Forbes USA – June-July 2026

Summary

"I'm building things to outlast me"—David Beckham tells Forbes in the June-July 2026 issue (Volume 209, No 3), and the cover story "Bank It Like Beckham" tracks how soccer's biggest star built a business empire that now generates more revenue than his playing career ever did. Chief Content Officer Randall Lane's note "Curation at Scale" reveals that Forbes now runs 19 newsletter titles reaching 2.2 million subscribers. The issue also features America's 250 Most Successful Immigrants and Eric Trump's Bitcoin windfall.

The feature well is deep. "Why America Doesn't Work Without Immigrants" (page 56) by Tognini and Kroll profiles 250 immigrant entrepreneurs who collectively employ 1.2 million Americans. "The Shadow IPO Market" (page 82) by Phoebe Liu tracks private-company stock sales that bypass traditional public listings. "Eric Trump's Bitcoin Windfall" (page 94) by Dan Alexander estimates the Trump family crypto portfolio. FRONTRUNNER covers a new billionaire horse-powerhouse, 30 Under 30 foreign dignitaries, and SportsMoney field-of-green analysis. ForbesLife goes inside the pawn shop for the ultra-rich.

CONTRARIAN includes "No Guts, No Gloria" (page 35) by Chris Helman, "The Never-Ending Nest Egg" (page 38) by Chloe Sorvino, and "The Fast Lane" (page 42) by Katharine Schwab.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Business of Sports

p.74 · Bank It Like Beckham
Maneet Ahuja reports on David Beckham's portfolio: Inter Miami ownership (valued at $1.2 billion), his DRINK electrolyte brand ($180 million revenue), DB Ventures talent management, and partnerships with Adidas, Tudor and Haig Club. Beckham's annual earnings from business interests now exceed his peak playing salary by a factor of 3. The article includes a timeline of key business decisions from 2013 to 2026. Structure any athlete-endorsement deal with an equity component rather than pure cash—Beckham's equity in Inter Miami returned 8x his initial stake.

▸ Immigration / Economy

p.56 · Why America Doesn't Work Without Immigrants
Tognini and Kroll's data set shows that immigrant-founded companies in the Forbes 250 employ 1.2 million US workers and generate $180 billion in annual revenue. The feature includes profiles of founders from 47 countries of origin. Industries with highest immigrant-founder concentration: tech (38%), healthcare (22%) and manufacturing (14%). When evaluating startups for investment, verify the founder's visa status—it affects the company's ability to retain key talent.

▸ Capital Markets

p.82 · The Shadow IPO Market
Phoebe Liu tracks secondary-market transactions where early investors and employees sell pre-IPO shares. Total shadow-IPO volume in 2025 reached $12 billion across 84 companies. The article profiles三家 brokerages that facilitate these trades and warns about valuation gap between private transactions and eventual IPO pricing. If you hold pre-IPO shares, sell no more than 15% in the secondary market before the lock-up expires.

▸ Crypto / Politics

p.94 · Eric Trump's Bitcoin Windfall
Dan Alexander traces the Trump family's cryptocurrency holdings through wallet analysis and corporate filings. The portfolio, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Trump-branded NFTs, is estimated at $85 million. The article discusses the ethical implications of a presidential family holding large crypto positions. Review your company's crypto-holding disclosure policy—SEC guidance on political-family crypto holdings is expected in Q4 2026.

▸ Entrepreneurship

p.35 · No Guts, No Gloria
Chris Helman profiles Gloria, a direct-to-consumer brand that grew from zero to $40 million in 3 years by selling gut-health supplements. Founder Katie Schulman bootstrapped the first 18 months before taking a single round of VC. The article analyzes the unit economics: 65% gross margin, $32 customer-acquisition cost, 1.8x payback period. Bootstrap your DTC brand until you reach $2 million in annual recurring revenue before raising external capital.

▸ Investing

p.38 · The Never-Ending Nest Egg
Chloe Sorvino tracks endowment-style perpetual funds gaining popularity among family offices. The article features 3 family offices that allocate 50-70% to evergreen private-asset structures with 15-20 year horizons. Returns average 9.2% net of fees over 10 years. If you manage family office assets, allocate at least 30% to evergreen private-market structures to match endowment-style returns.

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Editor's Take

Beckham's cover story is heavily reported and avoids the usual athlete-profile hagiography—Ahuja actually got access to financial documents rather than just quotes. The immigration feature is the issue's real heavyweight: original data on 250 companies, 1.2 million jobs and $180 billion in revenue makes a fact-based case that "gotcha" headlines cannot match. Weakest content: Eric Trump's Bitcoin windfall is newsworthy but feels like tabloid math—wallet analysis is inherently speculative. The "Shadow IPO Market" article covers an important trend but overstates the volume numbers. Production is Forbes' standard high quality: strong photography, good charts, effective use of typography. Best for entrepreneurs, immigration-policy watchers and sports-business executives.

Strengths
• Beckham financial data is well-sourced and specific
• Immigration feature provides original job-and-revenue data on 250 companies
• Shadow IPO market article tracks a genuinely underreported trend

Weaknesses
• Eric Trump crypto analysis relies on inherently speculative wallet tracking
• Shadow IPO volume numbers lack independent verification

Verdict: Recommended — The immigration feature alone is worth the cover price for its original economic-impact data.