While the sun was out briefly this afternoon, I took my six goats out behind their fenced pasture to chew on some winter foliage.  While they did that, my new kitty Hunter joined me (on my lap) to “knead” puncture wounds into my knees through my jeans. I vetoed that idea immediately and re-directed his ministrations to  a better-padded area of my anatomy. (I had on a think coat and sweatshirt, so I let him knead my upper chest near my throat.)

This morning I met with one of two financial advisers I know and trust. Ann-Marie Serosky-Harrington is her name; she is with MPCG (Morin Private Client Group, LLC). The other financial adviser I know and trust is Maggie Connors of Edward Jones.  I needed to sit down with someone who knows her stuff; both of these ladies do, and they’re in the business for all the right reasons, which is what I most resonate to. I know they’d never steer me wrong .

Ann says one telling way to know if a financial adviser is the full meal deal is to see how many panicked calls they’ve been getting since the stock market began to plummet recently. She has received exactly one phone call; when she spot checked with other clients to see how they’re feeling, they all said, “I trust you. I’m not worried.”  That surely made her feel like a million bucks.

I know that with either of these two professionals, I’d be happy, feel secure, and know I was being well-served.  I have zero hesitation in recommending either of them.  (When you network, as I do, you quickly learn to separate the wheat from the chaff.)

I know several male financial advisers but they don’t appear to listen very well. They spend a lot of time selling themselves and their products without even bothering to ask any questions to find out my concerns, druthers, or mindset.  They talk at me rather than with me.  I feel more cared for (and about) with Ann and Maggie, so of course I’m going to go with them.

The truth is that I rarely trust salesmen to tell me what’s good for me; they usually want to promote what’s best for themselves and their bottom lines.  (Just something I’ve noticed, as a feminist.) It’s pretty easy to spot someone who thinks he can smooth talk me or compliment me into making a deal that is less in my best interest than his.  I’m super wary of salesmen for this reason.  My b.s. detector is on high alert much of the time.  It’s been darned accurate, too.

All things considered, I will usually choose a female salesperson over a guy. But here’s something interesting: the reason I’m wary of Hillary Clinton is that she comes across like a salesman! She doesn’t seem to be in the field she’s in for we the people. Maybe she was, back in the day (giving her the benefit of the doubt), but I think the day has passed.  She has rubbed shoulders with too many plutocrats and oligarchs to understand the average working stiff who is struggling to make ends meet.

Bernie Sanders is the exact opposite. He appears to be a genuine billy goat protector and defender, and his voting record underscores and punctuates the perception. He comes across as the full meal deal in the same way that Ann and Maggie come across to me (but gruff and tender, as opposed to exuding purely feminine protective energies).  I’m willing to trust him to do the right thing in my best interests.  (It is the rarest of politicians that make me feel this way! I felt safe with Robert F. and Edward M. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, George McGovern, and Barack Obama, and don’t regret supporting or voting for any of them. Were/are they perfect? No. Were/are they adequate/respect-worthy?  You bet your life they were/are.)

I hope everyone takes time to look over the candidates voting records–not just their words–and does sufficient research so the propaganda that’s out there begins to stick out like a sore thumb and doesn’t trip anyone up.  Bernie Sanders is not radical, although he definitely seeks radical change in the many ways that his fellow citizens are being misused and abused by the oligarchs, plutocrats, corporations and bought-and-paid-for politicians in both parties.  He is a breath of fresh air.