Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 6, 2019 or her party’s leadership. Some representatives voted on all 81 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll call. The percentage for each representative is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted and does not count the roll calls for which he or she was absent. Rep. Paul Donato 100 percent (0) Rep. Steven Ultrino 100 perSUBSCRIBE TO MASSTERLIST – IT’S FREE! Join more than 17,000 other people from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens who start their morning with a copy of MASSterList! MASSterList is a daily ensemble of news and commentary about the Legislature, Politics, Media and Judiciary of Massachusetts drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced editor Jay Fitzgerald. Jay introduces each article in his own clever and never-boring, inimitable way. THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House and Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on how often local representatives voted with their party leadership. The votes of 126 Democratic representatives were compared to House Speaker Bob DeLeo (D-Winthrop). The votes of 31 Republicans were compared with those of GOP Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading). Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 81 votes from the 2019 House session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not on local issues. Eighty-six of the 126 Democratic representatives (68 percent) voted with DeLeo 100 percent of the time. Another 18 Democratic representatives voted with DeLeo on all but one of the roll calls The Democratic representative who voted the lowest percentage of times with DeLeo was Rep. Angelo Scaccia (D-Boston) who voted with him 82.7 percent of the time. Eleven of the 31 GOP members voted with Jones 100 percent of the time. Seven members came close and voted with Jones on all but one of the roll calls. The GOP representative who voted with Jones the lowest percentage of times is Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) who voted with Jones 90.1 percent of the time. PERCENTAGE OF TIMES REPRESENTATIVES VOTED WITH THEIR PARTY’S LEADERSHIP IN 2019 The percentage next to the representative's name represents the percentage of times the r representative supported his or her party’s leadership. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the representative opposed his cent (0) HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK'S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature's job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of August 2630, the House met for a total of one hour and 16 minutes while the Senate met for a total of one hour and 13 minutes. Mon. Aug. 26 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:09 a.m. Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11:09 a.m. Tues. Aug. 27 No House session Wed. Aug. 28 No House session Fri. Aug. 30. No House session No Senate session No Senate session Thurs. Aug 29 House 11:00 a.m. to 12:08 p.m. Senate 11:02 a.m. to 12:11 p.m. No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Savvy Senior How to Find a Good Financial Planner Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some tips on finding and choosing a good financial planner? My wife and I are both in our late fifties and would like to get some professional advisement to help us better prepare for our retirement years. Seeking Advice Dear Seeking, With all the different financial planners, advisers and services available today, finding and choosing a trusted professional that can help you meet your financial goals can be confusing. Here are a few suggestions to consider. Where to Look A good place to start your search is by asking friends or relatives for recommendations. If you don’t know anyone who can give you a referral, and you’re looking for broad-based financial advice, hire a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) who are considered the “gold standard” in the industry. CFPs must act as fiduciaries, putting their client’ best interest above their own. To get the CFP credential, they must have a college degree and be educated in a wide range of personal finance subjects, pass a rigorous certification exam, have three years professional experience, meet continuing-education requirements and abide by a code of ethics. CFPs are taught to look at the big picture view of your finances, talking you through your goals, as well as advising you on the details of your financial life. You’re also probably better off hiring a CFP that’s a fee-only planner, verses one who earns a commission by selling you financial products. Fee-only planners charge only for their services – for example you might pay $150 to $350 an hour for a financial tune-up, a flat fee per project or an asset-based fee. To find a fee-only planner in your area, use the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA.org), which carefully vets all members and offers an online directory. Or see the Garrett Planning Network (GarrettPlanningNetwork.com), a network of fee-only advisers. Or the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACplanners.org), a community of fee-only advisors that charge annual retainers. If your needs are more specific, some other financial professionals to consider are a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) who is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or a state securities regulator to manage investment portfolios; a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), who specialize in insurance and estate planning; and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), who can help with tax planning. Be leery of many other financial advising titles, designations and certifications that are out there like the Certified Financial Consultant (CFC) or the Wealth Management Specialist (WMS). Many of these require no more than a few courses at a seminar or online, which means they’re not worth much. To research the different certifications or designations visit FINRA.org/ investors–click on “Tools & Calculators,” then on “Professional Designations.” How to Choose After you find a few candidates in your area, call them up and schedule an appointment to meet and interview them. Find out about their experience, expertise and the types of services they provide; if they’re a fiduciary; how they charge and how much; what is their investment philosophy; and how will they handle your ongoing questions or financial needs. Look for someone whose clients are in situations similar to yours and who’s available as often as you need them. It’s also wise to do a background check on your potential advisor. At LetsMakeaPlan.org, you can verify a planner’s certification as CFP (click on “Verify CFP Professional Status”). You’ll also see any information on the planner’s disciplinary history with CFP Board and on bankruptcy filings in the past 10 years. To vet a registered investment adviser, go to Investor.gov where you can search an individual’s name and click on “Detailed Report” to see information on qualifications, employment history, disciplinary actions, criminal convictions and more. To check out a broker, visit BrokerCheck.finra.org where you can search an individual or firm’s name to get details like years of experience, licensing, exams passed and regulatory actions. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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