Bernanke has the most profitable week of his life

Ben Bernanke has always lived a fairly modest lifestyle. But his earning potential just exploded. Bernanke, who was paid $199,700 as chairman of the Federal Reserve last year, is now commanding as much as $250,000 per speech, according to Reuters. And he's got three speaking engagements on his calendar this week alone.

After leaving the Fed on Jan. 31, Bernanke joined the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, according to CNNMoney.

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