Page 4 The Gunnison Valley Gazette The Outdoor Report Boat responsibly- wear life jackets “National SAFE KIDS Week is a perfect time to remember the importance of life jackets,” said the Coast Guard’s Director of Operations Policy, Rear Admiral J.W. Underwood. “It is the parent’s responsibility to keep their children safe when on the water and insisting on wearing life jackets is one of the best ways to do that. “Just like you make your kids wear bike helmets, make them wear life jackets.” Many adults believe themselves capable of diving into the water to rescue a child who falls overboard. This is a dangerous misconception. Adults may not notice a child falling overboard right away. Children who fall in may not surface immediately. It can be difficult to locate a child in the water—especially when the vessel is in motion. Life jackets could prevent approximately two-thirds of all boating-related drownings of children ages 14 and under. In fact, in most states, children under 13 must wear life jackets. It’s the law. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, drowning remains second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 1 to 14. Furthermore, children are much more likely to practice safe habits when they experience similar behavior by parents and caregivers. “We have done research that indicates children whose parents wear life jackets around water are more likely to wear one themselves,” says Jen Medearis Costello, program manager at the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. “Therefore we recommend that parents not only actively supervise their children around water, but also demonstrate safe behavior—including wearing life jackets.” The Coast Guard and Nation- al SAFE KIDS Campaign strongly recommend adults always wear life jackets as well – not only to keep themselves safe, but to demonstrate safe behavior for their children. The U.S. Coast Guard is asking all boat owners and operators to help reduce fatalities, injuries, property damage, and healthcare costs related to recreational boating accidents by taking personal responsibility for their own safety and the safety of their passengers. Essential steps include always wearing a life jacket and requiring passengers to do the same; never boating under the influence; completing a boating safety course; and getting a free vessel safety check annually from local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or United States Power Squadrons® vessel examiners. The U.S. Coast Guard reminds all boaters, “You’re in Command. Boat Responsibly!” 528-5001 The Outdoor Report is Sponsored by: Thursday, June 25, 2009 Into all the World Elder Spencer Hansen and his companion Elder Jones in Newton Kansas. They are teaching in both Spanish and English and are having a great time. Elder Hansen is the son of LaRell and Debbie Hansen of Centerfield. The all Scouting Newsis is Sponsored by Into the World sponsored by ACE Paints Sporting Goods Whirpool Appliances Hwy 89 Northeast of Gunnison Open Monday - Saturday 528-7513 The First Word and Last Name in Log Homes! Think Satterwhite for Log Homes, Rough Lumber, Timbers, Animal Bedding and Firewood 435 South Main • Gunnison Coach B’s Pizza • Calzone Breadsticks • Salad Free Delivery (Limited Area) 528-3792 57 South Main • Gunnison Happy to Serve You Specialty Pizza’s: Chicken Alfredo• Philly Steak & Swiss• BBQ Chicken • Chicken Bacon Ranch Stix of all kinds: Bread Stix • Cheezstix • Pepperoni Stix • Hawaiian Stix • Cinnastix • Yummy Stix Lunchtime Special: Pizza by the Slice Coach B’s Lotsa Motsa Sports Calendar Gunnison Little League Baseball All-Star Tournaments at the Gunnison Baseball Field througout July THIS TIME I WANT MORE FOR MY MONEY KM 55 R KOMBISYSTEM One Powerhead. Multiple Attachments. 19995 $ Powerhead Only If you’re somewhat familiar with investing, you probably have heard that owning mutual funds is a good way to help diversify your portfolio. Is this true? And, if so, how should you go about selecting the right mutual funds? To begin with, let’s quickly review the importance of diversification. By owning a variety of investments— such as stocks, bonds and government securities — you can help reduce the effects of volatility on your portfolio. And while diversification by itself cannot guarantee profits nor protect against a loss, a diversified portfolio can help you reduce the impact of market downturns that may hit one asset class particularly hard. Because an individual mutual fund invests in many different securities, it automatically brings a certain degree of diversification to your portfolio. And yet, you can’t just purchase any combination of mutual funds and expect good results. Consider this: There are more than 8,000 mutual funds in the financial marketplace, according to the Investment Company Institute, the trade group for the mutual fund industry. About 60 percent of these funds are stock funds, with the rest being “hybrid” or “balanced” funds (which invest in a mix of stocks and bonds), taxable bond funds, municipal bond funds, and money market funds. With such a large number of funds available, and with a finite amount of stocks, bonds and other securities in which these funds can invest, it’s easy to see that there is going to be considerable duplication among many of these mutual funds — and duplication is the opposite of diversification. Consequently, when you invest in mutual funds, you can’t just adopt a philosophy that can be boiled down to “the more, the merrier.” Furthermore, it isn’t just a matter of one “large-cap growth” fund looking like another. You might find that the large-cap fund (a fund that invests in stocks of large companies) is also quite similar to a “technology” fund. So, what’s the solution to avoiding “overlapping” funds? There’s no magic formula — you have to do your homework. Before purchasing a new fund, look closely at its holdings, which will be posted on the fund’s prospectus. (Also, while you’re looking at the prospectus, make sure you understand the fund’s investment objective, risk, charges and expenses.) Then compare these holdings to the ones listed on your existing mutual funds — if you see too many redundancies, you may want to take a pass on this particular fund. Ultimately, your first step in diversifying a mutual fund portfolio is to identify your individual risk tolerance and investment objectives. Are you a conserva- 14995 $ This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. DREAMING UP THE IDEAL RETIREMENT IS YOUR JOB. HELPING YOU GET THERE IS OURS. Darin K Frandsen Financial Advisor . 446 South Mall Drive B-7 St George, UT 84790 435-627-2159 HEAP WEEK of the BG 55 HANDHELD BLOWER tive, moderate or aggressive investor? Do you need growth, income or a combination of both? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can then begin selecting the right mix of mutual funds to help you achieve your financial goals. Of course, with all the variables involved, both in your personal situation and in the funds themselves, you may want to enlist the help of a professional financial advisor — someone with the experience to help you choose those funds that are right for you. Many people have successfully incorporated mutual funds into their investment strategy — and with the proper effort and assistance, you can too. Mutual funds are offered and sold by prospectus. You should consider the investment objective, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information. Your Edward Jones financial advisor can provide a prospectus, which should be read carefully before investing. www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC Member CIPF Max sanders 450 S. 50 E. Ephraim 435-283-6956 Located behind Kent’s Market acccephraim.com All prices are IMS-SRP. Available at participating dealers. © 2009 STIHL IMS9-541-89119-5 Money-saving solutions start at IMS9-541-89119-5.indd 5 STIHLdealers.com 6/16/09 1:49:03 PM This week’s Heap of the Week goes to Max Sanders. Max drives a 2005 Nissan Sentra. “The A Bomber!”