what's John Kerry's individual net worth?

[pruner]

I've seen press reports indicating he's got personal assets ranging from $2 million to $200 million.

anyone know how large his fortune actually is, not including joint assets or Theresa Heinz's individual wealth (estimated to be in excess of $500 million)?

also, how did he make his money? stocks & other investments? does he come from a moneyed family?

[eileen_d]

1. Why, I thought Kerry's campaign was over!

Oh, that was Monday...

[pruner]

2. I'm just curious in regard to his pending decision re: public financing

unless he's mega-rich ($100 million+) it would seem that opting-out to self-finance his campaign would be an extremely risky decsion (from a personal standpoint).

[sfecap]

7. Kerry could self finance.

Easily.

His wifes assets cannot be used to finance his campaign directly, as she is limited to the FEC limits but her money can be used for things such as "issue" ads, and soft money donations.

Kerry has the money to give himself $50 million or so. The question is ...would he?

There are no limits to the money a candidate can give his own campaign.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

3. Kerry & Dean - the Wealthy Big Money candidates

Kerry's going to break campaign finance and fund his own campaign? At least Dean actually got people to send in money. It's not surprising that Howard "Park Avenue" Dean and John FORBES Kerry would be trashing McCain-Feingold after giving so much mouth service to campaign finance reform.

[sfecap]

16. "Park Avenue Dean"! LOL.

Yeah...that Park Avenue apartment that cost $8000.00.

YGTBSM!

[mndemocrat_29]

4. This is according to the Sept. 8, 2003 Roll Call

Heinz Kerry, who was married to the late Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.), inherited a family fortune reported to be more than $675 million after her husband died in an airplane accident in 1991. Four years later, Heinz Kerry found love again with Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and anti-war-protester-turned-politician.

But don't necessarily expect the Heinz fortune to pay for Kerry's presidential bid. Heinz Kerry has said she won't kick any cash into Kerry's campaign coffers unless he comes under personal attack by his political foes. Moreover, according to an Associated Press report in June, Kerry campaign advisers speaking on background said that legally the Senator cannot tap into his wife's multimillion-dollar Heinz investment holdings, though it seems he could use half of any jointly held investments.

As in past years, Kerry - whose 2002 disclosure forms reveal a minimum net worth of at least $168 million, significantly less than his actual net worth because of the inexact nature of the forms - reports much of his wealth to be in marital trusts, Heinz family trusts and a bond fund.

Kerry's wife - whom Forbes magazine ranked as the 391st richest American in 2002 with an estimated fortune of $550 million - boasts many stock holdings with estimated values of more than $1 million, including Anheuser-Busch, General Electric, PepsiCo and Wal-Mart. Throughout the year, the couple regularly bought and sold stocks, many falling into the "over $1 million" category of the financial disclosure forms.

[pruner]

5. thanks

:)

[sfecap]

6. Kerry is a very, very wealthy man.

(Not that there is anything wrong with that...)

His total assets are estimated at $198,000,000 to $839,000,000.

He is the second wealthiest Senator. (Herb Kohl is the first...)

His wealth is derived from family wealth (Forbes), inheritance, and marital assets.

You can view his asset statements at: http://www.bop2004.org/bop2004/candidate.aspx?cid=4&act=pfin

Dean is a pauper by comparison:

He is worth $2,000,000 to $5,000,000.

Dean's asset statement:
http://www.bop2004.org/bop2004/candidate.aspx?cid=8&act=pfin

[Syrinx]

8. Is he related to the Forbes Magazine Forbes?

If so, I didn't realize that.

[sfecap]

9. I don't know...

His line of the Forbes family owned large tracts of land on Cape Cod.

They still do.

http://www.bop2004.org/bop2004/candidate.aspx?cid=4

John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943 at a military hospital in Denver, Colo., while his father Richard Kerry, a pilot in the Army Air Corps, was being treated for tuberculosis. Soon after his birth, the Kerry family returned to Massachusetts. This, however, was only a temporary residence for young Kerry, who was destined for an unusually privileged upbringing. Kerry's father, a diplomat in the Foreign Service, and his mother, Rosemary, was a member of the Boston Brahmin Forbes family, whose wealth is drawn primarily from its land holdings on Cape Cod, made certain that Kerry received the best education that their positions could afford him. Kerry was educated at Swiss boarding schools and attended an elite private school in New Hampshire, before enrolling in Yale University.

At Yale Kerry was actively involved in sports and the student social life. He was a member of the exclusive club Skull and Bones, to which George W. Bush, two years younger than Kerry, also belonged.

(more)

[pruner]

10. Holy $hit!… I had no idea Kerry was THAT rich

he can most certainly afford to opt-out (financially), but I don't think he can afford to perception-wise. it makes him look extremely weak in light of the fact that Dean's decision to opt out was based on his ability to outraise everyone else with small donations from 100s of 1000s of people.

[eileen_d]

11. Has there been any suggestion that he WOULD opt out?

Or are you just bummed out that his campaign troubles are no longer in the news?

[pruner]

13. yes… he said he would opt-out if Dean did

the most recent press reports say his campaign is internally discussing the issue & a decision will be coming soon.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

14. And here is where it gets interesting:

Kerry said "I will not unilaterally disarm" in reference to Dean opting out. Meaning "if he opts out, I'll opt out."

Now, Dean gets some grief for opting out but is he supposed to "unilaterally disarm" in the face of Bushco's $200M? It appears to me that Dean and Kerry have an identical philosophy on this one.

That's why I laugh every time I see a Kerry supporter ragging Dean on this issue.

[sfecap]

15. Remember what he did when he ran against Weld.

He made a promise, then broke it. :-)

[sfecap]

12. Here's an *income* comparison....

Kerry:

$15,500,000 to $77,500,000

Dean:

$122,000 to $187,000

Go here to see the comparisons of all the candidates:

http://www.bop2004.org/bop2004/

[Hippo_Tron]

17. As I recall Kerry grew up middle class, is a self-made millionaire...

But has most of his money because he married well.

[sfecap]

18. Not quite...

http://www.bop2004.org/bop2004/candidate.aspx?cid=4

John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943 at a military hospital in Denver, Colo., while his father Richard Kerry, a pilot in the Army Air Corps, was being treated for tuberculosis. Soon after his birth, the Kerry family returned to Massachusetts. This, however, was only a temporary residence for young Kerry, who was destined for an unusually privileged upbringing. Kerry's father, a diplomat in the Foreign Service, and his mother, Rosemary, was a member of the Boston Brahmin Forbes family, whose wealth is drawn primarily from its land holdings on Cape Cod, made certain that Kerry received the best education that their positions could afford him. Kerry was educated at Swiss boarding schools and attended an elite private school in New Hampshire, before enrolling in Yale University.

At Yale Kerry was actively involved in sports and the student social life. He was a member of the exclusive club Skull and Bones, to which George W. Bush, two years younger than Kerry, also belonged.

(more)

...and he married well. (Twice)

[Hippo_Tron]

19. Thanks for refreshing my memory...

I do recall all of this now.