Paul Ryan Worth Millions Thanks To Wife's Wealth

Source: Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- When newly minted vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan entered Congress in 1999, he wasn't one of the richest lawmakers, with an average net worth of just $382,865. Ryan's limited -- by congressional standards -- wealth came from his involvement in two investment partnerships and his family's construction business. As of 2011, however, the presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee was worth an average of $4.9 million.

The massive increase in Ryan's bottom line didn't come through exploiting his position for personal gain, the way in which most people think congressmen make money. Instead, he made his money the old fashioned way: he married into it.

In 2000, Ryan married Janna Little, a former congressional staffer turned Washington lobbyist who hails from a wealthy family of Oklahoma trial lawyers that is also related to the state's Boren political dynasty. Ryan's 2000 financial disclosure reflects the newlyweds' joining of assets. Ryan's average net worth increased from $345,007 to $1.186 million.

Despite a dip in their net worth in the two years after their marriage, the Ryans' value ran just below the $2 million mark until 2011, when Janna Ryan's mother, Prudence Little, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Janna Ryan received a one-third interest in the Prudence Little Living Trust, which the Ryans list as being worth between $1 million and $5 million. The trust is listed as a blind trust and was approved by the House Ethics Committee.


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/paul-ryan-worth-millions-_n_1774346.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012