Ben Carson's Sitting On A Pretty Solid Net Worth

On the eve of the GOP debates, the Internet went crazy with memes and tweets and all of the things it loves to do. One of the beloved subjects of these memes was GOP candidate and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson. And though Carson's memes were mostly directed at the fact that no one seemed to want to acknowledge his presence during the debates, he sure has gained some attention since. One of the focus points of the increased Carson-watch is just how much cash the prominent former surgeon has in his possession. So, what is Ben Carson's net worth?

Well, first of all, Carson makes bank with a net worth of $10 million, according to Heavy.com. But that's not a hard number to imagine, considering his long career as a surgeon who's performed multiple complicated brain surgeries. He is credited as the doctor who led the surgery for the first successful removal of conjoined twins. Now retired from neurosurgery, Carson has written several books, including an autobiography, titled Gifted Hands, according to Biography.com.

Carson's personal bankroll is hefty, but this doesn't mean he's the only member of his campaign sitting pretty during this election season. His campaign manager takes home $210,000 a year, reported The Wall Street Journal. The Carson campaign has raised $10.5 million since the candidate launched an exploratory committee in March. According to the Journal, Carson raised $8.3 million of this total sum in the second quarter, which ended on June 30.

USA Today ranked Carson sixth on the list of presidential candidates' net worth, with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton sneaking in between Jeb Bush and John Kasich. Of all these candidates, Carson has an arguably different path, with a professional history that doesn't mimic the political experience of his cohorts.

But much of the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient's personal net worth doesn't come from his career in the medical field. Most of his cash flow came from book royalties and talks, reported Newsmax.com. The news source reported that Carson earned between $8.9 million and $27 million in a 16-month period, from the beginning of 2014. He delivered more than 141 paid speeches between the beginning of last year and the day of his official campaign announcement in May. CBS News reported that Carson also earned between $2 million and $10 million while serving on the boards of Kellogg Co. and Costco Wholesale Corp.

GOP candidate Donald Trump has a reported net worth of $4 billion, according to The Washington Post. His fellow candidate and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina clocks in at $59 million, according to Politico. It's clear that Carson has some serious funds in his pockets, and if he keeps playing his cards right with campaign financing, he'll continue to be right at the top of the money list with the Big Guns.

Images: Giphy (1)