Whether you have young children or not, you’re probably well aware that Halloween is almost here. However, despite the plethora of skeletons and ghosts you might see floating around this week, you probably don’t have much to fear (except, possibly, running out of candy). But in real life, some things genuinely are frightening — such as “scary” investment moves.

Of course, investing, by its very nature, is not a risk-free endeavor. Ideally, though, these risks are also accompanied by the possibility of reward. Nonetheless, some investment moves carry very little in the way of “upside” potential and should be avoided. Here are a few to consider:

• Not investing. The scariest investment move you can make is to not invest at all — because if you don’t invest, you are highly unlikely to achieve a comfortable retirement or meet any other important financial goals. In a recent survey conducted by the National Council on Aging and other groups, 45 percent of the respondents who were 60 or older said they wished they had saved more money, and almost one-third said they wished they had made better investments. So make investing a priority — and choose some investments that have the potential to provide you with the growth you’ll need to meet your objectives.

• Overreacting to “scary” headlines — The financial markets like stability, not uncertainty. So the next time you see some news about domestic political squabbles or unsettling geopolitical events, such as conflicts in foreign lands, don’t be surprised if you see a drop, perhaps a sizable one, in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other market indices. But these declines are usually short-lived. Of course, the markets do not exist in isolation — they can and will be affected by what’s happening in the world. Yet, over the longer term, market movements are mostly governed by mundane, non-headline-grabbing factors, such as corporate earnings, interest rate movements, personal income levels, and so on. Here’s the point: Don’t overreact to those scary headlines, or even to short-term market drops. Instead, focus on the fundamentals driving your investments — and maintain a long-term perspective.

• Chasing hot investments — You can receive tips on “hot” investments from multiple sources: television, the Internet, your friends, your relatives — the list goes on and on. But by the time you get to these investments, they may already have cooled off — and, in any case, may not be appropriate for your needs. Stick with investments that offer good prospects and are suitable for your risk tolerance.

• Failing to diversify — When it comes to investing, “too much of a good thing” is a relevant term. If your portfolio is dominated by one type of asset class, such as aggressive growth stocks, and we experience a downturn that is particularly hard on those stocks, you could face sizable losses. But if you spread your investment dollars among growth stocks, international stocks, bonds, government securities and certificates of deposit (CDs), you can lessen the impact of a market drop. Keep in mind, though, that while diversification can reduce the effects of volatility, it can’t guarantee a profit or prevent losses.

Halloween is over quickly. But scary investment moves can have a lasting effect — so stay away from them.

Joe Faulk is a Crestview financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANCIAL FOCUS: Five scary investment moves

If you work for a medium to large company, you may now be entering the “open enrollment” period — that time of year when you get to make changes to your employee benefits.

Your benefit package can be a big piece of your overall financial picture, so you’ll want to make the right moves — especially regarding your employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Take a close look at your 401(k) or similar plan, such as a 403(b), if you work for a school or a nonprofit group, or a 457(b), if you work for a state or local government. And keep these possible moves in mind:

•Boost your contributions. If your salary has gone up over the past year, or if you just think you have a reasonable “cushion” in your disposable income, boost your contributions to your employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Even if you can’t afford to contribute the maximum amount — which, in 2014, is $17,500, or $23,000 if you’re 50 or older — to your 401(k) or similar plan, try to put in as much as you can afford. Remember the key benefits of these plans: Your money can grow tax deferred and your contributions can lower your annual taxable income. (Keep in mind, though, that you will eventually be taxed on your withdrawals, and any withdrawals you take before you reach 59½ may be subject to a 10 percent IRS penalty.)

•Don’t miss the match. Try to take full advantage of your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered. Your employer may match 50 percent of employee contributions, up to the first 6 percent of your salary. So if you’re only deferring 3 percent of your income, you are missing half the match — or leaving money “on the table,” so to speak. 

•Rebalance, if necessary. You may be able to change the investment mix of your employer-sponsored retirement plan throughout the year, but you might find that the best time to review your holdings and rebalance your portfolio is during open enrollment, when you’re reviewing all your benefit options.

Try to determine if your investment allocation is still appropriate for your needs or if you own some investments that are chronically underperforming. And always keep in mind the need to diversify.

Try to spread your money around a variety of investments within your plan, with the exact percentages of each investment depending on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. As you near retirement, you may need to lower your overall risk level, but even at this stage of your career, you’ll benefit from a diversified portfolio.

While diversification can’t guarantee a profit or protect against loss, it can help reduce the impact of volatility on your holdings.

•Review your beneficiary designations. Your retirement plan’s beneficiary designations are important and, in fact, can even supersede the wishes you express in your will. So if you experience changes in your life — marriage, remarriage, a birth or an adoption, for instance — you’ll need to update the beneficiary designations on your 401(k) or similar plan. It won’t take much time today — and it can help prevent a lot of trouble tomorrow.

You work hard for the money that goes into your retirement plan — so make sure your plan is working hard for you.

Joe Faulk is a Crestview financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANCIAL FOCUS: Open enrollment is a great time to review your retirement plan

You won’t see it on the calendar, and it doesn’t inspire any greeting cards, but National Save for Retirement Week is here again. The goal of this week is self-explanatory, but what does it mean to you? Are you vulnerable to the possibility of reaching retirement without sufficient financial resources? If so, how can you ease this risk?

Let’s look at the “vulnerability” issue first. How prepared you’ll be for retirement — or at least how prepared you think you’ll be — seems to depend, not surprisingly, on whether you are currently participating in a retirement plan such as a 401(k) or an IRA. Consider these statistics, taken from the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey:

•Nearly half of workers without a retirement plan were “not at all confident” about their financial security in retirement, compared with only about one in 10 with a plan.

•36 percent of workers say they have less than $1,000 in savings and investments. Of this group, 73 percent said they and their spouse did not have a retirement plan, compared to just 11 percent of those with a plan.

Clearly, it pays to contribute to your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored plan, such as a 403(b) or 457(b). And, even if you do have a 401(k) or similar plan, you may want to consider funding a Roth or traditional IRA.

Besides contributing as much as you can afford to your retirement plans, what else can you do to help boost your retirement savings?

For one thing, try to control your debts. It’s not always easy, but try to consistently live within your means and make wise spending decisions. Every dollar you don’t spend on debt payments could be going toward your retirement savings.

While it’s essential that you save and invest for retirement, you can’t forget other objectives you may have, such as helping pay for your children’s college education. Of course, if you’re like the vast majority of people, you don’t have unlimited resources — so working toward two major financial goals at the same time can certainly be challenging. Nonetheless, a college education can still be a springboard to a successful career, so you may well feel that you should do everything within your power to help your kids through school.

How can you balance the two important goals of investing for your retirement and for your children’s college expenses? Your best move may be to start saving for college just as soon as possible — even when your children are quite young. By starting early, you’ll put time on your side, so you can put away smaller amounts each year than if you waited until the years right before your kids head off to school. Consider investing annually whatever amounts you can afford to a tax-advantaged college savings vehicle, such as a 529 plan.

By investing as much as possible in your retirement plan, managing your debt load and balancing your retirement goals with other key objectives, you’ll be honoring the message of National Save for Retirement Week. 

Joe Faulk is a Crestview financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANICAL FOCUS: Heed message of 'Save for Retirement' Week”

Soil is a vitally important part of all of our lives.  It provides the foundation for us to build roads and houses.  It provides building materials for our homes and businesses.  It holds and provides nutrients for plant growth.

Some soils are better at holding nutrients than others.  There are three basic types of soils – sand, silt and clay.  Sandy soils tend to leach nutrients quickly.  Clay soils sometimes can bind nutrients too tightly.  Silt soils are intermediate between these two.  Of course, our soils are typically a mixture of these three types, making each soil very unique.

There is one major improvement that we can make in all soils that help increase our soil quality.  We can encourage the accumulation of soil organic matter.

Soil organic matter is the organic component of soil, consisting of three primary parts including small (fresh) plant residues and small living soil organisms, decomposing (active) organic matter, and stable organic matter (humus).

Soil organic matter is important because it:

•Improves soil fertility.

•Improves water holding capacity.

•Improves nutrient holding capacity.

•Improves biodiversity of microorganisms.

We can accumulate soil organic matter by:

•Using cover crops instead of allowing soil to sit uncovered for seasons.

•Soil test and apply fertilizers properly.

•Reduce tillage.

•Prevent topsoil erosion.

•Rotate crops and plant perennial forages on resting lands.

For more information about soil quality, you can give me a call at 689-5850 or email me at bearden@ufl.edu.

Jennifer Bearden is an agent at the University of Florida's Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Easy ways to increase soil quality

Ebola is a virus to respect, not fear, and its spread can be fairly easily contained if proper precautions are taken.

That's Dr. Ann Likos' message to representatives of Okaloosa County organizations most likely to come into contact with the disease, should it find its way here.

The “only real way” to get Ebola is from bodily contact, Likos recently told emergency workers, hospital administrators and representatives from Hurlburt and Eglin Air Force Base. It can be passed by coming into contact with vomit, diarrhea and sweat from an infected source, Likos, director of the state Department of Health’s Division of Disease Control and Health Protection, said.

“Distancing” is the simple best way to protect yourself.

Only one case of Ebola has been confirmed in the United States and of the 114 who came into contact with that person in Texas “most of them are at no risk," Likos said.

A person sick with Ebola will display flu-like symptoms of high fever, headache, nausea and upset stomach.

Importantly though, the victim would also have had have visited the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone or the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past 21 days, health officials said.

If those two thresholds are met, the health department should be immediately contacted.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Local officials briefed on Ebola virus