Over the past three decades, the United States' centenarian population has grown about 66 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a good chance of living to 100 — but the possibility may not be as remote as it once was.

In any case, if you do plan to retire in your mid-60s, and you are in good health, you may well have two, or even three, decades ahead of you.

To enjoy this time to the fullest — and to help prevent the possibility of outliving your financial resources — you will need to invest for income and growth throughout your retirement years.

As a retiree, how much income do you need from your investments?

There’s no one “right” percentage for everyone.

Furthermore, you shouldn’t have to rely solely on your investment portfolio, because you may have other sources — such as Social Security and potentially your employer-sponsored retirement plan — from which to draw income.

Nonetheless, your investments can play a big role in providing you with the income you’ll need during retirement. Many retirees depend on fixed-rate investments for a good portion of their retirement income — so it’s a real challenge when interest rates are low, as they have been for the past several years.

Consequently, when you retire, you’ll need to be aware of the interest-rate environment and the income you can expect from these investments.

Longer-term fixed-rate vehicles may be tempting, as they typically offer higher rates than shorter-term ones, but these longer-term investments may have more price fluctuation and inflation risk than shorter-term investments.

You’ll likely need a balance between short-, intermediate- and long-term fixed-income investments to provide for a portion of your income in retirement.

While it’s important to invest for income, you can’t ignore the need for growth — because you won’t want to lose purchasing power to inflation.

As you know, we’ve recently experienced quite mild inflation. But over time, even a low rate of inflation can seriously erode your purchasing power.

If your current monthly costs are $3,000, they will be about $4,000 in 10 years with only a 3 percent annual inflation rate.

And in 25 years at that same rate, your monthly costs will have more than doubled, to about $6,200.

To help protect yourself against inflation risk, you should consider having at least some investments that offer growth potential, rather than only owning fixed-income vehicles.

And some investment vehicles, such as dividend-paying stocks, can offer both growth potential and current income.

In fact, some stocks have paid, and even increased, their dividends for many years in a row, giving you not just income, but rising income. (Keep in mind, though, that companies are not obligated to pay dividends, and can reduce or discontinue them at any time.)

To determine the right mix of growth and income vehicles for your individual needs, consult with a financial adviser familiar with your retirement plans, your risk tolerance and your family situation.

And it may well be a good idea to plan for a very long retirement.

You may not live to be 100 — but it would be a good feeling to know that you could afford to do so.

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: Could you afford to live to 100?

FORT WALTON BEACH — Todd Harrell wants to see more families share sit-down Sunday dinners with their senior loved ones.

Particularly since Home Instead Inc. revealed that 50 percent of surveyed families living near senior relatives feel they do not share enough meals with them.Home Instead randomly sampled 1,000 U.S. and Canadian households between Feb. 10 and 15. Almost 75 percent of people surveyed said they only sit down for a family meal with senior loved ones for special occasions, events or holidays.

But "for seniors, it’s not what’s on their plate that matters most at mealtime — it’s who is at the table with them,” said Harrell, owner of the Fort Walton Beach Home Instead Senior Care office. “When seniors share meals with a companion, they have a better mealtime experience — both nutritionally and emotionally.”

The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation will donate $1 to Meals on Wheels America (up to $20,000 total through July 31) for each person who commits to regularly scheduling family dinners at SundayDinnerPledge.com.

To help families host Sunday dinner, Home Instead Senior Care has partnered with celebrity chef and mother of four Melissa d’Arabian to develop easy, nutritious recipes, also available on the website. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: This new effort benefits Okaloosa seniors and Meals on Wheels

DESTIN — The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation's Concerts in the Village summer series at the Cultural Arts Village includes Military Appreciation Night on Thursday, May 28. 

The Mulligans, an Emerald Coast band that performs dance tunes from the '60s and '70s, will perform. The gate opens at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m.

Admission costs $10 per person; children under 12 and MKAF members get in free. Proceeds benefit MKAF's cultural and education missions.

Military men and women in uniform get 50 percent off next week's admission. For those in the armed services with valid military ID, admission to the concert is just $5. 

The series continues as follows: June 4, Pieces of Eight (brassy soul meets beachy R&B); June 11, The Maxx (a blend of oldies with pop tunes); June 18, Mr. Big & the Rhythm Sisters (Motown and jazz); and June 25, Tyn Tymes (the Southern dance band). Singer/entertainer David Seering will close out the summer concert series on July 2 with an evening of music celebrating some of American’s famous artists and composers to patriotic songs. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Military Night' features '60s, '70s music

HOLT — June performance dates have been set for "Annie Jr.," a production by the Ten Talents Youth Theatre.

Hours are 7  p.m. June 12, 2 and 7 p.m. June 13 and 2 p.m. June 14 at Holt Assembly of God Church, 540 3rd Ave.

Attendance is free for children age 2 and younger, and $5 per person otherwise. Visit tentalentscrestview.com or call Nancy Black, 826-3409, to purchase tickets.

In addition, Ten Talents is hosting a theatre camp for children ages 8-18 one week before the production. All students who attend will learn about acting, singing, staging, choreography, lighting, sound and other theatre-related topics.

These students will be included in the production of "Annie Jr.," along with the current cast that has been rehearsing since April.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Annie Jr.' coming to Holt church

LAUREL HILL — Laynee Jo Pettis has her eyes on the prize: namely, an All-Around Cowgirl saddle.

It's hers if she has the most points in the under-6-years-old age group this year while barrel racing in Great Southern Youth Rodeo Association competitions.

Of course, each of the 10 events' outcomes relies heavily on Spirit, the Laurel Hill 4-year-old's 16-year-old quarter horse cross.

Laynee knows her companion needs motivation, and before the pair take off on a cloverleaf-shaped course, she gives the old girl a pep talk.

"She'll pet Spirit and tell her, 'OK, girl, we can do this," Bacarra, Laynee's mother, said.

And both cowgirl and her horse need help from Dad Deon, who leads Spirit into the arena and points her toward the first barrel.  

But after that, it's all Laynee.

"Laynee uses her little whip, and her horse runs first to the right and then two left turns after that … she gets (Spirit) to go as fast as she can," Bacarra said.

THIRD WORD

Much of Laynee's young life has centered on horses.

In fact, the third word she ever spoke was "horse"; it sounded more like "hearse," Bacarra said, but everyone knew what she really meant.

That followed her first words, "Daddy" and "Mommy" — which sort of indicated the baby's priorities, her mother said.  

"Daddy, who makes all the money; momma, 'cause I can saddle her horses up; and then horse," Bacarra said.

That's probably because Laynee has been around the animals her whole life.

Bacarra, a stay-at-home mom, once galloped young race horses in Ocala professionally; now she trains horses and gives riding lessons in her spare time. Before that, she raced horses since she was 7 years old.

The Pettises have a farm with a barn that houses a number of horses, which Laynee and her 10-year-old brother, Ryder, enjoy. Among them are Spirit and Apples, a 19-year-old Shetland pony that Laynee's grandfather gave her when she was 1.

SADDLING UP

Laynee started horseback riding when was 13 months old.

First, she had a saddle mate.

"She was just a baby, and since she could sit up, I would put her in a saddle with me and we would ride around," Bacarra said.

Now, Laynee rides solo using a saddle cover that secures the rider on the horse with Velcro straps.  

It allows her to compete in the 6- and-under and 18-and-under divisions in Great Southern Youth and National Barrel Horse Association races in Mississippi and Baker, respectively.

And, more important for those rodeos, it allows her to fulfill her need for speed.

"I like to ride fast horses," Laynee says.

She placed second, with 18.6 seconds, in her age division two weeks ago in Mississippi, where she faced about 30 children, Bacarra said.

CHILD'S PLAY

So, how much does Laynee love Spirit?

"More than anybody," she'll tell you.

"Horses are her life," Bacarra said. "I don't push her, either. I'll ask her, 'You know, Laynee, do you wanna go outside and ride? Sometimes, she says no — sometimes, she beats me out there to the barn."

Laynee's love of horses extends outside the arena and her family's barn. She plays with about 100 of her mother's childhood My Little Ponys, has several Breyer model horses, and sometimes trades riding real horses for saddling up on spring-powered, bouncing horses.

And with this 4-year-old's imagination, a dog leash isn't just a dog leash.

"She'll pick up a dog leash and she'll gallop around with it like that's the rein to her horse," Bacarra said.

Laynee's still young, but the equestrian's passion for all things horses also surpasses child's play.

If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, it's a pretty easy answer.

"To help animals," Laynee said. 

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: This 4-year-old Laurel Hill barrel racer shares her mother's passion

When you're looking for a good-quality hay source in Florida, don’t overlook perennial peanut hay.

Perennial peanut is similar in quality to alfalfa, but has its own benefits.

Namely longevity.

You see, producers here in Florida struggle with alfalfa, and most stands last just two to three years.

However, perennial peanut stands in our area last for decades. 

Depending on how it is managed, perennial peanut hay contains, on average, 13-18 percent crude protein.

There are several great varieties to choose from if you wish to plant some yourself. Florigraze, Arbrook, UF Tito and UF Peace are all good varieties for grazing or hay. 

Perennial peanut fields annually can produce up to 5 tons of hay per acre.

The only drawback is the cost to plant the fields.

Perennial peanut is planted by a process called sprigging. Rhizomes of perennial peanut are dug from the nursery field and planted in the new field using machinery to put the rhizome 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface. 

This process costs around $300 per acre.

To learn more about perennial peanut, you can attend the Perennial Peanut Field Day, which begins 9:30 a.m.  June 6 at the University of Florida's North Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna.

See http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2015/05/08/perennial-peanut-field-day-june-6/ 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: The perennial peanut is Florida’s alfalfa