Kentucky Democrat
Rep. John Yarmuth
What the Post found
Financial approach
Invests in: Finance / Insurance / Real Estate, Miscellaneous Business, Health
Legislation could benefit themselves
After Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) took office in 2007, he asked the House Ethics Committee whether he could vote on legislation that might affect his personal holdings, including an investment worth as much as $5 million in his brother’s home health-care business, Louisville-based Almost Family. The panel advised he was prohibited from actions that would benefit his assets in a “direct and distinct manner, rather than merely as a member of a class.” Otherwise, the committee said, he had a duty to vote.In office, Yarmuth has helped co-sponsor a handful of bills of interest to the industry, including the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act. That pending bill would expand the number of health professionals who can refer patients to home health care.
Response by Yarmuth
Yarmuth's communications director, Stephen George, said the lawmaker has avoided conflicts of interest and adheres to the ethics committee’s guidance. During congressional matters involving home health care, Yarmuth has disclosed his investment. “None of the bills that Congressman Yarmuth has co-sponsored has or would directly benefit Almost Family or even only private home health-care companies,” George said. “His support for each is consistent with his longtime interest in and strong advocacy for health-care reform, as well as the interests of his constituents and the significant health-care industry in Louisville.”
Yarmuth’s financial portrait
The Post examined the personal finances disclosed by all members of Congress and computerized by Center for Responsive Politics to show how they manage their assets and invest their money.
Yarmuth
House median
Estimated wealth
$9.6 million in 2010
Change in estimated wealth
37% since 2006
More wealth and less aggressive
Lawmakers who use safer investment strategies to protect accumulated wealth.
Wealthier
More aggressive
Financial approach
Stock and Bond Investor
36 lawmakers are primarily invested in a portfolio of specific stocks, bonds or a mixture of stocks and bonds, which can be balanced to be more or less aggressive as an investment strategy.
What industries does Yarmuth invest in?
Many assets can be tied to specific industries, such as finance, agriculture or
natural resources. "Mixed" investments are assets not tied to a specific industry.
Yarmuth's estimated
2010 liabilities
$750,001
What asset types does Yarmuth hold?
Assets are lumped into groups such as real estate, stocks,
mutual funds or cash.
NOTE: "Mixed" investments are assets that are not tied to a specific industry. Charted change in annual estimated wealth is capped at 200 percent increase and 100 percent decrease for clarity. See the full methodology here.
SOURCES: Congressional financial disclosure forms, Center for Responsive Politics, Washington Post analysis.
About the data
The estimation of assets for lawmakers is based on calculating the midpoint of reported value ranges for holdings and liabilities that members of Congress list on financial disclosure forms. It does not reflect assets lawmakers are not required to disclose, such as personal residences and non-interest bearing bank accounts. The estimation is not intended to provide a complete portrait of the net worth of each legislator, but rather show their relative standing in Congress and how their holdings have changed over time.
If you're a member of Congress who would like to further clarify your financial portrait, please contact us at capitolassets@washpost.com.
