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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2021)
The Columbia Press August 6, 2021 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards The busyness longevity connection We age faster when we do nothing. Yikes. I think I’m going to live to be well over 100 years old. I do enjoy being busy, but am not silly enough to overdo when it’s not necessary (well, maybe once in a while). And I’m sure my family loves me enough to step in and slow me down when necessary. Do I listen? I try. Yes, one should find a balance be- tween longevity and overdo- ing or not doing enough. It’s kind of like enjoying our gardens. The older we get, the more we learn to admire and enjoy flowers. But most the time they are in someone else’s garden! Have you noticed that the older we get, the faster time goes? It’s a bit like the one-lin- er I ran across recently: “I’ve learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.” -- Andy Rooney A privilege we have as “old- sters” is that of picking and choosing. Once in a while, have a sad feeling when there is no one around saying, “What’s for supper?” But then comes the good feeling that we can eat whenever or what- ever we want -- or not at all. I don’t recommend that last choice. Some of us have been involved over the years with Weight Watchers or TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) and have learned not to go without any food at all. In fact, balanced food intake is stressed in both groups. I’m talking about carbohy- drates, calories, fat choices and on and on. There again, the choice is ours. Some have chosen fasting as a method for weight loss. However, diet and weight management experts tell us that the body needs vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to stay healthy. If you don’t get enough, you can suffer from fatigue, dizziness, con- stipation, dehydration, and the inability to tolerate cold temperatures. Fasting too long can be life threatening. “You can live to be 100 if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be 100.” -- Woody Allen A nutritional organization notes seven reasons those 55 and older age faster: un- healthy eating, alcohol, stress, sleep deprivation, smoking, sun exposure and lack of exer- cise. I would add the caution to do all things in moderation. My dictionary defines moder- ation as “the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoid- ance of extremes or excesses; temperance.” A favorite saying of mine for the last 20 years or so has been, “If I had known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” – Anonymous Oh, and don’t worry about next Friday being Friday the 13th! Plenty of other people will worry for you. The science website earths- ky.org tells us “There is one Friday the 13th in 2021 be- cause 2021 is a common year of 365 days that starts on a Friday. Whenever a common year of 365 days starts on a Friday, it’s inevitable that the month of August will start on a Sunday. And, as mentioned before, any month starting on a Sunday will have a Fri- day the 13th.” 7 Financial Focus with Adam Miller Bitcoin: Investing or speculating? Many people have decided that bitcoin is the next big thing – and they’re backing up their enthusiasm with dol- lars. Should you consider putting money into bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies? Keep in mind an essen- tial piece of financial advice: Don’t invest in something you don’t understand. And bitcoin is not easily understandable. There’s no physical bitcoin, nor is it backed by a bank or government. It’s a digital currency, used for transactions on a decen- tralized network of comput- ers. The market’s demand for bitcoin largely determines its price, though other factors are also involved. And the price can vary wide- ly. Since bitcoin was intro- duced in 2009, it has gone through periods of enormous gains and precipitous de- clines. Its short history has reminded market watchers of the bursting of the “dot.com” bubble in 2000 and the hous- ing market bubble in 2007. It raises the question about purchasing bitcoin: Is it in- vesting or speculating? There’s a big difference be- tween the two. Speculators engage in risky transactions with the hope of profiting from short-term price fluctuations in various financial vehicles. Investors, on the other hand, stick with these practices: • They follow a long-term strategy. Real investors follow a long-term strategy based on their goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. Generally speaking, long- term investors don’t do a lot of buying and selling, saving on fees and potential taxes. But this “buy and hold” approach doesn’t mean investors put their portfolios on autopilot. Instead, they review their portfolios at least once a year to make sure their investment mix is still appropriate for their needs. • They focus on quality. Long-term investors stay away from the flashier – and riskier – financial instru- ments. Instead, these inves- tors seek quality. When considering stocks, for example, they look for companies with solid fun- damentals, including strong management, competitive products and services, and business plans that bode well for the future. When they buy bonds, they seek those with high credit ratings issued by the indepen- dent rating agencies. Focus- ing on quality doesn’t yield quick results, but it can instill confidence in one’s invest- ment choices. • They diversify their hold- ings. If a downturn in the fi- nancial markets affects one type of asset particularly hard, and your portfolio contains a high concentration of that asset, your financial strategy could be jeopardized. Long-term investors reduce this risk by owning a variety of investments. While diversifi- cation can’t guarantee profits or protect against all losses, it can help reduce the impact of market volatility on your port- folio. And here’s one more differ- ence between investors and speculators: track record. In- vestors put their money into companies that provide tan- gible goods and services, and these companies have histor- ically grown with the overall economy. Stocks and bonds are es- tablished investment vehicles with well-defined and regulat- ed markets. Cryptocurrencies are rel- atively new, largely unpre- dictable and will likely face increased regulation in the future, with the ultimate risk being an outright ban by some governments. You work hard for your money – so think carefully about how you can best put it to use to help you reach your lifetime 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. 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
