It's summer again — time for many of us to take a break and possibly hit the open road. But even if you go on vacation, you won't want your investments to do the same — in summertime or any other season. How can you help make sure your portfolio continues to work hard for you all year long?

Here are a few suggestions:

•Avoid owning too many "low growth" investments. As you know, different investments have different characteristics and can help you in different ways. For example, you typically own stocks because you want them to grow in value so that you can eventually sell them for a profit.

Other investments, such as certificates of deposit (CDs), provide you with a regular source of income and stability of principal — two valuable contributions to your portfolio. However, investments like CDs don't offer much in the way of growth. So if you own too many of them, you might be slowing your progress toward your important financial goals, such as a comfortable retirement.

You can maximize the productivity of your portfolio by owning a variety of investments — domestic stocks, international stocks, corporate bonds, U.S. Treasury securities, CDs and more.

How much of each investment should you own? The answer depends on a variety of factors, including your age, income, risk tolerance, family situation and specific objectives. Over time, your ideal investment mix may change, but you'll likely need at least some growth potential at every stage of your life.

•Don't let your portfolio go "unsupervised." Your investment portfolio can be subject to "drift" if left alone for extended time periods. In fact, without your making any moves at all, your portfolio can move in directions that may not be favorable to you. Suppose you think your holdings should be made up of 70 percent stocks, but due to strong gains, your stocks now make up 80 percent of your portfolio. This development could lead to a risk level that feels uncomfortably high to you. That's why you should review your portfolio at least once a year, possibly with the help of a financial professional, to check your progress and make adjustments as needed.

•Don't stop at the nearest "resting place." Some people hope that if they can get that one "winner," they will triumph in the investment arena. But the ability to "get rich quick" is much more of a myth than a reality. True investment success typically requires patience, persistence and the resilience to continue investing even during market downturns.

In other words, investing is a long-term endeavor, and you need a portfolio that reflects this reality. The investment moves you make today may pay off for you decades from now. You need to establish your goals and keep them constantly in mind as you invest. And you will never really reach the end of your investment journey, because you'll need to make choices and manage your portfolio throughout your retirement years.

Hopefully, you will enjoy a pleasant vacation sometime this summer. But your investment portfolio shouldn't take time off.

This article was written by Edward Jones on behalf of your Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Don't let your investments take a 'vacation'

Tomatoes are abundant this time of year and you have many options to buy local and fresh. Tomatoes are one of the most popular home garden vegetables to grow and are currently providing home gardeners with fresh ripe bounty until summer's end.

Our local farmer’s markets are also selling homegrown tomatoes, and in many colors like deep red, bright yellow and green. Our climate is great for growing tomatoes. Florida is the nation’s largest producer of fresh tomatoes.

Nutritionally, tomatoes are packed with vitamins C and A. The vegetable is low in calories and high in flavor. They are great served sliced and also in cooked dishes.

Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Ripe tomatoes should be used within three to four days. For best flavor, do not refrigerate. Ripe tomatoes will give slightly to gentle pressure.

To preserve the summer’s bounty, try canning. Remember to use U.S. Department of Agriculture-recommended practices for safety and long-term quality. Go to http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE03_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf for a complete listing of how to safely can tomato products.

Here is a recipe for a low-fat, low-sodium salsa recipe packed with flavor and essential nutrients. Adjust the salt and oil to your taste and diet.

Farm Fresh Salsa

Ingredients:

• 6 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ seeded and minced jalapenos
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• chili powder, salt and pepper, to taste
• scallions, cilantro or parsley, to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Place in refrigerator for up to 12 hours for flavor infusion. Serve with your own baked chips.

Baked Tortilla Chips

• 1 package medium or large tortillas
• cooking spray
• salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut tortillas into 8 – 12 pieces using a pizza cutter and a cutting board.

Place aluminum foil on 2 or 3 baking sheets. Place tortilla pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray on both sides. Sprinkle tortilla pieces with salt to taste, or eliminate salt for dietary needs.

Place in oven and cook 10-15 minutes until crisp. 

Pamela H. Allen is the interim county director and an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Let's talk tomatoes

"Love has brought a great many people to safety when competency was exhausted," Garrison Keillor said.

People can do many things for others in an attempt to help. They have the strength and ability.

This past week, news media companies ran a video of a soldier who risked his life by running through a harsh firefight to save the life of a young child. It was an act of bravery and love.

Then there are times when even the best efforts are not enough to bring about what is desired. Think about first responders at a serious vehicle accident. Despite their heroic efforts, a person's body is too badly damaged for their life to be saved. It's an act of bravery and love, but nothing could be done.

Think of a young child who has fallen and skinned a knee. Mom or Dad can do little other than clean the injury and put a Band-Aid on it. But what more is the child seeking? Comfort, an assurance that everything will be okay.

That is where love and compassion bring about the kind of healing that physical competency cannot. Yes, physical healing of pain is greatly sought. But even more so is the assurance that all will be okay. Being able to convey the message of comfort and hope is an act of love.

Love is a gift that is given to us from God. It is God's love that sees us through challenging times. When God's presence is acknowledged, we know all will be well.

That love often is expressed through other people. Whether through acts of bravery, acts of competency, or acts of compassion, it is God's love that is being expressed. Because of our experience of God's love, we can then share that love with another.

We are given the privilege of working with God in innumerable situations and circumstances. We can do many things. But relying on our own strength will eventually run us dry. Simply attempting physical feats will oftentimes not be enough — or even the correct approach to take.

Providing comfort, assurance and reassurance is always part of the healing process whether in body, mind or spirit. It is always a gift when it is offered.

At the root of all we do to help others is love. When you acknowledge this, you will accomplish great things.

As the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:3, 7: "If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing … Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Helping others is an act of love

Editor's Note: Since this incident—first reported in the Northwest Florida Daily News—occurred, Fort Walton Beach city officials have considered changes to their rules. 

Two ladies, Gloria Donaldson and Marti Stacken, out of the goodness in their hearts, purchased, prepared and distributed lunch to the homeless at the Landing in Fort Walton Beach for the past six months. Last week, the police shut them down as they didn't have the $100 per day "gathering permit." 

Apparently, being a Good Samaritan is against the law if one doesn't pay $5,200 per year for a permit to distribute food once a week.

Like many of you, I was appalled that Fort Walton Beach has such a law on the books. It is illegal to feed the homeless at a city park without a $100 "permit." I don't find fault with the police officers doing their job, however, it appears that Fort Walton Beach would rather fatten their city coffers than allow the hungry to be fed.

Have any of the Fort Walton Beach City Council members or the city manager, Michael Beedie, ever been hungry, jobless, felt desperate or needed help? It appears there is no compassion for those who are struggling. The city would rather charge those who have Christian charity and are obeying their Lord in order to distribute food to the hungry.

Are the police now going to be directed to all of the local fast food restaurants to make sure that some well-meaning customer doesn't buy a meal for a homeless person without that $100 permit?

It is wonderful that churches are feeding the hungry and homeless at their facilities, however, unless one has a car (most homeless don't), how are these people going to get to the churches?

Mr. Beedie doesn't like the "beating" the city of Fort Walton Beach is taking over this situation. The negative publicity is well deserved. Mr. Beedie and the city council don't seem to have any concern for those who are hungry. And Mr. Beedie's comment about food safety was laughable.

Get some compassion, Fort Walton Beach! Perhaps the city council would like to take a second day a week to feed the homeless? It will take the churches, volunteers and the city working together to solve the problem of hunger and homelessness, not slapping fees on those in the trenches.

Thank goodness Crestview doesn't have a law like this on their books!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Get some compassion, Fort Walton Beach

If you've needed a mortgage or another type of loan over the past several years, you've probably appreciated the historically low interest rates we've experienced. But if you've wanted to own fixed-rate investments, such as bonds, you might have been less pleased with the low-rate environment.

Now, interest rates may be moving up somewhat, but even if they don't hit the heights we saw in previous decades, you can still gain some key advantages from owning bonds.

One of the biggest benefits provided by bonds is their ability to help you diversify a stock portfolio. Stocks and bonds often move in different directions. In fact, the same economic or political forces that can be bad for stocks might be good for bonds, and vice versa. Consequently, if you own a reasonable percentage of bonds, you may not be as vulnerable to the impact of those inevitable downturns in the stock market. Keep in mind, though, that diversification can't guarantee profits or protect you against losses.

Of course, the other major attribute of bonds is the regular income they provide through interest payments. Unless the issuer defaults — an event that's generally unlikely, assuming you purchase quality, "investment-grade" bonds – you can count on receiving the same payments for the life of your bond. Then, once your bond matures, you'll get back the original principal, again assuming the issuer doesn't default.

The ability to receive regular payments may help improve your cash flow and possibly help you avoid selling stocks to meet unexpected costs, such as an expensive car repair. And holding your bond until maturity can help you plan to meet specific goals. For example, if your child will be starting college in five years, you can buy a bond scheduled to mature at the same time, providing you with an influx of cash you can use for tuition and other school expenses.

Still, despite the benefits of diversification, steady income and the repayment of principal, you may find it hard to ignore the relatively low interest rates you're seeing on your bonds. This is especially true if market rates rise, causing the value of your bonds to fall. (Investors won't pay you the full price — that is, the face value — of your bonds when they can buy new ones issued at higher rates. So, if rates have risen and you want to sell your bonds before they mature, you'd have to offer them at a discount.)

One way of coping with interest-rate movements is to build a "ladder" of bonds of varying maturities. When your short-term bonds mature, you can reinvest the proceeds in newly issued bonds that may offer higher rates, while your longer-term bonds continue to pay you greater income. (Generally — but not always — longer-term bonds carry higher interest rates than short-term bonds.)

Even within this type of bond ladder, though, you will want to diversify your holdings among different types of bonds from different issuers. In any case, be sure to evaluate whether a bond ladder and the securities held within it are consistent with your investment objectives, risk tolerance and financial circumstances. Don't ignore bonds when constructing and maintaining your investment portfolio. No matter what interest rates are doing, you'll find that bonds can play an important role in your portfolio.

This article was written by Edward Jones on behalf of your Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Diversify with bonds, even if rates are low

Are you one of those people who hear the word pollen and sneeze? For many, allergies are the only association with plant pollen. But pollination — the transfer of male pollen grains into the female flower organs to create fertile seeds — is an essential part of a healthy ecosystem.

Pollinators play a significant role in the production of over 150 food crops. Corn and rice are wind-pollinated. Just about everything else, including chocolate, depends on an insect, bird or mammal. Successful pollination of a single flower often requires visits from multiple pollinators. There are also plants that need a specific species in order to complete the task. They are so interdependent that if one disappears, so will the other.

Unfortunately, reports from the National Research Council say that the long-term population trends for some North American pollinators are "demonstrably downward."

To help raise awareness of the issue 10 years ago, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved and designated National Pollinator Week as June 19 through 25. It is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them.

Habitat loss for pollinators due to human activity poses an immediate and frequently irreversible threat. Other factors responsible for population decreases include: invasive plant species, broad-spectrum pesticide use, disease, and weather.

So what can you do?

•Install "houses" for birds, bats, and bees.

•Avoid toxic, synthetic pesticides and only apply bio-rational products when pollinators aren't active.

•Provide and maintain small shallow containers of water for wildlife.

•Create a pollinator-friendly garden.

•Plant native plants that provide nectar for pollinating insects.

There's a new app for the last two.

The Bee Smart Pollinator Gardener is your comprehensive guide to selecting plants for pollinators based on the geographical and ecological attributes of your location (your ecoregion) just by entering your zip code. Filter your plants by which pollinators you want to attract, light and soil requirements, bloom color, and plant type. This is an excellent plant reference to attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, beetles, bats and other pollinators to the garden, farm, school and every landscape.

The University of Florida also provides a low-cost app for Florida-Friendly plant selection at https://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/plants, or go to http://www.floridayards.org/ to create a list of these same plants.

Not only can you find out which plants attract pollinators, you also will be given the correct growing conditions so you can choose "the right plant for the right place."

Remember, one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat is made possible by pollinators.

Sheila Dunning is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Celebrating and attracting pollinators

Editor's Note: This is the second of two columns discussing the boundaries between people.

As I mentioned in my previous article, there is much in this society that divides us — like politics, ideologies, and theologies. Differing opinions divide people because most have not learned that it is okay to agree to disagree.

There is another aspect to human nature that seeks to take us away from God — pride, ego, and arrogance.

For example, people don't like to lose. Our world is so competitive; there is always a winner and a loser. People want to be on the winning side because everyone loves a winner. Winners receive all the glory, the accolades, the recognition, the grand prizes. Winning pumps the ego and causes one to believe they are invincible.

Competition is "us against them." If you win, you are the hero. If you lose, you are a loser. This attitude focuses all our attention on us rather than God. It causes people to pit themselves against others.

God wants us to live together peacefully. To do so, we need to realize we don't always have to agree on everything. But we do need to be willing to have an understanding spirit and a willingness to remain united even in our diversity. This is what God calls us to.

Our unity in Jesus Christ is what matters most in this life. He is the one that gives life, wholeness and purpose. He is the one who unites us — even when we may not wholly agree on everything.

I wonder how many of us would be willing to set aside the declaration that we are in the "only correct" group, or the notion we are the self-declared expert on all things political and theological, in order to agree to disagree without belittling or rejecting others?

I wonder how many would be willing to truly listen to the teachings of Jesus that call us sisters and brothers, and his call to unity?

I wonder how many would be willing to accept the fact that people are different, but still worthy of love and respect?

There is much in this society that strives to divide us, but when we recognize God in our midst, our focus is on him and his greatness — not our own. When we come together and God becomes the most important part of our time together, we accomplish great things for his glory.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: When we come together, we do great things