Unless you closely track obscure holidays and observances, you probably didn’t know that August is “What Will Be Your Legacy? Month."

Still, you might want to use this month as a reminder to take action on what could be one of your most important financial goals: leaving a meaningful legacy.

A legacy isn’t simply a document or a bunch of numbers — it’s what you will be remembered for, and what you have left behind that will be remembered. It’s essentially your chance to contribute positively to the future, whether that means providing financial resources for the next generation, helping charitable organizations you support, or a combination of both.

To create your legacy, you’ll need to do some planning. Start by asking yourself a couple of key questions:

What are your goals? When you think about leaving a legacy, what comes to mind? First and foremost, you may well want to leave enough money to help your grown children meet their financial goals. After that, you probably have other things you’d like to accomplish. Perhaps you want to provide resources for your grandchildren to attend college. Or set up a scholarship at your alma mater. Give financial support to a cultural, social, religious or scientific groups.

By thinking about your goals and putting them on paper, even in an informal sense, you’ll be taking the important first step in leaving the legacy you desire.

If you don’t take some concrete steps, your legacy just won’t materialize. And the most important step you need to take is to create a comprehensive estate plan. Your estate plan can be quite involved, because it may involve several legal documents, such as a will, living trust, health care power of attorney, and so on. In creating these materials, you will need to work with your legal and tax advisers because estate planning is definitely not a “do-it-yourself” endeavor.

You probably shouldn’t wait until you are deep into retirement to take action on your estate plan because developing the necessary documents and arrangements can take a fair amount of time — and you’ll want to make these preparations when you’re in good mental and physical health. Also, the longer you wait to set up your estate plan, the less likely it will be that you’ve communicated your wishes clearly to your family members, who may end up unsure about what you want and what their roles are in carrying out your plans —and that’s an outcome you certainly don’t want to see.

In fact, clear communications are essential to developing a successful estate plan. You should not only tell your family members — and anyone else affected by your estate plan — what you are thinking of doing but also inform them about the professionals with whom you are working and the locations in which you are storing vital documents, such as your will.

By identifying your goals, working with the appropriate professionals to create an effective estate plan, and communicating regularly with your family members and other “key players” in your life, you can go a long way toward leaving the legacy you desire.

So, do what it takes to launch that legacy.

Joe Faulk is a Crestview financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANCIAL FOCUS: Your legacy is in your hands

With the 2014 hurricane season's peak approaching, Colorado State University researchers reaffirmed their June forecast for a relatively quiet summer. 

CSU meteorologists Phil Klotzbach and William Gray predict nine tropical storms will form in the Atlantic Basin — which includes the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea — between Aug. 1 and the hurricane season's end on Nov. 30. Of those storms, four tropical storms will strengthen into hurricanes with at least 74 mph winds.

Forecasters think one of those hurricanes will intensify into a major hurricane with peak winds exceeding 110 mph.Currently, the Atlantic's conditions are not favorable for hurricane formation this summer and aren’t expected to improve. Hurricanes draw energy from seawater that has been heated to at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Water that is even a few degrees cooler will not sustain a tropical storm.

The likelihood that tropical storms will form in the Atlantic increases in August, after waters have absorbed heat for several months. The hurricane season's peak is Sept. 10, when conditions usually are most favorable for storm formation. After September, hurricanes are more likely to form in the Caribbean Sea.  There is still time to assess the structure of the trees in the yard and make corrections.

Urban forest is much different from a natural forest. Trees often develop a form that is more susceptible to breakage when grown in developed commercial and residential environments. As a result, trees need preventive pruning to develop strong structure. Research and observation show that well-pruned trees can create a more wind resistant urban forest. 

Pruning to create stronger tree structure is an ongoing process.  To minimize the likelihood of tree damage, reduce the length of limbs that have a weak attachment to the trunk and balance the canopy by reducing limbs' length on the side where weight is concentrated. Do not remove interior branches, as this concentrates foliage at the tips of branches and causes them to break in strong winds. 

See http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/pruning.shtml for more information on pruning>>

Limbs more than half the diameter of the trunk and multiple trunks of similar size must be reduced to form strong branch unions and eliminate co-dominant leaders. A reduction cut is pruned back to a smaller lateral branch. Good pruning cuts avoid cutting into the collar, the swollen area at the base of the branch where it joins the trunk. The tissue is rich in energy reserves and chemicals that hinder the spread of decay. 

Preventative pruning only applies to woody tree species. Palms need fronds to protect the bud and provide nutrients for growth. 

Arborists report that results from previous storms revealed that palms that had been “hurricane pruned” had more damage than those not pruned. 

Do not wait until the last minute to prepare your trees for hurricane season. Take action now.

Sheila Dunning is an agent at the University of Florida's Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Strong tree structure can reduce hurricane damage