vIce presidents are typically installed to consolidate the party, spread the presidential candidate’s message, or appeal to an important constituency. In other words, they aren’t typically chosen based on the money they bring to the campaign (RFK Jr.’s pick for Nicole Shanahan notwithstanding). Still, you can learn a lot about a candidate based on how much money they made and how they earned it.

Both JD Vance and Tim Walz grew up in working-class families in the Midwest, joined the military as teenagers and later earned social science degrees from public schools. But their later career choices led to their parting ways. Vance attended Yale Law School, wrote a best-selling book — “Hillbilly Elegy” — about his difficult upbringing and became a venture capital investor, which helped him rake in millions. Then he won a Senate seat in 2022 and was elected as Donald Trump’s running mate at age 39. Walz, on the other hand, became a public school teacher, retired from the military and ran for Congress after the Iraq War, in which Vance took part. He next became governor of Minnesota and won a second term before Kamala Harris tapped him to be her running mate. Today he is practically swimming in pensions – but not much else in terms of assets.

There is no doubt that Vance is significantly richer than Walz. But as the duo prepares for their debate in Manhattan tonight, here’s a side-by-side comparison of how the two vice presidential candidates are doing financially Forbes Estimates and reporting.

Net assets:

JD Vance: 10 million dollars

Tim Walz: Just over $1 million

Both Vance and Walz are less wealthy than their potential future bosses: Donald Trump is worth $3.9 billion – putting him back on the Forbes 400 list of America’s richest people this year – and Kamala Harris has a net worth of 7 million dollars.

Age:

Vance: 40

Rolling: 60

While Walz is about the same age as his vice presidential running mate, who turns 60 on October 20, Vance has lived through just over half of Donald Trump’s 78 years. If elected, Trump and Vance would have the largest age gap between president and vice president in history in nearly a decade, according to the Pew Research Center.

Property:

Vance: $4 million

Roller: $0

Vance owns three homes in Ohio, Virginia and Washington, DC. Only one, the house in DC, has any debt today. Walz, on the other hand, sold his longtime home in Mankato when he became governor in 2019, paid off his mortgage and moved into the state’s government mansion, which was owned by Minnesota taxpayers.

Pensions:

Vance: $13,000

Rolling: $900,000 to $1.1 million

As long-time public employees, Walz and his wife Gwen have at least four pensions that make up virtually all of their net worth. The most valuable is almost certainly Tim’s federal pension Forbes Thanks to a combination of congressional and military service, he is estimated to be worth more than $475,000. Vance also has a federal pension after a career largely in the private sector, but it is worth much less because he has been in elected office for less than two years.

Liquid assets and other:

Vance: Average of $6.9 million

Walz: Average of $180,000

Most of Vance’s net worth comes from his investments from his time as a venture capitalist. Shortly after graduating from law school, he moved to California and joined Mithril, a company founded by PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel (who later bankrolled Vance’s run for Senate). Just a few years later, however, Vance moved back to Ohio and helped AOL billionaire Steve Case invest in Central America before starting his own company, Narya (a name that, like Mithril, comes from “Lord of the Rings”). Today, he still holds some shares in his old employers’ portfolios, stock market and gold ETFs, and even over $100,000 in Bitcoin. Walz, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to have much in the market other than a 401(k) retirement account as governor.

Current position and salary:

Vance: Senator from Ohio (2023-present), $174,000

Rolling: Governor of Minnesota (2019-present), $127,629

Both men would receive a raise if elected vice president – the deputy commander in chief receives about $235,000 a year. According to the Council of State Governments, Walz’s salary as governor is the 14th lowest in the country. (Maine’s governor makes just $70,000, the lowest of any state).