The release of Mike Pence’s financial disclosure form comes ahead of the expected release of his tax returns. | Getty Mike Pence's financial disclosure shows modest income

Mike Pence’s stump speech includes a line about how similar he and running mate Donald Trump are aside from “a whole lot of zeroes” — a reference to the Republican nominee's wealth and his own comparatively modest financial situation.

The joke has a good deal of truth behind it, a federal financial disclosure form filed by the Indiana governor and released Thursday night revealed.


Pence and his wife Karen rely almost entirely on his salary as governor, which has generated $173,860 since the beginning of 2015, and are carrying between $95,000 and $280,000 of student loan debt from their children’s educations. Pence's youngest daughter is a senior at Northeastern University.

Each of Karen Pence’s two business endeavors — listed as “self-employed artist” and “That’s My Towel Charm, Inc.” — generated income of less than $1,001. Indiana's first lady previously worked as an art teacher.

The document also listed a defined-benefit pension plan valued at between $500,001 and $1,000,000. The document did not indicate the Pence family's net worth.

"Our family has been honored to serve our state and nation. Like many American families, we have been fortunate and blessed to raise three wonderful children and put them through college while doing work that we love," Pence said in a statement released with the form.

Pence's press secretary, Marc Lotter, released an accompanying statement saying that "the Pence family has not enriched themselves from their public service, which stands in stark contrast to Bill and Hillary Clinton who traded their public service for tens of millions of dollars in paid speeches, pay-to-play activities, and schemes involving their foundation that led to calls by the FBI for an investigation.”

The release of Pence’s financial disclosure form comes ahead of the expected release of Pence’s tax returns. Trump has indicated he will likely not release his tax returns ahead of the election, citing an ongoing audit.