With the Iowa Caucuses sprouting surprises like corn, the Granite State had its say yesterday and Super Tuesday just 21 days away, WalletHub has released its report on the 2016 presidential candidates’ personal finances in order to help better inform (and entertain) the electorate.
This report, which includes a fun infographic and a breakdown of nine leading candidates’ financial disclosures, features interesting insights such as how the average candidate’s savings compare to the average American’s and which candidates actually owe more than they’re worth.
Highlights
- $229.8M: The average candidate’s assets (vs. $16,942 for the median American)
- $6.5M: The average candidate’s cash savings (vs. less than $1,000 for most Americans)
- ≤$1K: Bernie Sanders cash savings (and it’s in his wife’s name)
- $73,250: The average candidate’s average speaking fee
- $231,059: Hillary Clinton’s average speaking fee
- $4.5M: Ben Carson’s overall income from speeches
- 9: Donald Trump owns nine properties worth at least $50 million
- $0: Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton have no liabilities listed on their financial disclosures
- – $150K: Roughly Marco Rubio’s net worth, with his liabilities outweighing his assets
Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” Let’s just hope 2016’s crop of largely affluent presidential candidates don’t subscribe to that particular belief. They’re unusually characterized by money, after all, with the party frontrunners representing up to $2.1 billion and $52.7 million in assets, respectively.
Money is the country’s top stressor, according to the American Psychological Association, which ultimately indicates that our financial circumstances influence our perceptions and general state of mind. That’s true for everyone, including politicians. So, much like it’s wise to make sure that you and your chosen candidate stand eye to eye on important policy issues, it also makes sense to consider the extent to which his or her financial profile jives with your monetary values.
With that in mind, we compared the following candidates based on a few important metrics, such as total cash savings and total amounts owed, and noted a number of revealing insights into each candidate’s financial background that could influence your opinion and ultimately your vote. Just click on a candidate’s picture to learn more. CLICK HERE – SCROLL DOWN
At a time when billion-dollar fundraising has become a prerequisite for occupancy of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it’s fair to wonder where money isn’t an issue in the race. With that in mind, we analyzed each of the eight leading candidates’ financial disclosure forms to get a sense for how they’ve managed their finances in the past and perhaps how they’ll manage the country in the future. Enjoy the show and vote wisely!
By John S Kiernan, WalletHub, SouthFloridaReporter.com, Feb. 10, 2016
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