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Shellbrook Chronicle October 7, 2011
Why you want a financial plan - and how to get one
Managing Your Money Paull Bourgeault, P B lt CFP
Paull Beaulieu, B li CFP
Senior Financial Consultant
Associate Consultant
306-747-2934, Shellbrook
306-747-3917, Shellbrook
High Profile Investment Fund Manager coming to Shellbrook. Join us Wed. Oct 12th, 7 pm, Elks Theatre PRESENTING: MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS FUND MANAGER: JOHN CAMPBELL, CFA, MBA, CA CAMLIN ASSET MANAGEMENT
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by Erl Svendsen Garlic (Allium sativum) is a member of the onion family and is related to regular cooking onions, chives, shallots and scallions. Native to central Asia, it has been cultivated and been a part of Asian, African and European cuisine for thousands of years. In addition, garlic has been used medicinally with several health claims including lowering cholesterol levels and high blood pressure; treating the common
Why you want a financial plan – and how to get one Canadians agree that financial planning pays off by delivering real value. In two recent studies – The Value of Financial Planning and The Value of Advice: Report -- a majority of Canadians agreed that by choosing financial advice, they accumulated more assets and were better prepared, financially, for retirement. Over 50% reported that they were on track to reach their desired lifestyle in retirement, compared to just 18% of those who don’t receive any financial advice. Most also felt that integrated financial planning improved their ability to save, made them less concerned about their financial situation and feel better about having the discretionary income to lead the life they want – and very importantly, it gave them greater peace of mind.
Do you need a financial plan? Yes – if you have an income, a family or hopes of one in the future, retirement lifestyle dreams, and for many other financially-rooted reasons that are unique to you. In general your financial plan should include investment planning, cash flow planning, education planning, estate planning, insurance planning, retirement planning, and income tax planning. But the key to a successful financial plan is tailoring each of those elements to you and your needs. To achieve that, a competent professional advisor will take you through this six step planning process: 1. Goal setting – to define and prioritize your goals and concerns. 2. Data gathering – bringing together pertinent financial information to understand your current financial situation. 3. Financial analysis – using your current and
projected financial situation to establish how much tax you will pay and how to reduce your taxes; whether you’ll have enough income to cover your retirement expenses and ways to ensure you will; what you can do to better meet your income needs; and strategies for protecting your family and income should you become disabled or die unexpectedly. 4. Plan formulation and recommendations – reviewing and agreeing on solutions for achieving your financial goals and improving your overall financial life. 5. Plan implementation – a written report that summarizes the steps you need to take to make your plan work. 6. Monitoring and plan review – staying on track by reviewing your plan at least annually and when major life events occur. Comprehensive finan-
cial planning is necessary. It’s also complex. It should be precisely tailored to your life as it is today and easily adaptable to the constant changes life brings your way. When you add a professional advisor to your financial team with the qualifications, tools and track record you can count on, you can rest assured that your personalized plan will do the job for your life. This column, written and published by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Québec – a Financial Services Firm), presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Contact your own advisor for specific advice about your circumstances. For more information on this topic please contact your Investors Group Consultant.
It’s time to plant... garlic cold; and reducing the risk of some forms of cancer. That aside, it is an essential ingredient in stews, savoury sauces, chili, dips, pickles and many other familiar dishes. There are two types of garlic: soft-neck and hard-neck. The difference between them is whether they send up a scape (stalk = hard-neck) or not (soft-neck). A number of sources suggest that the hard-neck type is hardier and therefore recommend-
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ed for growing northern climates like ours. On the other hand, the University of Saskatchewan vegetable researchers regularly test many vegetable cultivars including garlic. They have found that there are hardy cultivars of both types. Some of the hard-neck cultivars that performed well in the U of SK trials include ‘Atkin Russian’, ‘Czech’ and ‘Music’. ‘FL F4’ and ‘Vesey’ are soft-neck types that have also performed well. (More details on the U of SK vegetable cultivar trial results and seed company addresses can be found at http:// www.usask.ca/agriculture/ plantsci/vegetable/publication/index.htm.) You can also try growing garlic purchased from your grocery store but the majority of that has been grown in California and may not be adapted to our climate. A
Sask Perennial Society coming events Visit the Robin Smith Memorial Garden and the adjoining Heritage Rose Garden, now in full bloom, at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo. Both are maintained by the Saskatchewan Perennial Society. Parking is only $2, but visiting the gardens are free. GARDENLINE is back for the season. 966-5865. Have a question about your lawn? about transplanting? about anything green that grows? or is dying on you? Give the friendly folks at Gardenline a call.
better local source is going to your farmer’s market. Buy some for eating now and some for planting. Growing it yourself couldn’t be easier. Like lilies, tulips and daffodils, garlic is best planted in the fall, ideally 4 – 6 weeks before the ground freezes. However, garlic can also be planted in the spring as soon as you can work the soil; it just may not produce as well. Well-drained soils amended with organic matter is best, but garlic will grow in a variety of soil types and pH. Try to avoid heavy clay and lowlying areas. Prepare your planting bed by amending the soil with compost or well-rotted manure and rototill in well. To prepare your garlic for planting, separate bulbs into individual cloves and select the largest for planting. Take care not to bruise the cloves as you break the bulb apart and keep the skin covering each clove intact. Into your prepared soil, plant the cloves pointy-side up
about 5 cm (2 in.) deep and 10 – 12 cm (4 - 5 in.) apart. Cover with soil; an additional 2 – 5 cm (1 – 2 in.) layer of organic mulch will help insulate the cloves over winter and supply them with additional nutrients in the spring. During the growing season, maintain even moisture, never allowing the soil to dry out completely. Your garlic will put down roots this fall ready from spring growth. Leaves appear in early spring followed by bulbdevelopment. Hard-neck garlic will send up stalks or scapes. These should be cut off just above the leaves to ensure all energy is sent into the bulb. The time do this is when they are just beginning to form and are still curled. The scapes are edible and can be sautéd in place of garlic cloves in your cooking, used in salads or elsewhere you want a mild garlic flavour. Garlic is ready to harvest in late summer when about 1/2 to 3/4 of the
leaves have yellowed. If left in the ground too long, the cloves will burst through the bulb wrapper (papery skin), reducing storage life when they are eventually harvested. Carefully dig up the bulbs and allow them to cure by lying them flat on a rack or hanging in bunches in a well-ventilated area out of direct sun. Do not remove any leaves until they have completely withered. Trim the stems and leaves leaving about about a 2 cm (1 in.) stub; trim off the roots at this time as well. Cleaning soil off the bulbs is easy after drying is complete and should only require gently rubbing. If grown in heavier soils, washing may be required. Store your garlic in a cool dark area. Remember to keep aside enough for planting to start the process over again. This column is provided by the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (www14.brinkster.c