Millionaires-in-Chief

The top White House contenders are a lot richer than the rest of us. Here's where they got it...and where it goes.

McCain's money
McCain's money
Net Worth: $40.4 million

Where he got it

McCain wouldn't exactly be poor were he on his own. As a senator he earns $165,200 a year, and he has a $54,000 Navy pension. And then there's publishing.

"Faith of My Fathers," his autobiography, was on bestseller lists for 24 weeks in 1999.

Since then he has produced about a book a year, recently "Hard Call," about good decisions and how historic figures made them.

In 2006 he took in about $225,000 in royalties, but over the years, income from books has totaled about $1.7 million, all of which he has donated to charity.

He can afford to be generous. His wife Cindy is the chairman of Hensley & Co., the Anheuser-Busch beer distribution business she inherited from her father. As an only child, Cindy is in charge of the family trusts.

Although she only has to report that she has a salary of $1,000 or more, her income from investments in 2006 came to about $3.7 million.

Where it goes

Except for checking accounts, all the McCain assets are in Cindy's name or those of their dependent children. Nearly $5 million sits in two generation-skipping trusts.

She receives the income, but the principal passes to her heirs. One holds mostly J.P. Morgan mutual funds and Anheuser-Busch stock, while a second trust has only Arizona municipal bonds.

Other trusts that benefit Cindy contain a variety of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. She also owns shares in two large medical buildings in Phoenix, a guesthouse near the couple's home in Sedona and an investment property in Coronado Beach, Calif.

Another $6 million in J.P. Morgan funds is held in the name of their four children.

How he could do better

In the Navy, McCain no doubt learned to keep things tidy, and the couple's finances are shipshape. They - and Cindy's father - "have clearly given a great deal of thought to their estate," says Christopher Cordaro, wealth manager at RegentAtlantic Capital.

Cordaro has just one worry: "Everything except $50,000 is in her name or in trust for her and the children," he says. "I'd advise the senator to keep Cindy very happy - or have a good prenuptial agreement."

Hillary Clinton

John Edwards

Rudolph Giuliani

John McCain

Barack Obama

Mitt Romney

Fred Thompson

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.