Page 4 The Gunnison Valley Gazette Thursday, October 8, 2009 Into all the World Courtesy Photo Volunteers at the Six County RSVP and Volunteer Center are honored at an annual luncheon. Pictured here are Elders Tyler Jensen, Colton Lund and Trevor Madsen. These three classmates and friends are all in the Provo MTC together. Elder Madsen left the MTC on September 29 for Oklahoma City. Elder Lund left on October 6 for Mozambique and Elder Jensen will leave on October 26 for Chile. Tyler is the son of Brian and Michelle Jensen of Gunnison, Colton is the son of Scott and Suzette Lund of Centerfield, and Trevor is the son of David and Debra Madsen of Mayfield. The all Scouting Newsis is Sponsored Into the World sponsored by ACE Paints Sporting Goods Whirpool Appliances by 528-7513 435 South Main • Gunnison Court of Honor Courtesy Photo/Robin McAfee Boy Scouts from the Gunnison Stake held a Court of Honor last Tuesday evening. These Scouts were just a few of those who were awarded merit badges and rank advancements. Each ward in the stake was represented and many of the Scouts presented skits. Bishop David Beck gave the Scouter’s Minute and President Norman Jensen recognized those who helped make this year’s summer camp such a great success. Submitted by DARIN FRANDSEN If you invest for many years, you’ll eventually encounter both bull and bear markets. Although you obviously prefer seeing the bull, you may actually learn more from the bear — and when it’s “hibernating,” you can put these lessons to good use in making investment moves for the future. Here are some of the key “bear market lessons” to consider: • Purchase quality investments. A bear market tends to drag everything down with it. But quality investments — those with strong fundamentals and good prospects — have the potential to bounce back quickly once the bear market ends. That’s why you’ll want to consider owning these quality vehicles in all investment climates. In fact, try to avoid owning investments today that you wouldn’t want to own in a bear market tomorrow. • Maintain realistic expectations. Many investors look back fondly at the mid-to-late 1990s, when we frequently experienced double-digit stock market returns. Unfortunately, these results “raised the bar” in terms of what investors expect — and these elevated expectations led to problems for people whose long-term financial goals were based on overly optimistic projections. By anticipating more modest returns, you’ll be able to set more realistic, achievable goals. At the same time, don’t be surprised at the recurrence of bear markets, which are a normal part of the investing process. • Know your risk tolerance. If you find yourself losing sleep over the fate of your investments in the midst of a bear market, you may need to review your risk tolerance and adjust your portfolio accordingly. But keep things in perspective. Instead of fretting over daily or monthly downturns, ask yourself this: “How much can I afford to lose and still meet my financial goals, such as achieving a comfortable retirement?” You’ll come up with different answers at different stages of your life. • Base investment decisions on principles — not predictions. Everybody can make investment predictions — and they usually do. But many of these prognosticators have poor track records. So, instead of acting on predictions, base your investment decisions on principles, such as buying quality investments, maintaining a long-term perspective and diversifying your portfolio. While diversification can’t guarantee a profit or protect against a loss, it can help reduce risk when the market is volatile. • Maintain adequate liquidity. If you are planning on cashing out a long-term investment to pay for a major expense, such as a down payment on a home or college tuition for a child, you could run into difficulty if a bear market is raging and the value of your investments have dropped. To avoid this problem, maintain a portion of your portfolio in liquid investments. Although these vehicles won’t provide you with a high return, they offer greater preservation of principal — which is just what you need when you need the money now. • Look for good investment opportunities. During a bear market, you can almost always find quality investments. While their prices may be down, these investments can still offer good growth potential — and typically, the best time to buy them is when their value is down. By following these lessons, you can prepare yourself for a bear market — and help avoid getting “clawed” by it. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. LOOKING FOR DIRECTION IN THIS VOLATILE MARKET? LET'S TALK. Darin K Frandsen Financial Advisor . 446 South Mall Drive B-7 St George, UT 84790 435-627-2159 www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC The Volunteer Connection (Six County RSVP and Volunteer Center) held their annual Recognition Event on September 29th at Snow College South in Richfield. Entertainment was provided by Diane Barney and Stacey Snow and lunch was catered by the Snow College Culinary Arts Department. Over 100 RSVP Volunteers from the Six County Region – Juab, Piute, Wayne, Sanpete, Sevier, and Millard attended the event. During the past fiscal year 255 volunteers served over 41,120 hours. The purpose of the event is to thank these volunteers for the excellent service they provide to their communities. Sixty-Two businesses in Sevier, Sanpete, Millard, Piute, Juab, and Wayne Counties expressed their appreciation to the volunteers by contributing goods and services – which made it possible for every volunteer who attended the event to receive a valuable door-prize. Each volunteer re- ceived a garden tool set in appreciation for their outstanding service. 90 RSVP volunteers received a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Presidential Service Award for qualifying hours over a 12 month period. From the Gunnison Valley, Bernetta Nay and Shirley Peterson earned the Bronze award, Zandra Monahan, Bonnie Nay, and Wanda Dahl earned the Silver award, and Nora Lee Koeven earned the Gold award. The Outdoor Report Courtesy Photo Joel Dingeldein (far right), of Wisconsin, was fortunate enough to draw a 2009 Utah Premium Elk Tag. He hired High Top Outfitters for their guiding services. Guides Marty Hansen, Bodie Gregerson, Branden Hansen, Kade Hansen and Brent Hansen (not pictured) assisted Joel in getting this once in a lifetime bull, which scored 396 4/8. Marty would like to thank the crew for all their help. They all had a great time. The Outdoor Report is Sponsored by: 528-5001 Hwy 89 Northeast of Gunnison Open Monday - Saturday The First Word and Last Name in Log Homes! Think Satterwhite for Log Homes, Rough Lumber, Timbers, Animal Bedding and Firewood Simple cost-effective tips on winterizing your home Each fall, the temperatures begin to drop and heating bills begin to rise, causing many homeowners to tighten their budgets. What many people do not realize is there are cost-effective ways of preparing a home for the winter, which will save money in the long run. Autumn is a great time to begin projects that will increase the heating efficiency in the winter as well as the cooling effectiveness during the summer months. Some cost saving tips include: • Close off any unused areas of the home so you don’t waste energy heating unused space. • If you are sitting in a chair reading or working at a desk, use a blanket or a space heater and keep the rest of the home at a lower temperature. • Check the weatherstripping around the doors and windows. Leaky doors and windows are often the biggest culprits of heat loss. • Consider utilizing natural ways to heat in winter and cool in summer by using shade trees (decidu- ous) to cool the house from the intense summer sun and making the most use of large south facing windows to capture the winter sun. • Add humidifiers to the living areas as it makes the air feel warmer in the winter, and dehumidifiers will make a room feel cooler in the summertime. More expensive tips that will eventually save money for the future year-round include: • Check your foundation, and insulate the rim joists around the perimeter of the house (the space where the basement wall meets the underside of the floor joists above). This will help keep the heat inside the home. • Contact an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean your heating and cooling ducts. Change your furnace filters once a month. This will help improve the efficiency of your furnace and extend its life. • If you have a standard thermostat, consider installing a programmable one. The heat should be used only when someone is home. • Replace leaky windows by investing in storm windows or install new thermal windows. • Check the insulation in the attic – add more insulation to keep the heat in the home. • Homeowners can also insulate their basement walls to avoid heat loss. Making improvements to the home will eventually save money and cut the costs of wasted electricity. Currently, there are additional incentives to make these improvements to the home. In 2009, the government began offering income tax credits to homeowners who make qualified improvements or changes between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2010. These changes and/or improvements can include replacing doors and windows and adding insulation, water heaters and furnace and/or fuel-efficient cooling systems. For more information about the income tax incentives, visit www.energystar.gov.