My Morning Rabbit Hole
Woke up today scrolling Twitter when James Finke’s name popped up. Some crypto account claimed he made crazy millions. Figured I’d fact-check it myself since I track money trails as a hobby.
Step 1: Google Frustration
Searched “James Finke net worth” expecting solid numbers. Got flooded with clickbait sites like “TheRichest” and “CelebrityNetWorth”. Clicked three of them – same copy-pasted crap saying “between $1-5 million” with zero sources. Felt like digital dumpster diving.
Step 2: Public Record Hunt
Checked SEC filings for any companies he founded. Found his blockchain startup from 2017. Scanned every annual report – no ownership percentages disclosed anywhere. Saw he raised $3M VC money, but you can’t translate that to personal cash. Private equity’s a black box.
Step 3: Crypto Forensics
Dove into his known ETH wallet addresses next. Traced transactions on Etherscan for two hours. He made fat gains flipping NFTs during the 2021 bubble – maybe $700k in profit? But then spotted huge transfers to cold wallets. Can’t prove if those belong to him or investors. Crypto wealth is like smoke.
What actually holds water:
- His LinkedIn shows VP roles at legit tech firms pre-2015. Salary likely $200-$300k range then.
- His current startup got acquired this year. Press release says “undisclosed terms”. Damn it.
- Property records show a Miami condo bought in 2020 – worth $1.2M now. No mortgages found.
Reality Check
Tracked his ass for 6 hours across 20+ sources. Bottom line? Anyone giving exact numbers is lying. Found evidence of mid-seven-figure wealth minimum, but crypto gains could double that. Yet there’s more hidden than visible. Reminded me why I hate “net worth” culture – people confuse paper gains with cash. James ain’t starving, but he ain’t Bezos either. Unless he posts bank statements tomorrow? Case closed.
