Marilyn vos Savant is a writer and columnist who the Guinness Book of Records claimed to have the highest IQ in the world.
She has written several books and also writes a regular column titled “Ask Marilyn” for Parade magazine. She has a net worth of approximately $63 million.
| Name | Marilyn Mach (Marilyn vos Savant) |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth: | August 11th, 1946 (76 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Height: | 5 feet 8inches (1.72 meters) |
| Profession: | Writer, columnist |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Children: | 2 |
| Parents: | Joseph Mach (father), Marina vos Savant (mother) |
| Net Worth Estimate: | $63 million |
Net Worth
It is unclear what vos Savant’s exact net worth is. However, it is speculated to be around $63 million.
The majority of vos Savant’s net worth comes from her work as a writer. She has published over 10 books, some of which have become bestsellers in the United States (1).
She is also the Chief Financial Officer for her husband’s company, Jarvik Heart Inc, which has substantially increased her net worth (2).
Company
Vos Savant is known to have invested in several companies. However, the details regarding these companies and the price of these investments are unknown.
However, she generated enough revenue from these investments in five years to support her aspirations of being a writer (3).
Vos Savant also has a position as Chief Financial Officer, or CFO, of her husband’s company, Jarvik Heart Inc. It is unclear exactly how much the company makes in revenue.
However, it is estimated to be approximately $12 million per year. In 2020, the company received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of approximately $350,000. The following year, it received another PPP loan worth roughly $606,000 (4).
Earnings
Vos Savant is known to have worked in the field of stocks and real estate. However, it is unclear how much she earned from these and the companies she worked for (5).
Vos Savant has also worked as a director for the National Council on Economic Education (6). Although her earnings from this position are unclear, it is speculated that a Director of Educational Technology receives approximately $120,428 per year.
This is comprised of a base salary of $91,739 and a bonus of roughly $28,690, and it is likely that Vos Savant receives a similar salary (7).
Vos Savant worked for the National Association for Gifted Children as an advisory member (8). Similarly, her earnings from this position are unclear.
However, in 2020, the executive director at this organization received $55,026 as a salary, indicating that Vos Savant likely received earnings lower than this (9).
Vos Savant served as an advisory member for the National Women’s History Museum (10).
Her earnings from this are unknown, but in 2019, the directors at this museum received between $135,000 to $228,018. As such, Vos Savant would have received a salary lower than this (11).
Currently, vos Savant works as a columnist for Parade magazine. Her exact salary here is unknown, although an assistant editor at the company is speculated to earn an average of $35,628 per year. It is likely that vos Savant earns more than this figure, given her fame (12).
Vos Savant has also written a number of books, including I’ve Forgotten Everything I Learned in School!, The Power of Logical Thinking, The Art of Spelling, and Growing Up: A Classic American Childhood.
However, it is unclear how much she earned from these, although Vos Savant’s publishers claimed that The Art of Spelling was a “bestseller” (13).
Real Estate
It is unclear where vos Savant currently lives. However, she is known to have lived in an apartment in Manhattan for an unknown period (14).
The median house price in this area is approximately $1.38 million, or roughly $153,000 per square foot (15).
In addition, vos Savant also worked in the field of real estate before becoming famous, so she possibly owned some properties (16). However, this is unconfirmed.
Early Life
Vos Savant was born on August 11th, 1946, in St Louis, Missouri. Her father, Joseph Mach, owned a general store, and her mother, Marina vos Savant, was a sandwich maker. Her parents later purchased a bar and grill, and the family lived directly above this bar.
At a young age, vos Savant was noted for having high intelligence, as she was able to complete several complex math and science questions in under two minutes.
When she was 10 years old, vos Savant’s parents signed her up for a test. She completed an adult IQ test and scored full marks with every answer correct.
Vos Savant worked for her father for several years as a teenager and also contributed articles for regional newspapers, although she used pseudonyms for these. This was because vos Savant’s parents feared that her peers would bully her for her intelligence, so they kept her abilities a secret until 1986.
As a young adult, Vos Savant studied at Meramec Community College and later began studying at Washington University in St. Louis. Originally, she aimed to get a degree in philosophy but quit after just two years in order to focus on her career.
Career
Vos Savant began working in investments, eventually amassing enough money from this to support her dreams of being a writer. She moved to New York and began to submit several stories to newspapers. However, she usually did this under a pseudonym.
However, in 1985, the Guinness Book of World Records published vos Savant’s IQ results in their book, claiming that she was the most intelligent person in the world.
She received a score of 228, whereas the average person’s score is approximately 100. As a result, vos Savant received a huge amount of media attention, appearing on several talk shows to discuss her intelligence.
During this time, Savant began writing for Parade magazine and publishing more written work under her own name.
One of her most famous column entries was in 1990 when she shoved the ‘Monty Hall Problem’ regarding the decisions a game show contestant should make.
These texts include:
- Brain Building in Just 12 Weeks
- The Power of Logical Thinking
- The Art of Spelling: The Madness and the Method
- The World’s Most Famous Math Problem: The Proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem and Other Mathematical Mysteries
- Brain Building: Exercising Yourself Smarter, Brain Power
- I’ve Forgotten Everything I Learned in School: A Refresher Course to Help You Reclaim Your Education.
She also released books compiling some of her columns from Parade magazine, including Ask Marilyn, More Marilyn, and Of Course, I’m for Monogamy: I’m Also for Everlasting Peace and an End to Taxes.
Additionally, vos Savant helped to write an IQ quiz for Omni. However, she has stated that she does not believe IQ tests are an effective measure of intelligence.
Vos Savant is currently a member of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. However, it is unknown if this is a paid position.
Vos Savant has also received some awards during her career, such as being named one of the Five Outstanding Speakers of 1999 by Toastmasters International.
Additionally, the College of New Jersey gave vos Savant an honorary degree as a Doctor of Letters.
Career Highlights
- Vos Savant began working in investments and made enough money to become a full-time writer
- In 1986, she began writing for Parade magazine as a columnist
- She wrote several books, some of which compiled her columns and were bestsellers
- She made numerous talk show appearances and became a board member of several organizations
Personal Life
Vos Savant has been married three times. She first married an unknown man when she was 16, which resulted in her divorce from him for unknown reasons when she was 26.
She then remarried another man but divorced him when vos Savant was 35. It is unclear why this marriage ended.
On August 23rd, 1987, vos Savant married Robert Jarvik, and the pair remain married to this day. Jarvik telephoned vos Savant in 1985 to ask her on a date after he read an article in a magazine that was written about vos Savant.
Initially, vos Savant was hesitant but changed her mind after seeing a picture of him in Vanity Fair magazine. Jarvik proposed to her after the pair had been dating for a month, and the couple has been dubbed the “World’s Smartest Couple” (17).
The pair have two children together, named Dennis and Mary.
Interesting Facts
- Vos Savant was born Marilyn Mach but decided to change her surname to vos Savant, her mother’s maiden name. She stated that she believes women should take their mother’s surnames, while sons should take their father’s surnames (18).
- Vos Savant was previously a member of Mensa International and the Mega Society (19).
- In 2021, vos Savant jokingly stated that the thing she looked forward to most after the pandemic was “fries” (20).
- Vos Savant is a fan of the comedian Jerry Seinfeld and praised his ability to be funny without involving politics (21).
Saw Jerry Seinfeld at the Beacon Theater last nite. Convulsed the audience for an hour w/o even one hateful political statement. What a pro!
— Marilyn vos Savant (@VirtualMvS) July 14, 2017
Summary
Marilyn Vos Savant is a writer and columnist. She has written several books, including Ask Marilyn, More Marilyn, and The Art of Spelling.
The Guinness Book of Records also named vos Savant as having the highest recorded IQ in the world. She has a net worth of approximately $63 million.