In some ways, lawmakers' finances look a lot like those of many Americans. They include diverse portfolios of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate. They have bank accounts, credit cards and mortgages. The difference: Politicians generally have more money and — unlike most people they represent — they must make their investments public. Another difference: Politicians routinely have access to non-public information that, before passage of the STOCK Act, they could legally use to guide their trading on the stock market. Read more about the STOCK Act. Why does this matter?