The former CEO and chairman of Ameritrade, Joe Ricketts, announced on Thursday that he will shut down two of his media companies: DNAinfo and Gothamist. Ricketts said that he launched that company in New York City in 2009, “at a time when few people were investing in media companies.”
He had just acquired the news and culture blog Gothamist in March, but shut down operations on Thursday after writers in his New York branch voted to unionize. The New York branch of DNAinfo had also voted to unionize.
Ricketts and a few partners created what would become TD Ameritrade in 1975. Back then, it was called First Omaha Securities. It has since grown into the one of the biggest online discount brokerages in the world. In 2011, he left that business behind and decided to focus more on his philanthropic pursuits and entrepreneurism.
Let’s see just how much moolah Joe Ricketts has raked in over the years…
Joe Ricketts Net Worth as of 2019: $2.1 Billion
John Joseph “Joe” Ricketts has a total net worth of $2.1 billion dollars. That’s a whole lot of coin. He’s undoubtedly made a lot of cash during his over 76 years on this Earth. He’s the former CEO and chairman of the gigantic brokerage firm Ameritrade, and the current majority owner of the Chicago Cubs (maintains a 95% controlling interest in the team and Wrigley Field). He also owns 20% of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. In 2008, he launched his very own film company known as The American Film Company, which features true stories from America’s past.
Ricketts is also a known supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump. He donated at least one million dollars towards Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
2018
After the writers voted to unionize TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts shut down the local news network of DNAinfo and Gothamist sites.
2019
Joe Ricketts’s SFist that was part of the “Gothamist” series of websites has been acquired by San Francisco-based media company Impress3 Media.
