Presidential Portfolio Makeover: Ralph Nader

Nov. 3 -- Americans (those who vote, in any event) will soon head to the polls to choose a new president. The major candidates and their running mates are pledging to steer the nation through continued prosperity. To determine which candidate is best suited to run the nation’s fiscal engine, we examined how the candidates handle their own finances, and then huddled with professional financial planners to hear their thoughts. The planners had some advice for the candidates on how to improve their portfolios. And if it doesn’t help you decide who you’re voting for, it may help you with your investments.

Ralph Nader, that most principled of cheapskates, is probably the candidate financial planners would most like to marry. He is a saver. It’s not just that he has a cheap, old car; he doesn’t own a car at all (he rides the subway and takes buses). No big tailoring bills here: his suits betray that insouciant indifference to fashion coveted by D.C. wonks. Yes, ascetic-in-chief Nader may be the only candidate who could win votes from both the anti-WTO crowd and the Amish.