[306] When he was serving as a county judge, Truman borrowed $31,000 (equivalent to $313,971 in 2021) by mortgaging the farm to the county school fund, which was legal at the time.[306] When Republicans controlled the court in 1940, they foreclosed in an effort to embarrass Truman politically, and his mother and sister Mary Jane had to vacate the home.[306] In 1945, Truman organized a syndicate of supporters who purchased the farm with the understanding that they would sell it back to the Trumans.[306] Harry and Vivian Truman purchased 87 acres in 1945, and Truman purchased another portion in 1946.[306] In January 1959, Truman calculated his net worth as $1,046,788.86 ($10.71 million in 2022), including a share in the Los Angeles Rams football team. Nevertheless, the Trumans always lived modestly in Independence, and when Bess Truman died in 1982, almost a decade after her husband, the house was found to be in poor condition due to deferred maintenance.[292]
Bess Truman's personal papers were made public in 2009,[307] including financial records and tax returns. 