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The personal wealth of members of Congress has long been a matter of public curiosity — and recently, Rep. Ilhan Omar’s, D-Minn., finances took center stage.
Several outlets, starting with the Washington Free Beacon and later Fox News, among others, reported that Omar’s net worth had surged to as much as $30 million (1).
The claim raised eyebrows, not least because earlier this year, Omar herself called allegations of her being a millionaire “ridiculous” and “categorically false” (2).
When Omar was first elected to Congress in 2019, her financial disclosure showed a negative net worth (3). But her May 2025 filing — for the 2024 reporting year — painted a dramatically different picture (4).
The document listed two major assets tied to her husband, Tim Mynett:
ESTCRU LLC, a winery business, valued between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000.
Rose Lake Capital LLC, a venture capital firm, valued between $5,000,001 and $25,000,000.
Taken together, those figures suggest a combined value of $6 million to $30 million.
What raised even more questions was how quickly those assets appeared to balloon. In Omar’s previous year’s filing, ESTCRU was valued at just $15,001 to $50,000, while Rose Lake Capital was listed at a mere $1 to $1,000 (5).
Omar is no stranger to allegations from across the aisle, many of them coming from the Oval Office (6).
President Donald Trump has attacked her personally, claiming in a Nov. 28 post on Truth Social that Omar, who moved from Somalia to the U.S. as a child, is an illegal immigrant (7). The administration has also taken aim at Minnesota’s Somali community, including supporting unverified accusations of fraud among Somali daycares in the state (8). In early January, this rhetoric culminated in the DHS’s presence in Minneapolis, in part to “dismantle the massive fraud empires built in Minnesota,” according to a White House press release (9).
Omar wasted no time responding to the coverage of her financial situation.
“Learn to read before you post misleading s–t,” she said in a TikTok video addressing the reports (10).
In a caption, she clarified: “The value range listed for the assets reflects the full cost assessment of the businesses, in which my husband is one of several partners and does not reflect his individual share.”
She also took a jab at the claims with a bit of humor: “Keep wishing millions into existence so I could pay off these student loans.”
It is true that the assets are tied to Mynett, whom Omar married in 2020 and not solely to her. Coupled with any liabilities, that distinction could help explain why Omar rejected the characterization of her net worth ballooning to as much as $30 million.
Her filings also reveal a far more relatable financial reality: In 2024, Omar reported $15,001 to $50,000 in student loan debt.
The debate over Omar’s net worth highlights a broader truth: Whether you’re in politics or not, building wealth often comes down to the growth of assets and smart financial decisions.
Most Americans don’t have a stake in a venture capital firm or winery. But there are accessible ways to build net worth today. Here’s a look at three of them.
Long-term exposure to the growth of American businesses has created enormous fortunes. As investing legend Warren Buffett wrote in 2016, “American business — and consequently a basket of stocks — is virtually certain to be worth far more in the years ahead (11).”
And you don’t need to be a stock-picking genius to benefit.
“In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett has famously stated (12). This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of America’s largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active management.
The beauty of this tactic is its accessibility — anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. And even small contributions can grow over time with tools like Acorns, a popular app that automatically invests your spare change.
Signing up for Acorns takes just minutes: Link your cards, and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference — your spare change — into a diversified portfolio.
With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5 — and, if you sign up today with a recurring investment, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your journey.
Like stocks, real estate has long served as a cornerstone of wealth building in America.
Owning property can generate passive income through rent and offer appreciation potential — especially in high-demand markets. It’s also a classic hedge against inflation: When the cost of materials, labor and land goes up, property values often rise as well. Meanwhile, rental income typically climbs too, creating a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.
In fact, Buffett has often pointed to real estate as a prime example of a productive, income-generating asset.
In 2022, Buffett stated that if you offered him “1% of all the apartment houses in the country” for $25 billion, he would “write you a check (13).”
Of course, you don’t need billions — or even to buy an entire property — to benefit from real estate investing. Platforms like mogul offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.
Mogul offers investors fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, which can give investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a $250,000 down payment or 3 a.m. tenant calls.
Each property undergoes a vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Their cash-on-cash yields, meanwhile, average between 10-12% annually.
Every investment is secured by real assets, not dependent on the platform’s viability. Once you verify your information with their team, you can invest in the properties of your choice in as little as 30 seconds.
Another option for tapping into this market is to invest in shares of vacation homes or rental properties through Arrived.
Backed by world-class investors, including Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of vacation and rental properties, potentially earning a passive income stream without the extra work that comes with being a landlord of your own rental property.
To get started, simply browse through their selection of vetted properties, each picked for their income generation and appreciation potential. Once you choose a property, you can start investing with as little as $100, earning any quarterly dividends.
Precious metals have been on a remarkable run in the past year, with silver prices rising over 160% (14), and gold rising by more about 70% over the same period (15).
If you’re curious about adding precious metals to your broader inflation-hedging strategy, a gold IRA from Goldco lets you hold physical gold and other metals while still getting the tax advantages of an IRA.
Goldco is widely regarded as one of the leading companies in the space, with a 4.8/5 rating on Trustpilot and an A+ from the Better Business Bureau. They also offer a guaranteed buyback program, meaning they’ll repurchase your metals at the “highest price” according to market value if you ever decide to sell.
If you want to explore whether precious metals could be a helpful hedge for your portfolio, you can download Goldco’s free gold & silver guide to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Fox News (1); Business Insider (2); Clerk of the House of Representatives (3), (4), (5); New York Times (6); @realDonaldTrump (7); Snopes (8); The White House (9); @ilhanmn (10); Berkshire Hathaway (11); CNBC (12), (13); Apmex (14), (15)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
