Bruce Karsh Net Worth

Bruce Karsh has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Bruce Karsh profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $2 billion in 2019.

Bruce Karsh is an American investor known for helping build Oaktree Capital Management into a major private equity and debt investing firm. Before that, he worked as an appellate clerk to Anthony M. Kennedy, then as a lawyer at O'Melveny & Myers. He later held roles at Sun Life Insurance Company and the TCW Group. In 1995, he joined Howard Marks and 3 other TCW employees to start Oaktree, where he became co-chairman and CIO.

His wealth comes mainly from Oaktree, the Los Angeles firm he still helps run. The company went public in 2012 and kept operating independently after Brookfield Asset Management bought 61% of it in 2019 for $4.9 billion in cash and stock. Brookfield later agreed to buy the rest for $3 billion in 2025. Forbes put Karsh at $2.6 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026.

How Bruce Karsh built his fortune

Karsh made his name in distressed debt and corporate debt investing. After working at TCW, where he managed distressed debt and the Special Credits Funds, he left in 1995 to help launch Oaktree. At Oaktree, he became a portfolio manager for the Distressed Opportunities and Value Opportunities strategies as well as chief investment officer. That long focus on debt markets helped turn the firm into the center of his fortune.

Oaktree remains the main engine of his wealth. Karsh runs the firm with longtime partner Howard Marks as co-chairman and CIO. The company manages over $220 billion in assets, and 2 thirds of that money is invested in corporate or distressed debt. A big ownership deal also mattered. In 2019, Brookfield Asset Management acquired 61% of Oaktree for $4.9 billion in cash and stock, while the firm continued to operate independently.

Forbes net worth and other assets

Forbes has tracked Karsh's fortune rising over time. It estimated his net worth at $2 billion in 2019. By 2024, Forbes put him at $2.4 billion. On October 20, 2026, Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker showed $2.6 billion. Those changes line up with the value tied to Oaktree, the Brookfield transaction, and Karsh's ongoing leadership role at the firm after its public listing in 2012.

Karsh also has a few notable interests outside Oaktree. He is a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors, and in 2014 he tried to buy the Los Angeles Clippers but was outbid. He also owns the rights to the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night and co-owns the rights to Help! Those holdings add to his profile, though his main source of wealth is still private equity and debt investing.