Several years ago, a book titled "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" was quite popular. As the title suggests, the book argues that men and women are vastly different from each other, particularly in their emotional needs and in the way they communicate. While not everyone agrees with the notion that men and women might as well be from different planets, most of us would probably concur that the two genders frequently behave differently — and this divergence in behavior may also show up in the way we invest.

In fact, various studies and anecdotal evidence suggest the following differences in the way men and women invest:

●Men tend to trade more often than women. Men seem to buy and sell investments more frequently than women. This difference could result in an advantage for women investors. For one thing, those who trade less often may incur fewer commission charges, fees and other expenses, all of which can eat into investment returns. Also, by holding investments longer, women may be able to take better advantage of market rallies. During the 2008–2009 financial crisis, for example, men were more likely than women to sell shares of stock at market lows, which led to bigger losses among male traders — and fewer gains when some of the stock values began to rise again, according to a study by Vanguard, a mutual fund company.

●Men tend to invest more aggressively than women. Perhaps not surprisingly, men seem to be more willing to take risks with their investments. This trait can be both positive and negative.

On the positive side, risk is associated with reward, so the more aggressive the investment, the greater the potential for growth. On the negative side, taking too much risk can speak for itself. Ideally, all investors — men and women — should stick with investments that fit their individual risk tolerance.

●Women are more likely to look at the "big picture." Although both men and women investors want information, women seem to take a more "holistic" approach — that is, instead of focusing strictly on performance statistics, they tend to delve deeper into their investments' background, competitive environment and other factors. This quest for additional knowledge may help explain why all-female investment clubs have achieved greater returns than all-male clubs, according to a study by the National Association of Investors Corp., which represents thousands of investment clubs across the country.

●Men may be more optimistic about the financial markets. Some studies show that men are more optimistic about key economic indicators and future stock market performance. Optimism can be a valuable asset when it comes to investing: If you have confidence in the future, you're more likely to invest for it, and to continue investing. On the other hand, false optimism may lead to overconfidence, which can have negative results for investors.

Neither men nor women have a monopoly on positive investment behaviors; each gender can probably learn something from the other. Ultimately, of course, it's your decision making, not your X or Y chromosomes, that can determine your ability to make progress toward your long-term goals — so educate yourself about your choices, and get the help you need from a financial professional, as you invest through the years.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SHANKLIN: Do women and men invest differently?

A biography — from the Greek word bios, meaning “life,” and graphos, meaning “write” — is an account of a person’s life.

Reading a great biography (or autobiography) can be as exciting as your favorite thriller, provide more valuable and useful lessons than most self-help best sellers and offer more professional development wisdom than you can likely apply.

Leadership expert Kevin Eikenberry offers these five reasons for choosing to read biographies:

●They allow you to stand on the shoulders of giants.

●They remind you that history repeats itself.

●They promote self-discovery.

●They allow you to see the world in new ways.

●They give you mentors at a distance.

To better showcase the library’s biography collection, we recently moved it from the left rear corner of the library to the front near the movies.

See a copy of the library's layout.>>

Come check it out.  With over 900 biographies in our collection, you are sure to find someone of interest!

See Sandra Dreaden's current recommendations.>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: DREADEN: 5 reasons why reading biographies is good for you

Saving money and good financial management is not just for adults. It is never too early to involve children in the process of saving for their goals. Educating children to save money early on can help build a basis for future spending and saving habits.

Saving enables children to buy something they want without paying interest or going into debt, take pride in achieving a goal, and learn to spend wisely. If children are taught how to save and spend at an early age they are able to use their own decision making skills and also have their parents’ advice to guide them through the process.

In order to get the important message of saving to our area youths, Okaloosa Saves is now holding the Teach a Child to Save Campaign. Youths age 17 or younger are encouraged to participate by completing a short entry form, set a financial goal, and make a deposit into a new or existing savings account.

These steps can be completed at any of the following participating financial institutions: Bancorp South, Miramar Beach, Beach Community, Eglin Federal Credit Union, First City Bank, and PenFed Credit Union.

Youths then will be eligible to win a $50 deposit for their savings account, donated by David Money, First Bank. The campaign runs through July. Imagine, winning money, just for saving money. Talk about a reward!

Visit Okaloosasaves.org or our Okaloosa Saves Facebook site for more information about the campaign or to learn more about saving.

Jill Breslawski 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: BRESLAWSKI: Financial management works for people of all ages

If you have a medical appointment this week, you might want to wish your nurse a happy National Nurses Week (May 6-12). This annual event is designed to celebrate the important role nurses play in health care. Of course, while nurses and doctors can help you in many ways, you can do a lot of good for yourself by adopting healthy living habits, such as eating right, exercising frequently, and so on. But you can also do much to help your financial health.

Here are a few suggestions:

●Stay invested. During times of market volatility, it can be temping to head to the investment "sidelines" until things "cool off." Going to the sidelines can mean a few different things – you could simply not invest anything for a while, or you could move a substantial portion of your portfolio to "cash" instruments, which are safe in the sense of preserving your principal but offer almost nothing in the way of return or protecting against inflation. If you're not investing during a market downturn, or if you've moved heavily into cash, you might well miss out on the beginning of the next market rally.

●Rebalance your portfolio. It's a good idea to periodically rebalance your portfolio to make sure it still reflects your goals and your comfort level with risk. Over time, and without any effort on your part, your portfolio can become unbalanced. For example, following a long "bull" market, the value of your stocks could have risen to the point where they make up a greater percentage of your portfolio than you had intended. When that happens, you may need to rebalance by adding bonds and other fixed-income vehicles.

●Diversify. Rebalancing is important. But a balanced portfolio should also be a diversified portfolio. If you only owned one type of financial asset, such as U.S. growth stocks, you could take a big hit during a market downturn. But different types of financial assets don't always move in the same direction at the same time, so by owning a wide variety of investments – U.S. stocks, international stocks, government securities, corporate bonds, real estate, certificates of deposit (CDs) and so on – you may help reduce the effects of market volatility on your portfolio. Keep in mind, though, that diversification by itself can't guarantee profits or protect against loss.

●Maintain realistic expectations. If you expect the financial markets to always move upward, you will be disappointed many times. Market downturns are a normal part of the investment process, and they will always be with us. Once you accept this reality, you will be less likely to make questionable decisions, such as abandoning a long-term strategy. If you've designed an appropriate strategy, possibly with the help of a financial professional, you can stick with it through all market environments.

By following the suggestions mentioned above – staying invested, rebalancing your portfolio as needed, diversifying your holdings and maintaining realistic expectations, you can go a long way toward maintaining the fitness of your financial situation.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SHANKLIN: How to keep your portfolio healthy