Decoding Finances: Candidate Wealth and Disclosures
- Elizabeth Clemons
- Aug 26
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 9
Tip Sheet
This tip sheet is connected to workshop 2 of our fall candidate backgrounding series, discussing how to find information on candidate wealth. It is best used in conjunction with the workshop recording, available here.
Financial Disclosures
Federal financial disclosures & ethics disclosures:
OpenSecrets Personal Finances Breakdown
Unearthing Financial Footprints: Property Records
County tax assessors & recorders of deeds
Recorder of deeds
Google Earth Pro (desktop app is better than web access)
Real estate websites: Realtyhop, Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, etc.
Who owns Texas? This searchable map reveals who owns every property in the state. Houston Chronicle
Explore this map to see any politicians or candidates who own property in Texas.
Nevada lawmakers often fail to disclose rental property income, point to confusing forms
Unearthing Financial Footprints: Assets
Personal property and tangible assets
State DMVs
Aircraft photo websites
Aircraft tracking websites
Vessel tracking websites: MarineTraffic
Business and financial assets
Google Patents Search worldwide
Trademark Search USPTO
UCC Filings
Business personal property records, Texas example
Search for “business personal property” to identify the declared value of property within company offices. Gives you ideas about the value of assets that a company has.
BBB property record search: Find property records in the state where the company operates.
Unearthing Financial Footprints: Business Records
General
OpenCorporates: search for businesses both in the U.S. and internationally. Can search by either company name or officer name.
Links to all Secretary of State business searches: Always search in the state where the individual does business and lives, and in the following:
SEC EDGAR
How-to: Search the SEC EDGAR for nonprofits, private companies and individuals.
How-to: Where to start? SEC Filings
Check out this demo to learn the six SEC forms to start with.
Look at the company’s website and previous versions of its website, using resources such as Wayback Machine.
Gov.UK: Check for US companies in the UK
This can show you information on connected people and companies and finances.
Database for UCC Filings
Federal Audit Clearinghouse (government contractor audits)
Crunchbase (investors are often listed under the “Financials” tab of a company’s profile)
BlackBookOnline: links to Secretary of State offices for each state to find incorporation filings, and…
Business & Government Search Tool IntelTechniques
Documents Search Tool from IntelTechniques
ProPublica: Tracking PPP
Online Databases of Contracts with US State Governments Society for Institutional & Organizational Economics
BrokerCheck by FINRA: Search for brokerage firms
Investment Adviser Public Disclosure: Search for investment advisor firms
Court Records
Court Basics
Legal Information Institute dictionary: legal glossary
Court Express: for having someone get the records for you
Federal Court Resources
Use the RECAP Chrome Extension while using PACER to contribute to the RECAP archive, and see if documents you are searching for are already available for free.
CourtListener database
US Tax Court Case Search: If a company petitions a tax court to reduce their taxes, the filings here can be revealing about their finances.
United States Merit Systems Protection Board: quasi-judicial; works to protect federal merit systems and to ensure protection for federal employees against abuses by agency management
State Court Resources
Nat’l Center for State Courts (NCSC): links to state court websites
Court Reference: links to online court records by state
Nonprofit
990s
Local charity oversight per state
For example, in California, it’s the Attorney General’s Office
Misconduct
OSHA: State agency investigations, search the state and then the agency, ie: California OSHA
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints: Search this to find see complaints of workplace discrimination.
Regulations.gov: Search for criminal actions, petitions written to federal agencies, federal-related claims, rulings, etc.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): Search this database to find complaints by private sector employees of violations of employee rights.
🚨 These Tip Sheets are incredible resources, best used in conjunction with their live, hands-on workshop session component. Watch the recording here.
Questions or comments about Sunlight's workshops and resources? Contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@sunlightresearch.net.