These days, you can go online and invest for modest fees. You can also visit various websites for research and watch numerous cable shows for investment recommendations.

So, why shouldn't you be a "do-it-yourself" investor rather than work with a financial professional?

Actually, there are at least five good reasons why a financial adviser can help make you a better investor.

A financial adviser can:

Ask the right questions. If you try to invest on your own, you may find yourself asking the wrong questions, such as: "What's the 'hottest' investment out there?"

A financial professional can help frame better questions, such as: "Given my individual risk tolerance and long-term goals, which investments should I consider to help me build a balanced portfolio?"

In other words, a financial professional can help you ask the questions that can lead to better results.

Look at your situation objectively. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to take all the emotion out of your investment choices. After all, your investment success will play a large role in some key areas of your life, such as your ability to enjoy a comfortable retirement.

Consequently, if you think you're not making the progress you should with your investments, you may be tempted to make a hasty decision to give your portfolio a "jolt." Frequently, though, such choices can backfire.

When it comes to investing, it's better to invest with your head, not your heart. A financial adviser can analyze your situation, assess your risk tolerance and make appropriate recommendations.

Show a deeper understanding of investment research. You can look up many types of financial data on your own. But do you know how to put all these pieces together into a cohesive picture?

A financial professional, with years of experience and training, is generally more capable of finding the research sources and making the most sense out of the results.

Put experience to work in making portfolio recommendations. Even if you've been investing for many years, you might be surprised at all the underlying influences that should go into making investment decisions.

But a financial professional understands market patterns, the nature of diversification and other factors necessary in helping you make the right choices for your situation.

Spend time looking for opportunities. Even if you enjoy the process of investing, the chances are quite good that you can't spend as much time on it as a financial professional.

That means, among other things, you aren't constantly on the lookout for new investment opportunities. Nor are you always looking within your own portfolio for opportunities to rebalance or make other adjustments that can help you move forward toward your goals.

But when you work closely with a financial adviser, he or she is exploring the financial markets for new investment prospects while regularly reviewing your portfolio for possibilities of upgrading quality, increasing diversification or making adjustments in response to changes in your life.

The "do-it-yourself" route may be fine for home repairs. But when it comes to managing your investment situation, there are benefits to working with a professional.

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: 5 reasons not to be a 'do-it-yourself' investor

Invasive species — those that are exotic and don't naturally occur in an area — cause economic or environmental harm, and could negatively affect human health.

And they're the No. 1 threat to biodiversity on protected lands.

Invasive species don't know boundaries; as a result, public, private lands, natural and man-made water bodies, and associated watersheds are affected.

National Invasive Species Awareness Week — Feb. 21-27 — raises awareness of this problem.

Florida agriculture annually loses an estimated $179 million from invasive pests, according to http://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/publications/florida.pdf.

Generally, eradicating an invasive species is difficult and expensive, so most mitigation efforts focus on control.  

Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, a web-based way to report invasive species, shows 667 invasive plants reported in Florida.

Many invasive insects, animals and diseases have also landed in Florida. Some famous invasive species include cogongrass, wild hogs, red imported fire ants, Chinese tallow and lionfish.

For National Invasive Species Awareness Week, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Northwest Extension District will highlight two invasive species each day.

Here's how to get the information:

●Go to http://subscribe.ifas.ufl.edu and sign up for the Panhandle Outdoors Newsletter

●Go to https://www.facebook.com/IFASNW/ and “Like” us on Facebook.

●Always be cautious when bringing plants or plant materials into Florida.Plants or even dead plant material can harbor weeds, insects and diseases that can become invasive in our state.

●When you see something suspicious, contact your local extension agent for help identifying the weed, insect or disease.

●Volunteer. The state has several Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas in which public and private organizations work together to control invasive species. These areas hold work days in which volunteers can help remove invasive species from the environment. 

HOW TO HELP CONTROL INVASIVE SPECIES

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BEARDEN: Help control invasive species in Crestview

If you've been around long-time investors, you'll probably hear them say, ruefully, "If only I had gotten in on the ground floor of such-and-such computer or social media company, I'd be rich today."

That may be true — but is it really relevant to anyone? Do you have to be an early investor of a spectacular company to achieve investment success?

Not really. Those early investors of the "next big thing" couldn't have fully anticipated the tremendous results enjoyed by those companies. But these investors all had one thing in common: They were ready, willing and able to look for good opportunities.

And that's what you need to do, too.

Of course, you may never snag the next big thing, but that's not the point. If you're going to be a successful investor, you need to be diligent in your search for new opportunities. And these opportunities don't need to be brand-new to the financial markets — they can just be new to you.

For example, when you look at your investment portfolio, do you see the same types of investments?

If you own mostly aggressive growth stocks, you have the possibility of gains — but, at the same time, you risk taking losses, from which it may take years to recover.

On the other hand, if you're "overloaded" with certificates of deposit and Treasury bills, you may enjoy protection of principal but at the cost of growth potential, because these investments rarely offer much in the way of returns. In fact, they may not even keep up with inflation, which means that if you own too many of them, you will face purchasing-power risk.

To avoid these problems, look for opportunities to broaden your holdings beyond just one or two asset classes.

Here's another way to take advantage of opportunities: Don't take a time out from investing. When markets are down, people's fears drive them to sell investments whose prices have declined — thereby immediately turning "paper" losses into real ones — rather than holding on to quality investment vehicles and waiting for the market to recover.

But successful investors are often rewarded when they not only hold on to investments during declines but also increase their holdings by purchasing investments whose prices have fallen — or adding new shares to existing investments — thereby following the first rule of investing: Buy low. When the market rises again, these investors should see the value of their new investments, or the shares of their existing ones, increase in value. (Keep in mind, though, that, when investing in stocks, there are no guarantees; some stocks do lose value and may never recover.)

Instead of looking for that one great "hit" in the form of an early investment in a skyrocketing stock, you're better off by seeking good opportunities in the form of new investments that can broaden your existing portfolio or by adding additional shares, at good prices, to your existing investments.

These moves are less glitzy and glamorous than getting in on the ground floor of the next big thing — but, in the long run, they may make you look pretty smart indeed.

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: When opportunity knocks, open the door

Northwest Florida Extension offices' 4-H Youth Development agents host a volunteer training program for enrolled 4-H volunteers. 

“Make a Difference Mondays,"  held the third Monday of each month, will help 4-H volunteers learn how to make a positive difference in the community. Each session features interactive presentations by guest speakers on the basics of club organization, officer training, project books, risk management, teaching strategies, fund-raising, team building and managing parent volunteers.

This month's training on public blue ribbon presentations takes place 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15 at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Office, 3098 Airport Road, Crestview.

If you are interested in becoming a 4-H volunteer or are interested in enrolling your child into the Okaloosa County 4-H program, please contact the Okaloosa County Extension Office, 689-5850, for more information. 

If you are enrolled as an Okaloosa County 4-H volunteer and are interested in the "Make a Difference Mondays" volunteer training program, please contact me at mismith@ufl.edu. 

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

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences 4-H Youth Development Program uses a learn-by-doing approach to help children gain the knowledge and skills they need to be responsible, productive citizens.

This mission is accomplished by creating safe, inclusive learning environments, involving caring adults, and using the expertise and resources of the University of Florida and the nationwide land grant university system.

Source: Okaloosa County Extension Office

DID YOU KNOW?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SMITH: 4-H volunteer training scheduled in Crestview