Summary

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denied claims that she is secretly wealthy, stating she is worth less than $500,000 and doesn’t trade stocks or take corporate money.

Her financial disclosures show modest savings and student debt.

Some conservatives on X, despite opposing her politics, praised her perceived integrity.

Accusations of political corruption have surged online, partly fueled by Elon Musk.

  • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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    5 hours ago

    she is worth less than $500,000

    That sounds like a lot of money still, but I’d imagine public figures can easily leverage that to wealth so makes sense

    • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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      1 hour ago

      Jesus, people need to learn to read a damn article.

      Her financial disclosure form last year showed she had no more than $46,000 across her checking, savings, brokerage, and 401(k) accounts, and owed between $15,000 and $50,000 of student loans.

      Forbes estimated Ocasio-Cortez’s net worth last year at about $125,000 with most of her wealth in a Thrift Savings Plan — a 401(k)-style investment vehicle for government employees that doesn’t have to be listed in financial disclosures.

      And no it’s not that unusual for ordinary people to have 500k net worth. Buy a house, put in a few percent in your 401k in index funds, and there you go.

      • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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        55 minutes ago

        Uhm, it’s her own damn words (from the article):

        You are completely making things up. I am not even worth $1 million. Or a half million. I am one of the lowest net worth members of Congress, trade no individual stock, and take no outside income. These filings are public. I loathe corruption, and your lying is reprehensible.

        https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1887197530573717552

        She specifically decided to say “less than half million” which sounded a lot to me.

        • candybrie@lemmy.world
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          25 minutes ago

          How does “I’m not even worth half a million” mean “I have hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank” to people. I don’t get it.

          If you have a retirement account and a home, you’re probably worth more than that anyway.

          • boonhet@lemm.ee
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            35 minutes ago

            The name Kusimulkku is very much Finnish (it means peehole). Houses don’t all cost half a million dollars there and retirement is funded through taxation. 500k net worth in Finland is comparable to being a millionaire in the US I would say. You would probably have 6 digits in your bank account OR own majority of a small company if you’re worth 500k.

            A lot of people also don’t count their only residence as part of their net worth as it’s their home, not an investment vehicle and definitely not liquid. Things change when you can afford multiple properties, but you aren’t going to sell your only home just because it has appreciated - everything else has likely also gone up then.

            Just saying, his perspective coule be very different from yours. I know this because I’m Estonian and 500k to me sounds like a pretty high net worth.

            • candybrie@lemmy.world
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              25 minutes ago

              I think my point is more along the lines of “I don’t even have half a million dollars” doesn’t imply to me that they have half a million dollars.

              • boonhet@lemm.ee
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                16 minutes ago

                Hmm to me it implies it’s close though. Maybe 300k, maybe 400k. At her age it would be an impressive where I come from.

    • bane_killgrind@slrpnk.net
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      5 hours ago

      She doesn’t even own her own home, or she lives in a shark at that value. No second property: no cottage or landlording.

      • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        She has to have two places one in DC and one in her district. She like.y cannot afford that at her salary as both places are extremely expensive

        • TheFinn@discuss.tchncs.de
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          11 minutes ago

          That we can’t afford to use because we don’t have a safety net.

          My net worth is probably just under half a million but I’ll be working until I’m over 70 if I want to be able to pass anything useful down to my kids.

          I have one with special needs that likely won’t be able to work, much less manage a portfolio.Without my help he could be homeless soon after I pass.

        • Furbag@lemmy.world
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          36 minutes ago

          It’s amazing how so much of our wealth is tied up in “assets” as opposed to liquid cash. I probably have just slightly less in assets than AOC at the moment, but I also don’t own a home, so if I ever managed to buy one my net worth would skyrocket beyond hers but I’d be housepoor and most likely living paycheck to paycheck. I’m not even close to being considered conventionally wealthy, and the distance between me and a billionaire is almost literally unfathomable.

        • candybrie@lemmy.world
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          21 minutes ago

          You have to fund your own retirement. The social safety net is constantly threatening to be removed and it doesn’t cover much to start with. And homes are stupid expensive. Especially in the places where AOC has to have places to live.

        • C A B B A G E@feddit.uk
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          4 hours ago

          Anywhere property is massively over valued this is going to be true.

          Even taking off what I owe in mortgage my net worth would make me look pretty well off in the UK, but I earn a pretty below average wage.