Wayne Dyer Net Worth

What was Wayne Dyer's Net Worth?

Wayne Dyer was an American self-help author and motivational speaker who had a net worth of $20 million. Following his commercial breakthrough with his best-selling 1976 book "Your Erroneous Zones," Wayne Dyer became a prominent author and motivational speaker, publishing over 40 books and producing multiple television specials for PBS. He also made frequent appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and collaborated with fellow author and New Age guru Deepak Chopra.

Early Life and Education

Wayne Dyer was born on May 10, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan to Hazel and Melvin. His father soon left the family, and Dyer was put into an orphanage. He was later adopted. Dyer was educated at Denby High School, and after graduating he served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1962. For his higher education, he attended Wayne State University, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in history and philosophy, his master's degree in psychology, and his doctoral degree in counseling.

Career in Academia

Early in his career, Dyer worked as a high school guidance counselor in Detroit and taught counseling psychology at St. John's University in New York City. He also ran a successful private therapy practice. Dyer became particularly popular as a professor at St. John's, where his lectures on positive thinking, motivational speaking, and self-actualization drew many students to his classes. He eventually quit his teaching job after literary agent Arthur Pine encouraged him to turn his ideas into a book.

Books

In 1976, Dyer rose to national fame with his first self-help book, "Your Erroneous Zones." Focused on such ideas as self-love, letting go of guilt and worry, and exploring uncertainty, the book spent 64 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list and became one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 100 million copies sold. However, "Your Erroneous Zones" was not without criticism, as psychologist Albert Ellis argued that it plagiarized his concept of rational emotive therapy. This didn't hurt Dyer's popularity, and over the subsequent years he published such further hit self-help books as "Pulling Your Own Strings," "The Sky's the Limit," and "Universe Within You: Your Secret Source of Strength." In 1983, he published his first and only book of fiction, "Gifts from Eykis."

Dyer's self-help books in the 1990s included "Real Magic," "Your Sacred Self," "Manifest Your Destiny," and "Wisdom of the Ages." He also co-wrote "A Promise is a Promise" with his wife Marcelene. Dyer was particularly prolific as a writer in the '00s, with such books as "10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace," "The Power of Intention," "Staying on the Path," "Everyday Wisdom," "Being in Balance," and "Living the Wisdom of the Tao." He also began co-authoring children's books with Kristina Tracy, including "Incredible You!," "Unstoppable Me!," and "It's Not What You've Got!" In the 2010s, Dyer's self-help books included "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Happiness is the Way," and his children's books were "I Am" and "Good-bye, Bumps!" Dyer's final book, "The Power of Awakening," was published in 2020.

Wayne Dyer (right) (Photo By Susan L. Angstadt/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)

Television and Audio

Due to his enormous mainstream success and popularity as a self-help author, Dyer made numerous appearances on national television talk shows, including "The Merv Griffin Show," "The Phil Donahue Show," "The Tonight Show," and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." He also produced several popular specials for PBS and released a series of audiotapes.

Other Activities

Among his other endeavors, Dyer went on regular lecture tours promoting his philosophy. He also collaborated with fellow author and New Age guru Deepak Chopra on various projects.

Personal Life and Death

Dyer was married a total of three times and had eight children. He had a daughter with his first wife, Judy; no children with his second wife, Susan; and five children and two stepchildren with his third wife, Marcelene.

In 2009, Dyer was diagnosed with leukemia, but recovered. He passed away from a heart attack in Maui County, Hawaii toward the end of August in 2015.

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