Jack Welch's lavish lifestyle detailed in divorce affadavits
More details come out as Jack Welch and Jane Beasley Welch's acrimonious divorce proceedings continue in public according to this Wall Street Journal story (subscription required):
Mr. Welch, who headed GE for 20 years before his retirement in September 2001, outwardly avoided an ostentatious public image and insisted that he didn't revel in his wealth. The affidavit totted up his personal assets at $456.2 million and revealed that his current total monthly income -- as a self-employed retiree -- is $1.41 million, after taxes. It placed his total monthly living expenses at $366,114, based on his actual expenses last year.
Though skeletal, the numbers paint a vivid picture of life at the pinnacle of American wealth. Mr. Welch spends $5,480 a month on country-club memberships. Total "personal expenses" come to $13,258 a month. That includes the clothes, the food and drink, and $425 on "personal care" and $1,482 on vacations and rental cars.
...The document reports that he paid an estimated $614 a month to charitable and political causes, but a footnote adds that Mr. Welch's foundation made charitable contributions of $3.1 million in 2001.
The majority of Mr. Welch's assets, meanwhile, are tied up in his securities, including GE stock, which are valued at about $249 million in the affidavit. His bank accounts are valued at only $274,000.