Celebrity Net Worth: David and Victoria Beckham pay $72 million for Miami Beach mansion

In our fortnightly celebrity investment and wealth round-up, Taylor Swift overtakes Rihanna to become world’s richest female musician and Emma Watson invests in UK reproductive health company

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham are estimated to have a combined net worth of $450 million. Getty Images

Football star and entrepreneur David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham, the fashion designer, singer and businesswoman, have paid $72.3 million for a waterfront mansion in Miami Beach.

Beckham, the 49-year-old co-owner of the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, and his wife bought the 14,270 square foot, nine-bedroom estate at 4736 North Bay Road, real estate website The Real Deal reported.

The sale closed on October 14 and the property was on the market for $80 million. The home has nine bathrooms, four half-bathrooms, a gym, spa, home theatre, pool, an outdoor kitchen and lounge, along with 124 feet of water frontage, the website reported.

Other property owners on North Bay Road include billionaire media mogul Barry Diller, who is married to fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, as well as Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber.

In 2020, the Beckhams bought a $24 million Miami penthouse in a Zaha Hadid-designed tower to call their home while living the US.

The Beckhams are estimated to have a combined net worth of $450 million, according to wealth tracking website Celebrity Net Worth.

Football earnings have provided the lion’s share of those assets, but the couple also have several businesses and endorsement deals, which include ownership stakes in football clubs, such as Salford City in the English Football League.

In 2019, Beckham co-founded Studio 99, a production and content studio focused on unscripted films and advertising content for global brands. In 2020, he was announced as the co-owner of British professional e-sports company Guild Esports.

His brand endorsements include adidas, EA and Diageo.

In 2002, the couple were reported to have bought a villa in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah for $1.6 million, which they reportedly gave to Victoria's parents. In 2009, they purchased a property in Burj Khalifa for about $5 million, Celebrity Net Worth said.

They also own a $4 million home in the South of France as well as a mansion in West London's Holland Park neighbourhood that they bought for $41 million in 2013.

Taylor Swift has a net worth estimated at $1.6 billion, according to Forbes. AP

Taylor Swift

After becoming a billionaire last year thanks to her record-breaking Eras concert tour, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has now surpassed Rihanna to become the world’s richest female musician with a net worth estimated at $1.6 billion, business magazine Forbes reported.

Last October, Swift became a member of the exclusive billionaire club with a net worth of $1.1 billion, boosted by her earnings from the Eras tour and the value of her music catalogue.

However, the 12-time Grammy winner could earn as much as $4.1 billion from the tour, according to estimates based on her share of 85 per cent of all revenue generated, The Washington Post reported.

The 152-date Eras tour across five continents has already shattered several records and sparked ticket frenzies. It is expected to be the highest-grossing concert tour of all time when it ends in December.

By then, the US leg of the tour could add $5.7 billion to the country’s economy, software company Question Pro said last August.

Swift is one of the few entertainers to reach billionaire status based on her music and performances only, according to Bloomberg.

Among Swift’s estimated assets are $600 million from touring and royalties, as well as $600 million from her catalogue.

She also makes millions of dollars every year from endorsements with companies such as Capital One, Diet Coke, AT&T and CoverGirl, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The Forbes ranking puts her ahead of fellow female icons such as Dolly Parton ($450 million), Barbra Streisand ($460 million), Celine Dion ($550 million), Beyonce ($760 million), Madonna ($850 million) and Rihanna ($1.4 billion).

Swift, 34, ranks No. 2 on the list of richest musicians, trailing Jay-Z, whose personal fortune is estimated to be about $2.5 billion.

As one of the world’s richest self-made women, the Shake it Off singer has primarily earned her fortune from her successful music career, which she began at the age of 16 with her self-titled debut album.

Since then, her 11 studio albums have sold millions of copies, both physical and digital, according to Investopedia.

Swift also invests in real estate to build her wealth. With eight homes, her property portfolio is worth about $150 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

She has four homes in New York City, a seven-bedroom home in Massachusetts, properties in Nashville, Tennessee, and an estate in Beverly Hills, California.

Emma Watson is estimated to have a net worth of $85 million. AFP

Emma Watson

Harry Potter actress and model Emma Watson has invested in UK-based women’s health company Hertility, bringing its total funding to more than $14 million, according to online news platform TechCrunch.

The investment amount was not disclosed.

Watson, 34, is known for supporting women-led initiatives. She is a UN Women Goodwill ambassador and helped launch the HeForShe campaign, which promotes gender equality.

Helen O’Neill, the chief executive and co-founder of Hertility, said she met Watson through one of her investors who felt the actress’s stance on women’s rights would make her a natural fit as an investor.

“Hertility was founded by women and focuses on women’s health – an area that historically hasn’t received enough attention or funding,” Ms O’Neill told TechCrunch. “By investing in a female-founded company that aims to revolutionise women’s health care, Watson contributes to empowering women in both business and health.”

Hertility seeks to provide more personalised testing and services, including diagnostic testing, egg freezing and telemedicine, to women through their reproductive journeys.

The company, which launched in 2019, counts venture capital firms LocalGlobe and the Sequoia Scout Fund among its investors.

By investing in a female-founded company that aims to revolutionise women’s health care, [Emma] Watson contributes to empowering women in both business and health

Helen O’Neill,
chief executive and co-founder, Hertility

The start-up’s last official funding round was community-led and raised about $7.5 million, TechCrunch reported.

Watson is estimated to have a personal fortune of $85 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

She rose to fame at a young age thanks to her role as Hermione Granger in the eight popular fantasy films based on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.

Outside of acting salaries, Watson has earned millions from endorsements with companies such as Calvin Klein, Lancome, Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry.

She earned $70 million in salary from the Harry Potter franchise and receives between $5 million to $10 million per year from endorsements, Celebrity Net Worth reported.

Watson earned about $15 million for her work in Beauty and the Beast, with performance bonuses.

In 2020, Watson joined luxury brand Kering's board of directors to advocate sustainable fashion.

In 2018, she donated £1 million ($1.3 million) to kick-start the UK justice and equality fund to help women facing harassment and abuse at work.