Since the franchise began in 2009, the women of The Real Housewives of New Jersey have been known to bring the drama season after season.
Aside from the drama, the cast doesn’t miss an opportunity to throw an extravagant party or take a lavish vacation.
Despite legal troubles that have plagued a few of the women’s storylines, the ladies of New Jersey do not disappoint when it comes to living the life of luxury.
Many of the women have utilized their success on RHONJ to become successful entrepreneurs, while others have made their money in different ways.
As fans continue to watch the women enjoy the finer things in life, many are left wondering just how big the RHONJ star’s bank accounts are.
We’ve ranked the RHONJ Season 10 cast by net worth to reveal who makes the most money – and the findings may surprise you.
1. Margaret Josephs
Margaret Josephs is the richest housewife of the New Jersey franchise with an estimated net worth of $50 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. She is married to Joe Benigno, a general contractor.
Her impressive bank account is thanks to being an entrepreneur and her love for fashion. She worked as a dress designer before she became the founder, owner, and designer of the Macbeth Collection lifestyle brand which she launched in 1999.
The collection includes bags, accessories, beauty products, home decor, office and tech accessories, and luggage and travel items. Her products are available for purchase worldwide.
Margaret’s business is to thank for the majority of her financial success, however, she did face legal troubles after she was hit with a copyright lawsuit from Vineyard Vines. The company sued her for $12 million after they accused her of using their whale design logo on several products she sold in her Macbeth Collection.
According to Page Six, Margaret was ordered to pay the company $300,000 but only paid $190,000.
Because Margaret didn’t pay in full, Vineyard Vines requested an additional $9.4 million in damages.
Margaret filed for bankruptcy and a lien was placed on her property.
Her legal issues did not stop there, as she was sued again in 2019 by former friends Lori and John Sigley for $200,000.
The couple alleged that they loaned Margaret and Joe the cash in 2016 and they promised to pay it back a year later, but never did. It’s unclear where her legal troubles currently stand.
Despite Margaret’s various legal issues, she still remains the richest housewife of the RHONJ franchise.
2. Jennifer Aydin
Jennifer Aydin loves to boast about her large bank account and the way she flaunts her luxurious lifestyle and her spending habits have caused some drama between her and other RHONJ costars.
Jennifer is the second richest RHONJ star with an estimated net worth of around $7 million.
She is a full-time stay-at-home mom who has made it clear that staying home with her five children is just as difficult and important as working a full-time job.
So, how does Jennifer make her fortune if she doesn’t maintain a career?
Jennifer is married to Bill Aydin, a plastic surgeon who works at his own medical practice and is the breadwinner for the family.
While Jennifer doesn’t make the money, she sure does love to spend it. She often shows off her Chanel jewelry and clothing and boasts about her enormous home and the luxurious parties she throws for her children.
During an episode of RHONJ, Jennifer threw a 13th birthday party for her daughter, complete with a cake designed like a Chanel handbag, a blow-up water slide, and snacks by Chic-Fil-A. The year previously, she had a private ice cream truck arrive.
Jennifer criticized co-star Jackie Goldschneider after attending her son’s birthday party when Jackie served pizza and the kids played basketball with each other. Jennifer was appalled at the pizza being the only food offered and described the party as an ordinary day at her own home and not worthy of a kid’s birthday party.
Not only does Jennifer love to throw over-the-top parties for her kids, but she also loves to talk about her $3 million home. Her mansion contains 18 bathrooms, a sauna, two basketball courts, nine bedrooms, an elevator, and a movie theater.
Jennifer may not be responsible for her wealth, but she sure loves to flaunt it.
3. Dolores Catania
Dolores Catania has an estimated net worth of around $4 million. While Dolores received some support from her ex-husband Frank Catania, much of her current fortune is due in part to her participation on the RHONJ and the new business ventures she started on her own.
In 2016, Dolores opened up her own gym called Powerhouse Fitness Center. The gym was so successful that she ended up opening a second location.
Aside from trying her hand with her own businesses, Dolores and Frank recently got into the real estate market. As seen during the last season of RHONJ, the former couple purchased homes together in order to flip them and sell them for a higher price.
The Catania’s also build custom homes and one of their customers was Dolores’ boyfriend David Principe, an obstetrician. One of the more interesting parts of Dolores’ storyline is her unconventional relationship with Frank and his friendship with David.
Not only did Frank and Dolores build David’s custom home, but Frank even moved into it.
Dolores’ situation may be strange to many, but it appears to be working well for her and for her bank account.
4. Melissa Gorga
Teresa Giudice’s sister-in-law Melissa Gorga has an estimated net worth of $2 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Her wealth is due in part to her husband, Joe Gorga. Joe has several businesses, including a landscaping and trash company, in addition to owning and leasing several properties.
He also opened a restaurant with Teresa called Gorgas Homemade Pasta and Pizza. The restaurant was not successful and lasted a little less than a year.
Joe made it clear on several different episodes that he wanted Melissa to be a stay-at-home mother and take care of their three children while he provided for the family. Melissa, however, had other plans for herself.
Melissa pursued a singing career for a short time and released her first single On Display in 2011. She released a few more singles following that, but her career did not take off as she had hoped.
In addition to singing, Melissa became an author in 2013 when she wrote the book Love Italian Style: The Secrets of My Hot and Happy Marriage.
Melissa’s greatest success came when she opened her own clothing store called Envy by Melissa Gorga. The store sells men’s and women’s clothing from up-and-coming designers and well-known brands.
Everything in the store is handpicked by Melissa. Customers can shop in the store in New Jersey or make their purchases online.
Joe may have wished to be the sole provider for his family, but over the last several years, Melissa has certainly contributed her fair share to the family wealth.
5. Jackie Goldschneider
Even though she is criticized by co-star Jennifer Aydin for being stingy with her money, Jackie Goldschneider has an impressive net worth estimated to be around $2 million. She is married to Evan Goldschneider, a partner at the private equity group Hawthorne Lane Capital Group in New York City.
While her husband has been successful in his career, she has stated on the show that a lot of her money came from family money.
Jackie explained that her parents did not have a lot of money growing up but they worked hard and invested their money into real estate and stocks and did well for themselves. Her parents ended up taking some of their fortune and set up a trust fund for her when she was a child.
Jackie took the money from her trust fund and invested some of it into real estate. Last season, Jackie brought the housewives on a trip to her home in the Hamptons that she admitted to renting out for $50,000 per month.
In addition to her family money and real estate investment, Jackie has also written for Good Housekeeping and the Huffington Post.
Jackie may not throw lavish birthday parties for her kids, but money clearly isn’t a concern for her.
6. Teresa Giudice
Teresa Giudice has had a tough go with her prison sentence followed by a divorce from Joe Giudice. After his own stint behind bars, Joe was deported back to Italy.
Teresa once had a net worth of around $11 million, but in light of her legal troubles, Celebrity Net Worth now estimates her to be approximately $11 million in debt.
In 2011, Teresa and Joe filed for bankruptcy and they were eventually found guilty of fraud in 2013.
According to E Online, they were accused of obtaining more than $5 million in bank loans due to fraudulent and falsified paperwork. Teresa served 15 months behind bars, followed by Joe, who was sentenced to 41 months.
Teresa is a New York Times Best Selling Author for her cookbooks Skinny Italian, Fabulicious!, Fabulicious Fast & Fit, and On the Grill. Teresa has also written memoirs which include Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back at it Again and Standing Strong.
According to Radar Online, Teresa was paid $62,000 per RHONJ episode in Season 10. Despite her legal issues, Teresa has found ways to improve her income and help her to get out of debt.
Whether they have 19 bathrooms in their home, have served time behind bars, or throw their children simple birthday parties with pizza, the RHONJ cast all has impressive bank accounts worth gawking over. The entertaining storylines and lavish lifestyles of the women continue to entertain fans.
The premiere date for Season 11 of RHONJ has yet to be announced but it’s sure to be an interesting season.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is currently on hiatus.