The Columbia Press
March 5, 2021
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
7
Financial Focus
with Adam Miller
Waiting gets easier with age Time for some financial spring cleaning
I guess I really goofed this
time. Last week, knowing
March was around the corner,
I decided to talk about Day-
light Savings Time.
Afterward, when it was too
late, I realized it was half a
month away from that Feb. 26
column.
Oh, well. Maybe we seniors
will be a bit more prepared for
it now. A few people may have
thought it was that Sunday,
since I covered it when I did.
Sorry about that! Remember,
it begins on Sunday, March
14 (not this Sunday but next
Sunday).
Many of you ask how I
come up with subjects that I
talk about in this column of
potpourri Senior Moments.
There’s not an easy answer
to that as I am seldom at a
loss for words or thoughts,
but I do wish it to be some-
thing worthwhile. Or at least
a little entertaining, especially
during these days of pandem-
ic recovery. Well, you know,
to make us laugh again.
Here is one especially for the
women (sorry gentlemen, but
you will get your turn)!
It seems one day a group of
husbands and wives went to a
scientific program. The doc-
tor there was showing them
brains from real people and
telling how expensive it would
be to buy one. He said it was
$5 million for a female brain
and $10 million for a male
brain.
The men snickered, think-
ing they knew why. One of
the women said, “Well, why
is that sir?” The doctor an-
swered, “The men’s brains
cost more for they have sel-
dom been used.”
Many years ago, I was re-
minded that “Wise people
change their minds and fools
never do.”
Another adage that comes
to mind that I either heard
or read more recently is “A
handful of patience is worth
more than a bushel of brains.”
One thing the younger set
can learn from us seniors is
that waiting becomes eas-
ier as we age. Have you no-
ticed that? Think how far
ahead we accept that little
card at the doctor or dentist
for an appointment months
and months out. In fact, I al-
ready have a routine podiatry
appointment for Nov. 3 this
year.
What really gets me, howev-
er, is to have to wait months
for something the doctor says
is a “crisis situation.” I realize
we don’t have much choice in
the middle of the pandemic.
One might say some seniors
are hypochondriacs. I’m not
sure that’s true, but maybe
some of us come close.
I was recently given a copy
of the Senior’s Star, which is a
senior column from the Palm
Desert area. An article in it
said, “You are a hypochondri-
ac if …” (I can’t resist sharing
a few of these thoughts!)
• If every birthday you treat
yourself to a spa, massage,
and an MRI.
• If your favorite reference
web site is Sickipedia.
• If you dread going to the
supermarket in case a cashier
asks if you’re ready to check
out.
• If you have more doctors
than friends.
• If you wear a medical gown
to bed.
• If you swear you heard the
doctor whisper to the nurse
“we’ll know more after the au-
topsy.”
In two weeks, we will ex-
perience the vernal equinox
– one of the two times in the
year when the sun is directly
above the equator.
Apart from this astronom-
ical anomaly, though, the
equinox is mostly known as
the beginning of spring – a
fresh beginning and the time
to spruce things up.
This year, as you tidy up
your home and surround-
ings, why not also consider
some financial spring clean-
ing? Here are a few ideas for
getting your financial house
in order:
“De-clutter” your portfolio
Over the years, many of
us tend to pick up duplicate
items that find their way into
the nooks and crannies of our
homes, gathering dust and
remaining unused.
Over time, your investment
portfolio can also accumulate
redundancies – that is, you
might own several invest-
ments that are, essentially,
similar. It might be appropri-
ate to replace some of these
and broaden your holdings.
Own your investments pur-
posefully
You own certain things for
certain reasons – a broom to
sweep the floors, a microwave
to heat the food and so on. As
an investor, you should be
following a goal-based strate-
gy that includes the matching
of certain investments with
certain objectives.
For example, you might
own stocks or mutual funds
to eventually provide the
capital appreciation potential
you’ll need to retire comfort-
ably. But you might also own
other vehicles, such as bonds
or other fixed-income invest-
ments, to provide you with a
source of regular income.
“Dust off” your investment
strategy
Over a long winter, your
windows can get dirty and
grimy, so, when spring ar-
rives, you may want to get out
the glass cleaner – and when
you’re done, you’ll be able to
see more clearly.
Over time, your investment
strategy may get somewhat
“dusty,” too, especially if
you’ve experienced signifi-
cant changes in your life, such
as a new job, a new child or
even a new plan for retire-
ment. By periodically review-
ing your investment strategy,
you’ll be able to clarify your
vision for the future.
Protect yourself from hid-
den dangers
If you poke around your ga-
rage, shed or other storage
Special columns in The Columbia Press
Every week: Senior Moments with Emma Edwards
Week 1: Financial Focus with Adam Miller
Week 2: Here’s to Your Health from CMH
Week 3: Off the Shelf by Kelly Knudsen
Final week: Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer
area, you may well find some
objects – gardening tools,
paint thinners and engine
fluids, leaning ladders and so
on – that could be dangerous,
either because they aren’t
stored properly or they’re
hard to see and can cause
trips and falls.
As part of your spring clean-
ing, you’d want to get these
objects out of harm’s way to
safeguard yourself and your
family.
But when you think of your
financial situation, are you
also exposing yourself and
your loved ones to risk? If
something were to happen
to you, could your family
members stay in their home?
Could your children still go to
college?
To help keep their lifestyle
intact if you weren’t around,
you’ll need adequate life in-
surance. And to avoid bur-
dening your grown children
with potentially huge expens-
es should you ever need some
type of long-term care, such
as an extended nursing home
stay, you may want to talk to
a financial adviser about pro-
tection strategies.
By taking some spring
cleaning measures, you can
brighten your living space
for the seasons ahead. And
by applying some of the same
principles to your finan-
cial environment, you can
help improve the prospects
for meeting your important
goals.
This article was written by
Edward Jones and submit-
ted by Adam Miller, financial
adviser at the Astoria office,
632A W. Marine Drive. To
reach him, call 503-325-7991.