THE SOUNDS OF “L”

BY JOELLEN COLLINS

For a required college essay, I read an astounding document, Edgar Allen Poe’s “Philosophy of Composition.” I could envision my high school English teacher, Theodosia Wilkinson, a tiny, immaculate little lady with chignoned white hair, and her artistic renditions of Poe’s poems like “The Bells.” The varied tones of bells rang from her exquisite voice. She exhibited energy and a love of poetry seldom excelled even in my graduate school professors.

When I later encountered Poe’s criticism, I could appreciate the intense care with which he constructed his poetry. The construction of “The Raven,” as expounded in the cited essay, was complex, powered by an unusual and daring imagination.

Over the years I have enjoyed, when appropriate, sharing with the mothers of new babies that Poe thought the letter “L” evinced a positive response in a reader. His heroines’ names with l’s in them — the lost Lenore, Ulalume, Annabelle Lee, Helen — were names designed to stimulate emotions. Recently, a new grandmother and I talked about the beauty of lullabies (note the “l”s) and missing singing them and cuddling as we had with our own babies.

Kristin Hovencamp, CPWA®, is an Investment Executive and Director of Business Development with HAZLETT WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC.

• Diversification – MMFs hold many different debt securities from various issuers. Do due diligence on managers, fund objectives, and underlying securities.

• Taxable or tax-free income – MMFs can invest in securities exempt from federal and potentially state income taxes.

• Yield – MMFs can offer incremental yield in comparison to bank savings accounts. Debt-based securities commonly held in MMF are government securities, short-term treasury securities, taxable and tax-exempt municipal paper, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, and certificates of deposit (CD).

For investors seeking the preservation of capital while taking on minimal risk in exchange for a modest return on cash balances, MMFs could be the right strategy to include in your investment portfolio.

Kristin Hovencamp, CPWA® is an Investment Executive and Director of Business Development with HAZLETT WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC, which is independent of Raymond James and is not a registered broker/dealer. Investment advisory services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. 675 Sun Valley Road, Suite J1 + J2 Ketchum, Idaho 83340 208.726.0605.