You may be willing to plan an investment strategy for your retirement years.

After all, it can be enjoyable to think about traveling the world, pursuing your hobbies or participating in any activity you've associated with an active retirement.

However, once you do retire, you'll need to shift gears somewhat to focus on your legacy.

Specifically, to protect your loved ones and ensure your intentions are clear and carried out, you'll need to do some more planning — and you'll need to share your thoughts with your family.

Here are some moves to consider:

List your assets and debts. Your family needs to be aware of your assets and debts, so share this information with them while you are alive and well.

Create a durable power of attorney. Give a trusted friend or family member a durable power of attorney to pay bills and make financial choices on your behalf if you are unable to do so.

Choose an executor. An executor is the person or entity you name in your will to carry out your wishes. An executor has a variety of responsibilities, so pick someone honest and capable of dealing with legal and financial matters. Talk with an attorney about how best to name your executor.

Update your will. You might have written a will many years ago, but, over time, many aspects of your life may have changed. Review your will with your attorney to ensure it reflects your current wishes.

Review benefits of a living trust. A simple will may not be enough to accommodate your estate-planning needs.

You might want to consider establishing a living trust, which provides you with significant flexibility in distributing your assets and can help you avoid the time-consuming, expensive and public process of probate.

To create a trust, or other estate-planning documents, you will need to work with a qualified legal professional.

Review your beneficiary designations. The beneficiary designations on your financial accounts (such as a 401(k) or an IRA) and your insurance policies can even supersede the directions on your will, so it's essential that you update these designations to reflect events such as divorce and remarriage.

And make sure your beneficiaries have the facts they need to claim their benefits.

Share location of your legal documents. Your loved ones should know where you keep documents such as your birth certificate, will and living trust.

If you keep these items in a safe deposit box, tell your family where you keep the key.

Encourage two-way communication. It's obviously necessary to communicate your final wishes to your family members — but listen to their wishes and concerns, too.

For example, ask your children to agree on who gets those objects of special concern to them, such as furniture, mementos and heirlooms.

As you can see, you'll need to take several steps to fulfill your intentions — and the above list is certainly not exhaustive.

So plan carefully, engage the appropriate team — financial adviser, attorney, tax professional — and put your plans in motion.

By being proactive, you can greatly ease the burden on your loved ones in the future.

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

Yvonne Shanklin, an Edward Jones financial adviser in Crestview, will sponsor the presentation, "Stocks: The Nuts and Bolts."

The seminar is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 550 Adams Drive, Crestview.

Call Marcia Fleming, 682-2497, for more information. 

UPCOMING:

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SHANKLIN: 8 moves to help provide an orderly estate

Agriculture is the production, processing and marketing of foods and fibers.

America's farmers and ranchers produce everyday household and business items from plant and animal products and byproducts. These include food, surgical sutures, lumber, tires, adhesives, shampoo, leather shoes and soft cotton clothes.

National Farm-City Week celebrates the "Partners in Progress" who produce the products, consume the products, and make them readily available through an efficient production and marketing chain.

Farmers and ranchers are just the beginning of that chain.

Farm workers, researchers, processors, shippers, truck drivers, inspectors, wholesalers, agribusinesses, marketers, advertisers, retailers and consumers all play important roles in the productivity that has made our nation's food and fiber system the world's envy.  

 Every year, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let's remember the vital farm-city partnerships that have done so much to improve the quality of our lives.

Rural and urban communities working together have made the most of our rich agricultural resources, and have made significant contributions to our health and well-being, and to the strength of our nation's economy.

For this, we can give thanks.

This year, to celebrate National Farm-City Week, University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Okaloosa County Extension has teamed up with Okaloosa County Farm Bureau to collect and distribute fresh vegetables and foods for needy families, identified by a local church.

We will collect donations of money and peanut butter until Nov. 19. We will load all donations onto trailers and pull them down Main Street as we make our way to the Woodlawn Baptist Church parking lot in Crestview on Nov. 20.

Please help us celebrate National Farm-City Week with your donations. Donations can be accepted at these Crestview locations:

● 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, University of Florida IFAS Okaloosa County Extension office, 3098 Airport Road

●8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, Okaloosa County Farm Bureau office, 921 W. James Lee Blvd.

Call 689-5850 or email bearden@ufl.edu for more information.

Jennifer Bearden 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: BEARDEN: Crestview National Farm-City Week observance scheduled Friday

Business Insights: Essentials is a user-friendly online resource that combines authoritative information and statistical data with analytical tools to explore real-world applications.

It is an excellent resource for students, researchers and professionals seeking in-depth information on U.S. and international businesses, industries and products. 

And it is free with your 14-digit Crestview Public Library card number through the Florida Electronic Library. 

Just go to the library website's Electronic Resources page and click on the Business Insights: Essentials logo icon.

Features include:

●Searching multiple data types with targeted category options such as company, article, industry and keyword.

●Histories, SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — reports, Thomson Reuters Company Financials and Investment Reports, Market Share Reports and Industry Essays.

●All articles include PDF and HTML download options.

●Manipulate statistical data and customize charts.

●Deep links within search results get users to the most relevant content in fewer clicks.

●Text-to-speech capabilities.

●Translate with the user interface or article-level translations.

●Robust glossary with thousands of business terms.

●Search results can be limited by full text only, peer reviewed only, periodicals only, and publication dates and titles.

Download a searching tip sheet at http://assets.cengage.com/training/Business_Insights_Essentials_SearchTips.pdf. 

Sandra Dreaden is the Crestview Public Library's reference librarian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Professionals will benefit from this free Crestview library resource

A farmer lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good farm, but over the years, the farmer began to tire of it.

He longed for a change — for something "better."

Every day, he found a new reason for criticizing some feature of the old place.

Finally, he decided to sell, and listed the farm with a real estate broker who promptly prepared a sales advertisement.

The ad emphasized all the farm's advantages: ideal location, modern equipment, healthy stock and acres of fertile ground.

Before placing the ad, the Realtor called the farmer and read the text to him for his approval. When he had finished, the farmer said, "Hold everything!  I've changed my mind. I am not going to sell. I've been looking for a place like that all my life."

People sometimes become blinded to their blessings.

That most of us have a roof over our heads is something for which to be grateful. But how many complain about their house, because for some reason they feel as though they deserve a bigger, better one?

We all have clothing on our backs. But how many complain when those clothes lack designer labels or come from the "wrong" store?

Can you be content with the material things you have? Can you refrain from spending money you don't have, or money that needs to be saved for a catastrophe?

If the answer is no, I would invite you to determine why your heart is restless and unsettled.

Are you happy with the direction your life is going? Do you feel like there must be something more, or better, or different waiting for you? Is something else going on that is keeping you stirred up?

If you are unsettled, perhaps you are looking for a kind of contentment that cannot come from material possessions, but only from God's hand. If you are not living a contented, fulfilling life, perhaps you are looking for happiness in the wrong places and in the wrong ways.

Jesus Christ provides the kind of happiness and contentment we each look for. He will open the door to lead you in right paths. Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then everything else will be added to you."  (Matthew 6:33).

God first; everything else second — because everything else is secondary to your relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving Day is approaching quickly. Will you recognize the goodness that surrounds you?  Will you be truly thankful for all you have?  Will you seek God first in every aspect of your life?

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: BROADHEAD: Be content with what you have

If you're part of Generation X — the age cohort born between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s — you're probably in one of the busiest phases of your life, as you're well into your working years and, at the same time, busy raising a family.

But just as you're multi-tasking in your life, you'll also need to address multiple financial goals.

In seeking to accomplish your key objectives, you may be asking yourself a variety of questions, including the following:

Should I contribute as much as possible to my IRA and 401(k)? In a word, yes. Your earnings on a traditional Individual Retirement Account and a 401(k) grow on a tax-deferred basis, so your money can accumulate faster than it would if placed in an investment on which you paid taxes every year.

Plus, since you typically make 401(k) contributions with pretax dollars, the more you contribute, the lower your taxable income. And your traditional IRA contributions may be tax-deductible, depending on your income.

If you meet income guidelines, you can contribute to a Roth IRA, which provides tax-free earnings, provided you meet certain conditions.

Should I put away money for my kids' college education? It's not easy to fund your retirement accounts plus save money for your children's college education. Still, college is expensive, so if you feel strongly about helping to pay for the high costs of higher education, you may want to explore college funding vehicles, such as a 529 plan, which offers tax advantages.

Should I pay down my mortgage or invest those funds? Most of us dream of freeing ourselves from a mortgage someday. So, as your career advances and your income rises, you may wonder if you should make bigger mortgage payments.

On one hand, there's no denying the psychological benefits you'd receive from paying off your mortgage. However, you may want to consider putting any extra money into your investment portfolio to help as you work toward your retirement goals.

Work with your financial adviser to determine what may be most appropriate for your portfolio.

Do I have enough insurance in place to protect my family? You may hear that you need seven or eight times your annual income in life insurance, but there's really no "right" figure for everyone.

You may want to consult with a financial adviser to determine how much life insurance is appropriate for your needs.

Am I familiar with my parents' financial situation and estate considerations? Now is the time to communicate with your parents about a variety of issues related to their financial situation and estate plans. The more you know, the better positioned you'll be to provide assistance and support if and when it's needed.

Just to name one example, you should inquire of your parents if they've designated a durable power of attorney to make financial decisions for them in case they're ever incapacitated.

By answering these questions, you can get a handle on all the financial issues you face at your stage of life.

It may seem challenging, but taking the time now can help you better position yourself to reach your financial goals.

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: Gen X'ers must juggle a variety of financial issues