Which Tom Ricketts are we talking about?
When people search "Tom Ricketts net worth," they're almost always looking for Thomas G. Ricketts, the Chairman of the Chicago Cubs and a member of the prominent Ricketts family that purchased the franchise in 2009. He is not to be confused with his father, Joe Ricketts, whose own net worth traces back to founding TD Ameritrade, nor with his brother, whose finances are covered separately in the Todd Ricketts net worth profile. If you landed here looking for the broader family patriarch, note that the wealth originated with Joe and has since been distributed and invested across the family in different forms. Tom Ricketts specifically holds the operational chairman title for the Cubs and is the public face of that ownership group.
Tom Ricketts is listed formally as Chairman on the Cubs' official front-office directory, and his role was confirmed in the 2018 Cubs media guide, which described him as "executive chairman of the Chicago Cubs." He also made news when he took majority ownership of a new USL Championship soccer club in Chicago, which adds another sports asset to his portfolio. So when you're reading a net worth figure attributed to "Tom Ricketts," it's grounded in those two main roles: Cubs chairman and expanding sports investor.
What is Tom Ricketts' net worth right now?
As of April 2026, Tom Ricketts' net worth is estimated in the range of $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion, depending on the source and methodology used. Some wealth-tracking outlets place the figure closer to $1.5 billion when accounting only for his individual stake in Cubs-related assets. Others, particularly those that model the full Ricketts family trust structure and Tom's proportional share of the Cubs' appreciated value, push estimates toward $2 billion or beyond. The most frequently cited reference point from Forbes-adjacent coverage puts the Ricketts family collectively in the multi-billion dollar range, with Tom's individual slice representing a significant but not easily isolated portion of that.
It is worth noting that no authoritative, individually sourced figure for Tom Ricketts alone has been publicly disclosed, because his ownership stake is held through family trusts and private corporate structures rather than publicly traded shares. Every number you see is an estimate derived from the Cubs' current franchise valuation, assumptions about his equity percentage, and known investments outside baseball. The range of $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion is the defensible window based on those inputs as of early 2026.
Why the numbers vary so much depending on where you look
Net worth estimates for private individuals like Tom Ricketts vary for several legitimate reasons, and understanding those reasons helps you interpret any figure more responsibly.
- Franchise valuation timing: The Cubs' estimated value fluctuates year to year based on revenue, market conditions, and comparable MLB transactions. A valuation done in 2022 will produce a different ownership-stake figure than one done in 2025.
- Equity structure uncertainty: Tom's exact percentage stake in the Cubs ownership group is not publicly disclosed. Estimates vary between roughly 20% and 35% of the family-controlled entity, and that range alone creates hundreds of millions in spread.
- Liquidity vs. gross asset value: Owning a sports franchise is largely illiquid. Net worth estimates that subtract assumed debt, financing costs, and transaction friction will come out lower than gross asset calculations.
- Family trust aggregation: Some sources report a combined Ricketts family figure and then divide it, which introduces additional error depending on how the split is modeled.
- Excluded or included side investments: Tom's USL soccer club investment, any real estate holdings, and personal investment accounts are sometimes included in estimates and sometimes not, creating meaningful discrepancies.
The short version: when you see two credible outlets give figures that are $500 million apart for a private individual, it usually comes down to valuation timing and equity assumptions, not one source being wrong. Both can be reasonable under their stated assumptions.
How Tom Ricketts built his wealth
The family foundation and the Cubs acquisition
Tom Ricketts' wealth is inseparable from the fortune built by his father. The family's financial foundation came from TD Ameritrade, the discount brokerage Joe Ricketts founded, which generated the capital the family used to purchase the Chicago Cubs on October 27, 2009. The purchase price at that time was approximately $845 million, making it one of the largest sports franchise sales in history at the time. Since then, the Cubs' estimated value has grown dramatically, with recent franchise valuations placing the team well above $4 billion, meaning the ownership group has seen the asset roughly quintuple in value over roughly 15 years.
Tom's individual role shifted from passive owner to active chairman over the first several years of family ownership. His hands-on position at the top of the Cubs' organizational chart is not just a title: it reflects his primary professional identity and the main vehicle through which his personal wealth is structured. Understanding the Thomas Ricketts net worth trajectory really means tracking Cubs franchise appreciation above everything else.
The Wrigley Field development and revenue expansion
One of the biggest financial moves during Tom's tenure as chairman was the multi-hundred-million-dollar renovation and expansion of Wrigley Field and the surrounding Wrigleyville footprint, including hotels, office space, and retail development. That surrounding real estate development, known broadly as the Gallagher Way and Hotel Zachary project, added significant non-baseball revenue streams to the Cubs' overall enterprise value. Higher enterprise value means a higher estimated value for Tom's ownership stake, and that flow-through is part of why net worth estimates for him have trended upward through the 2020s.
Expanding into soccer
Tom Ricketts also took majority ownership of a USL Championship club in Chicago, a move that was publicly announced and confirmed through the Cubs organization. This is a smaller asset relative to MLB ownership, but it signals a pattern of using the Cubs platform to build an expanded sports portfolio. The soccer club is unlikely to move his net worth estimate by more than a few percentage points in the near term, but it is a real asset that some net worth models will begin incorporating as the club develops.
What actually makes up the bulk of his wealth
| Asset / Wealth Driver | Estimated Contribution | Notes |
|---|
| Chicago Cubs ownership stake | Primary, likely $1B–$2B range | Depends on his exact equity % and current franchise valuation |
| Wrigley Field real estate / development | Secondary, included in franchise valuation | Part of Cubs enterprise value; not always broken out separately |
| USL Championship soccer club | Minor, early-stage | Majority ownership confirmed; asset value not publicly disclosed |
| Personal investments and trusts | Unknown but assumed material | Not publicly disclosed; likely includes inherited TD Ameritrade proceeds |
| Family trust distributions | Ongoing, variable | Joe Ricketts remains a key source of family capital; see separate profiles |
The Cubs stake is, by a wide margin, the dominant driver of Tom Ricketts' estimated net worth. Everything else is speculative or secondary. If the Cubs were sold tomorrow at a $5 billion valuation and Tom held a 30% stake, that single event would represent approximately $1.5 billion to his side of the ledger before taxes and transaction costs. That hypothetical illustrates why franchise value movements matter more to his net worth than almost any other factor.
It is also worth keeping in mind the wider family ecosystem. The Ricketts family includes multiple members with their own financial profiles. For context on how the broader family fortune is positioned, the Lord Ricketts net worth article offers a comparative reference for how different branches of similarly named families are tracked across wealth research platforms.
What to watch if you want to track changes to his net worth
Because Tom Ricketts' wealth is concentrated in a private, illiquid asset, his net worth doesn't change in real time the way a publicly traded billionaire's does. But there are clear signals and sources you can monitor to get a sense of where the number is heading.
- Annual Forbes MLB team valuations: Forbes publishes its annual list of MLB franchise values, typically in spring. When the Cubs' valuation rises or falls, Tom's estimated net worth adjusts proportionally. This is the single most useful public data point.
- Major franchise transactions: If another major market MLB team sells, that transaction sets a new comparable for Cubs valuation. Watch for any sale announcements in MLB ownership, because they reset industry benchmarks.
- Wrigley development revenue disclosures: The Cubs occasionally disclose revenue figures related to stadium and real estate operations. Higher non-game revenue boosts enterprise value and, by extension, ownership-stake estimates.
- USL club investment updates: As the Chicago USL club grows, any disclosed valuation rounds or ownership changes will add or subtract from the soccer asset line.
- Family trust or estate changes: While rare, any disclosed changes to the Ricketts family trust structure could affect how Tom's individual share is estimated. These typically surface in court filings or SEC disclosures tied to related business entities.
- Reputable wealth tracking sites: Celebrity and executive net worth aggregators update their Tom Ricketts figures periodically. Cross-reference at least two sources and check the update date before treating any figure as current.
How to interpret and verify the estimate responsibly
The most important thing to understand about any net worth figure for Tom Ricketts is that it is an estimate derived from public data and reasonable assumptions, not a certified financial statement. No one outside his accountants and trustees knows the exact number. That said, the $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion range as of April 2026 is consistent with what you would get by applying a reasonable equity percentage to a credibly valued Cubs franchise, which makes it a defensible reference range even if the precise figure remains uncertain.
To verify or stress-test any figure you find, look for three things: the Cubs franchise valuation the source is using, the equity percentage they are assuming for Tom specifically, and whether they are using gross asset value or a net figure adjusted for liabilities. If a source doesn't disclose those assumptions, treat the number as a rough reference only. If it does disclose them, you can quickly check whether those inputs are reasonable against current public data. That kind of critical reading will serve you far better than taking any single headline number at face value.
