I own GE, Exxon, and 75 houses

By Steve Poftak
August 28th, 2008

There’s a meme being propagated that Mitt Romney “owns 55 houses” (I know they’re kidding, but I’m sure its going to get picked up elsewhere, without the sarcasm). It’s based on campaign disclosure docs reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity which provides a more measured assessment: “Romney holds an interest in 51 different properties through the Whitehall Real Estate Funds.”

To translate, Romney’s investment holdings include real estate investments, pretty standard for anyone with significant assets (and there’s no argument here that they are significant.). But the tenuous link that is bound to be made is that you ‘own’ everything in your investment portfolio. Check your 401k.