The singer-turned-reality star-turned-actress-turned fashion mogul is on the Forbes' Celebrity 100 Ones To Watch list this year, with annual earnings estimated at $14 million thanks to brand licensing deals and her gig on NBC's Fashion Star.

But she's poised to join the list itself sooner or later, especially thanks to a post-baby boost to her bank account. New mother Simpson is now worth in excess of $100 million, an estimate Forbes reached with the help of retail and branding experts, as well as fashion and entertainment industry sources.

The bulk of the new mom's fortune comes from her clothing and accessories line, which made close to $1 billion at the cash register last year. Simpson sold the master license to her brand – the right to market her name worldwide – to fashion developer the Camuto Group in 2005 for $15 million. Since then, she's been taking a slice of wholesale revenues worth between $10 million and $15 million each year.

And she'll just keep raking it in, especially with the impending launch of her maternity clothing line, announced this week, the 24^th – yes, 24^th! – product classification that will bear Simpson's name, alongside perfume, jewelry, shoes and more, all at a mid-market price cleverly aimed at her fans.

"Consumers clearly want more of Jessica Simpson, and fans that have been with her from the start are, like her, starting families of their own," Michael Stone, CEO of brand licensing agency Beanstalk, told Forbes. "It is a natural progression that, if done right, could be incredibly successful."

Simpson's been savvy in partnering with Destination Maternity for her new venture. The publicly traded leader in mall-store mommy-wear owns brands including Pea In The Pod and Motherhood and commands around a quarter of a market worth $2 billion.

The demand for celebrity-branded maternity clothes is only growing, with stars as diverse as Heidi Klum and Snooki joining the fray. Shoppers' desire for name brand gear during pregnancy is true at every price point: a spokesperson for Target told Forbes that of all its maternity-wear, the most successful by a long way is its Liz Lange line.

Simpson has an edge, having already established herself with her various brand extensions. Retail insiders believe Jessica Simpson Maternity could rake in as much as $100 million in its first year, thanks to its presence in 700 stores. Of that, Simpson will earn around $4 million in year one thanks to a deal that sees her take a slice of wholesale.

While Simpson's team won't give away her next moves, she'll certainly continue to capitalize on her motherhood. She already banked in the region of $800,000 selling photos of little Maxwell Drew Johnson to People magazine. While her camp wouldn't confirm it, reports are circulating that she's set to ink a multimillion-dollar deal with a weight-loss company, so she'll profit off shedding her pregnancy pounds.

Celebrity, Inc. author and entertainment branding expert Jo Piazza sees two obvious avenues for Simpson's next steps. "The first is via social media, tweeting on behalf of mom-friendly brands," she told Forbes. "This can bring a mommy celebrity up to $1 million a year. Secondly, I think we may see her do her own reality show about being a mom which could bring in another $5 million. We've seen motherhood reinvent celeb brands before. Kendra Wilkinson, Bethenny Frankel and Tori Spelling all built reality television mini-empires simply by giving birth. One thing's for sure: this is going to be a very lucrative baby."

Source: Forbes