[superhuzza]

>that said Donald Trump's net worth was equal to the value of his inheritance if it had been invested in an index fund.

Incorrect, it would have been worth substantially more, at about 13 billion (his current wealth is around 3-4 billion). So he still would have been able to spend billions and be further ahead than he is today.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katestalter/2016/09/01/would-do...

[ars]

You clearly did not read your own article. He would only be worth that if he was margined to the hilt.

If he invested without margin then he would have made half of what he actually made. And that's without any spending at all.

[superhuzza]

First of all you're wrong, I did read the article. Secondly, the author directly addresses that point. He was leveraged when buying real estate too, so why not assume he would be leveraged up in the stock market? It's not an uncommon practice at all, and the comparison wouldn't make sense without factoring in loans.

Frankly I would have done the same, I think running a bunch of different businesses would be more stimulating than maximizing wealth through stocks. But objectively he's paid a financial price for that.