp and Facebook, the company made some good moves in the past. It once turned a $300 million investment in a video game company into $620 million when Elevation Partners sold it in 2007.

Unfortunately, Bono’s company also pumped £300 million into Forbes Incorporation, which has seen its value dramatically fall in recent times. One particular website, 24/7 Wall Street, dubbed the singer the “worst investor in America.”

Miquita Oliver
The Channel 4 presenter might not be a Hollywood A-lister, but it could be her lack of financial knowledge that’s holding her back. The 27-year-old, best known for presenting Popworld with comedian and presenter Simon Amstell, filed for bankruptcy at the end of last year.

Oliver owed a tax bill of more than £174,000, according to a firm of accountants.

In a statement, her publicist said: “We can confirm that Miquita Oliver filed for bankruptcy in November 2011. She has many projects in the pipeline both here and in the US for 2012.”

Maybe they will let her into Hollywood after all!