Archer County Advocate (Holliday, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 27, 2005 Page: 5 of 20
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Financial Focus
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by Grady R. Schenk, Jr.
* # 1
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Avoid “Scary” Investment
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Dancing in the Moonlight
by DurhICaussey
Moveslt’s Halloween. And,
in all likelihood, you probably don’t
mind seeing some of the “terrify-
ing” costumes worn by children.
However, outside the realm of trick-
or-trick, you’ll want to avoid some-
thing that is truly frightening: bad
investment moves .Here are a few
ideas for doing just that: • Don’t
chase “hot” investments. In the
past few years, investing in real es-
tate has been “hot.” Low interest
rates have led an enormous num-
ber of people to purchase property
not as a place to live, but as an in-
vestment vehicle. Their eagerness
to become temporary landlords has
been fueled by the belief that “hous-
ing prices always go up.” But this
just isn’t true: housing prices have
stagnated and fallen in the past,
and they may well do so again in
the near future. If that happens,
many people will be paying mort-
gages on investment property with
uncertain prospects -all-too-certain
property taxes, leaky roofs and fur-
naces that need repair. So, whether
it’s investing in real estate or any
other so-called “hot” market, don’t
rush to join the crowd - it may soon
be full of people with regrets. • Don’t
always accept “conventional wis-
dom.” When there’s turmoil in the
world, inflation is heating up and
the financial markets are struggling,
what should you invest in? Some
would say gold. But on an inflation-
adjusted basis, gold trades at
roughly the same price as it did in
1833. By contrast, from 1926
through 2004, large-company
stocks recorded an average annual
return of more than 10 percent, com-
pared with the average annual in-
flation rate of around 3 percent for
that same period, according to
Ibbotson Associates, an invest-
ment research firm. In other words,
it doesn’t always pay to “go for the
gold” - or for any other “nugget”
of conventional investment wis-
dom, either. • Don’t fall in love with
your investments. Generally, it’s a
good idea to buy high-quality in-
vestments and hold them for the
long term - but “long term” doesn’t
necessarily mean “forever.” For ex-
ample, if you have developed sig-
nificant concerns about a stock’s
future, or if the stock just no longer
meets your needs, get rid of it. You
can almost certainly find better uses
for your investment dollars. • Don’t
take a “time out” from investing.
You can always find plenty of rea-
sons for not investing: High oil
prices, war, corporate scandals and
more. But these problems, or ones
even worse, have always been
Schenk
continued on page 17
There is a difference
in retiring well
and, well, retiring
An annuity can
main the difference.
if you'm contributing the
maximum to your 401(k)
and IRA, you may want to
consider supplementing
your retirement income with
a variable enmity,
Variable annuities provide*
i Tax-deferred growth
potential;
l An income you can't
outlive with monthly
payments that can
outpace inflation;
■A guaranteed death
benefit;
i Tax-free transfer among
sub-accounts; and
i Professional money
management with broad
diversification.
For an analysis of your retire-
ment income needs or a free
copy of An /nvestors Guide to
Variable Annuities, call or
stop by today,
Grady R. Schenk, Jr.
Investment Rep
2113 Kell, Suite D
Wichita Falls, TX 76308
940-767-5224
Edwardjones
Serving iadiroM Investor* Since 187*
The moon was fully
loaded with a buttery yellow color.
It spilled through the window, fea-
turing specter trees outside that
were bathed in the lunar richness,
giving forth shadows against the
house.
I strolled outside to bask
in this pleasant glow. As the moon-
light fell across my body, I felt as
though I could actually feel the
moon’s rays. It was intoxicating. A
giant web of light had fallen across
the nightscape and I was caught in
the intertwining.
Several years ago, my
mother passed away in a nursing
home. During the last weeks of her
life, because of the pain, she was
heavily medicated. One morning
she appeared to be in a brighter
mood than usual. Even though I
could see the pain in her face, her
smile told me that she was better
mentally. Mother told me she had a
dream that night—a dream in which
she could walk. Mother had been
crippled for some time. But in her
dream, she left the sick bed and had
ventured outside into the night.
But the darkness in the night had
been defeated by the Princess of
the Deep. The moon. It bathed the
whole landscape from close to dis-
tant.
Mother dreamed she had on
blue slippers, a jeweled gown, and
she was young again. Then, from
the entrance doorway walked her
doctor. He, too, was young and he
asked Mother to dance. At first
Mother said she was hesitant be-
cause she thought he was married
and she didn’t want to dance with
a married man. She changed her
mind. The couple danced in the
moonlight and mother laughed as
the audience of stars helped to ser-
enade them in their quest.
Outside my house, wading
into the moon streams of light I re-
counted the look on Mother’s face
as she recalled her dream. Those
memories were soft and warm. As
my skin absorbed the magical moon
glow, my heart massaged the memo-
ries of my mother.
Since my house sits on the
side of a hill, with the comfort of
the moonlight I could see for some
distance. The mellow breeze that
whispered from the south extenu-
ated night sounds. Crickets ap-
peared under alarm and made their
robust noises.
There is a winding stream
that acts as an overflow from the
small lake a few hundred yards from
the house. Tall trees surround the
lake but the creek has clearings on
both sides. The moonlight licked
this open space with a near bril-
liance. It wasn’t the light that first
caught my attention, but the
sounds of music. Having abso-
lutely no musical skills and being
unfamiliar with any note of music, I
couldn’t make out the tune, but
thought the instruments were a
fiddle and flute. As the music be-
came louder there was movement
from the tree line.
Someone had come out of
the trees and was standing near the
creek. In moments, another figure
appeared and stood next to the first.
Then the two figures became one
and appeared to move through the
low, clinging ground fog toward the
lake. The lake absorbed the moon
rays and hurled them back at the
viewer in reflective patterns. The
images separated and then became
one again, moving with a kind of
rhythm to the music.
I walked directly toward
the lake, keeping the moving fea-
tures in sight. As I got closer, I re-
alized that it was not just one im-
age parting but two images sepa-
rating then going back together. A
man and a woman and they were
dancing. I could hear his voice and
her laughter above the music.
The woman seemed to
sparkle as she was caressed by the
rays. Feeling as though I had in-
truded, I left to walk back to the
house when the music stopped. I
turned just in time to see the couple
disappear back into the trees. Later
I wondered if the man was a doctor
and if he was married. I already
knew who the woman was.
##############
Durhl Caussey is a syndi-
cated columnist who can be
reached through this newspaper or
at dcaussey@sbcglobal.net or fax
to 972-709-6989.
DODO
Kspimmmspum
Orthopaedic &
Sports Therapy
Center
#1 West Medical Court
Wichita Falls, TX 76301
(940) 692-4688
Athletic Trainers
Steven A. Bailey, LAT, ATC, CSCS
Dustin Hostas, LAT, ATC
Charlie Post, LAT, ATC
Stephaine Postma, LAT, ATC
Chad Witherspoon, LAT, ATC
Jason Dodd, LAT, ATC
FREE INJURY EVALUATIONS
WEEKDAYS & SATURDAY*
We are the sports medicine team for Archer City
and Holliday schools. However, we work with all
area schools.
We have the most experienced staff in the area
and the only clinic with walk-in service on
Saturday.
*Call for an appointment during the week. Saturday
morning is reserved for injuries occurruing in games
on Thursday & Friday be here by 8:30am.
Physical Therapist
Seretha Elkins, PT, MS, SCS
Kay Lewis, PT
Jennifer Cantwell, MPT
Ron Egerbrecht, PT
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Cooper, James H. Archer County Advocate (Holliday, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 27, 2005, newspaper, October 27, 2005; Holliday, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth993693/m1/5/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Archer Public Library.