PRIME June 2020

JUNE

2020

A MAGAZINE FOR MATURE ADULTS

2

FROM CHAOS TO COMFORT

5

OLD GUYS, DOGS AND CATS

9

VICTORY GARDENS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK

A S P E C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N T H E B O Z E M A N D A I LY C H R O N I C L E

2 I June 2020 PRIME

A note from the editor Do you know a senior who should be featured in a future edition of Prime? Email your suggestions to Hannah Stiff at hstiff@dailychronicle.com.

From chaos to comfort......................................................................2 Old Guys, Dogs and Cats.. ..................................................................5 A JOURNEY WITHIN.............................................................................6 From Rubbermaid to Old Clunker.. .................................................8 VICTORY GARDENS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK.. ..........................9 Bozeman Senior Menu.. .................................................................. 10 Proper Diversification Can Ease Retirement Income Worries.. ........................................................ 11

EVERYTHING YOU WANT, MORE THAN YOU EXPECT

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HillcrestLivingBozeman.com

FROM CHAOS TO COMFORT

By Hannah Stiff

One couple’s legacy of restoration

C

oronavirus may have postponed the retirement festivities, but Ben and Gail Yanker are in good spirits. The Buffalo Restoration founders and owners handed over the proverbial keys to the kingdom this January and greeted retirement with a cruise.

After forty-something years in painting and restoration, the Yankers decided it was time to step away from business as usual and get into the business of traveling, pursuing dormant hobbies, and finding new ones.

“The only thing that concerns me these days is that I’m not concerned,” Ben says.

While the world feels uncertain, the Yankers say the business doesn’t worry them. As it shouldn’t. The couple spent years creating a succession plan for when they retired.

“We started planning our exit five years ago,” Ben says.

“We talked to our employees.

We called it our 2020 vision.

We had to put all the pieces in place to leave. It took five years to put together a leadership team, the finances, community

partnerships and get all pieces lined up. You don’t just walk in and quit one day.”

Ben and Gail’s son Christopher Yanker is now at the helm of Buffalo Restoration. Working with Christopher is a team of more than 30 technicians, supervisors, and support staff that Ben and Gail sing praises about. The employees that have put in years – decades in some cases – of hard work, will stay on and continue the Buffalo Restoration legacy of quality service.

Building that legacy started in 1976, when Ben was enrolled at Montana State University and hired Gail, his girlfriend at the time, to help him run his company – Buffalo Painting – during summer breaks. In 1981, the now

PRIME June 2020 I 3

married pair hired their first employee to help them with residential and commercial painting projects. The Yankers also added three children to their roster during the 80s, two daughters and a son.

“We had a pretty young family when we branched out to restoration in 1991,” Gail says.

“We were thinking we could do painting in summer and restoration in winter. We saw a need here in Bozeman for a full-service restoration company that kind of grew out of this mindset that good quality was a good thing to do well.”

With a young family and two businesses, Gail inked painting contracts from the dining room table until she hired someone to help her run the “office” in 1992. The kids’ bedroom was turned into a makeshift command central for Gail and her staff of one until the Yankers finally moved into a commercial space in 1994.

As word about the company’s character and capability spread, the Yankers realized they were becoming overextended running two businesses.

“We were riding two horses at once,” Ben recalls. “But that’s what entrepreneurs do.”

So, they hopped off the first horse. Ben decided to devote himself to getting educated about all things restoration. He became the first Certified Restorer in the state of Montana, a title that represents the highest degree of professionalism and knowledge in the field. As the business grew, so did Ben’s list of credentials. He became a Certified Water Loss Specialist,

Certified Mechanical Hygienist and Certified Structural Drying Supervisor. From the Institute of Inspection, he earned titles like Master Fire and Smoke Restorer, Master Textile Cleaner and Master Water Restorer. He also earned certifications in color repair, health and safety, applied microbial remediation, carpet cleaning, reinstallation, upholstery and fabric cleaning.

Ben and Gail determined that the best way to build a reputation in Bozeman was to study, learn and apply the best techniques in the field.

“We spent a lot of time and money on education to be properly certified to confidently serve our clients,” Ben says. “We wanted to be innovative.”

Gail says the Buffalo Restoration philosophy goes something like this: “We’d rather do it right from the beginning.”

Doing the right thing, even when it’s more expensive, is what has helped cement Buffalo Restoration’s good name and earn them 5-star reviews all over the internet.

“Morally, you’ve just got to do it right every time to the best of your ability,” Ben says.

Good morals and top-notch education helped the Yankers attract great employees, which they prefer to call team members. Gail says the 30plus Buffalo Restoration staff is like family. Whenever there is a birthday to celebrate, Gail would give the team member a menu and let them pick a

4 I June 2020 PRIME

favorite breakfast food. Then she would home-make staff favorites like huevos rancheros, stuffed French toast and chicken fried steak. With food in hand, she and Ben would sit down and eat breakfast with the birthday celebrator before starting their day in the office or at a job site. The shared meal offered an opportunity to learn more about each team member. In addition to the birthday breakfasts, the Yankers greenlighted their leadership team to incorporate fun into the Buffalo Restoration company culture. They planned company cookouts, floating the river together, kickball games, Nerf gun fights and more. Hiring people to fit in for the fun is great. But hiring people who can put themselves in harm’s way and be compassionate with customers is more important.

“Our guys put themselves at a lot of risk,” Ben explains. “They are exposed to blood-borne pathogens, confined spaces, hantavirus…They are turning chaos into comfort.”

ing with people who are having a really bad day. You have to be compassionate. So, for us, fitting in with our company “The people that we hire need culture is really important. We care about our staff and team to have a servant heart because you’re dealing with people who members and I think that they know that.” have had something bad happen to them,” she explains.

The strong team dynamic is “Whether it’s their house, something that continues today, their business where they’ve even in Ben and Gail’s absence. poured their heart and soul, or Ben tells the story about a Buffalo team member who has a a trauma cleanup, you’re dealThat process of turning chaos to comfort is a serious job, Gail says.

severely immune-compromised child. Other staff members have stepped up to deliver meals to the family’s doorstep, to allow them to stay home and safe.

It’s stories like those that remind the Yankers that they’ve created exactly what they set out to: a company that can thrive without them.

slowing down. After the Coronavirus pandemic, there will be more scuba diving trips in beautiful locales. Gail and Ben say they’re busy re-discovering the hobbies they shelved as busy business owners. Ben says he’s got nearly 74 hobbies or bucket list items to parse out.

“We’re gonna do a little bit And though the Yankers have of traveling and just have fun,” Gail says. officially retired, they are not

PRIME June 2020 I 5

responded. “We still have a cat and that will have to do.”

Somebody groaned. Another in the group shook his head. Most old guys don’t have much appreciation of cats.

One old fellow asked, “After owning dogs, how are you going to endure only a cat that can’t perform the tricks that Dog could do?”

OLD GUYS, DOGS AND CATS

Several of us nodded our heads at that question. The first old guy responded defensively.

“Actually, it’s my wife’s cat and none of my doing,” he said. “In the second place, it’s a fairly intelligent cat as far as cats go.”

Somebody asked, “If it’s so bright, what can it do?”

by Jim Drummond

A

few weeks ago, one member of the old guy g roup had to put his dog down. He was a bit tear y eyed about losing a good friend. T hat caused the rest of us at the old guy waterhole to become sad as well.

Most old guys have owned at least one good dog and had a notion about what he was feeling.

Many in the group couldn’t remember much about our friend’s dog. We generally knew that it was a mixed breed mongrel that acted tough when any of us stopped by to trade tools in the garage. It was a dog that barked a lot. Somebody asked our mourning friend, “Remind me of your dog’s name?”

Our despondent group member responded, “I just called him Dog. I tried a few other names on him when he was young, but he mostly liked to be called Dog.” Somebody questioned, “Don’t you have a horse named Horse?”

“Yes,” was the response, “He was Dog’s best friend. Horse is sure go-

ing to miss Dog.”

One member of our group asked, “How old was Dog?”

Fifteen years old, came the answer. A few of us silently did the dog year conversion math. Fifteen dog years is equivalent to 89 human years. We all agreed that Dog had lived a long and full life as far as dog lives go.

“Dog had a good life,” our friend commented, “And he was the second smartest dog I ever owned.

Dog could fetch a ball, and shake hands, and roll over, and play dead, and open the refrigerator to get me a beer. He was really talented.”

Somebody in the group asked, “If Dog was your second smartest dog, what dog did you own that was brighter?”

The first old guy responded, “That was Max. He was as smart as a human. He could do all the normal dog tricks and a whole lot more. Max could herd sheep and keep a count of them up to a hundred. He could understand anything said in English and

even knew a bit of Spanish. If we didn’t want him to know what we were saying we had to spell out the words. Spelling wasn’t one of his strong points. Max could even answer the telephone. When telemarketers called, we would have him answer and bark into the handset. In his later years he even learned to hum a few bars of the Star Spangled Banner. He was quite patriotic.”

Old guys don’t like to be oneupped when it comes to dogs, so one of our old guy bunch commented, “I once had a smart dog.

He could read a newspaper and followed small cap stock prices.”

Another of the group said, “Long ago I had a dog that could tune up a car.”

A third remarked, “I used to have a dog that could operate a table saw or do small electrical projects.”

Old guy dog memories inflate as the years go by.

Somebody then asked, “Are you going to get another dog?”

“I don’t think so,” Dog’s owner

“Well,” was the response. “If you rattle a sack of Kitty Crumpets around meal time it will come running, and when you pull a vacuum out of the closet it will leave the room, and it even sits next to me and purrs while I’m watching a football game. It’s a clever cat.”

Somebody finally blurted, “C’mon, what good is a cat?”

“Frankly, we don’t have many mice in the house,” was the response.

Before we left the waterhole, a few of us made a wager. Several of us bet that if a cat can’t be trained to shake hands, or herd sheep, or get a beer out of the refrigerator, that our old guy friend will ultimately end up with another dog.

Jim Drummond is a new contributor to the Prime section. Look for more of his witty repartee in upcoming editions of Prime.

6 I June 2020 PRIME

fullest potential as an awake and aware human. Half the world’s religions believe them to be central to any true spiritual practice. But note this: the chakras are not really attached to any particular religion.

You don’t have to give up any beliefs, become a Hindu or start chanting in archaic languages to become more familiar with them. You can, and should, create your own unique relationship to the chakras completely independent of any religion. And above all, trust your own experience.

The energy that permeates through your being is the “glue” that connects your mind, body and spirit.

Be addressing these seven centers of energy you will come to know more deeply the characteristics of each, which areas of your life they influence, and how to activate them.

Over the next 7 months, we will address one energy center at a time.

This emphasis on the Chakra system is meant for you to expand your relationship to your own energy system to see for yourself how it effects the health and well-being of our body, mind, and emotions. You will gain holistic, practical, easy-to-understand

By Nancy Ruby guidance to fully grasp and harness magine a roadmap that A comprehensive blueprint of how the “thousand-petaled lotus” at the these ancient teachings of yoga. Your could lead you towards to use your energy to elevate every crown of the head. yoga practice, and your life, will come your most balanced element that makes you, you. alive with a fresh perspective and Becoming conscious of your and awakened life? A deeper personal meaning. chakras is terrific reminder that Chakra means “wheel” or “disc” step-by-step guide that if you are not merely a human havand denotes a point of intersecNancy Ruby you were to follow, would ing spiritual experiences, but a tion where mind and body meet. runs YogaMoeffortlessly unfold your spirit having human experiences. tion Wellness Chakras are also called lotuses, fullest potential in ever y All the poses of Hatha Yoga are Academy in symbolizing the unfolding of area of your human experiBozeman designed to free up this energy. flower petals which metaphorience. And help you create and describes When it flows freely up the pathcally describe the opening of a more balance in your health, chakra. The beautiful flowers are herself as ways along the spine, the body, an educator, wealth, relationships, pursacred in India. Growing from the heart and mind are completely joyologist and lifestyle engineer.

She pose, love and more. mud, they symbolize a path of de- open and in sync, making it poshas been sharing her teachings in yoga sible to attain bliss and liberation That roadmap exists within all velopment from a primitive being and wellness education for the past 40 – the key GOAL OF YOGA. of us — even you. It’s the hidden to a fully blossoming consciousyears. Ruby currently specializes in energetic system that flows within ness, mirroring the base chakra Yes, chakras are important and supporting the health and wellbeing of fundamental to activating your our bodies known as the chakras. rooted in the Earth, evolving into Baby Boomers and beyond.

A JOURNEY WITHIN

Exploring the Seven Chakras of your Energy Body

I

PRIME June 2020 I 7

THANK YOU TO ALL THE HEALTHCARE HEROES

who are on the front-line every day, especially those who are helping our older adults.

Thank you also to all the volunteers who are sewing, making cards, being pen pals and asking “how may I help?” We can’t do this without you.

From our family to yours – thank you and be well.

2632 Catron Street I Bozeman 406-556-8000 I TheSpringsLiving.com

8 I June 2020 PRIME

FROM RUBBERMAID TO OLD CLUNKER

By Lois Stephens

I

used to be made of rubber: elastic, stretchable, and just about indestructible, or at least that is the way I felt. When I was a child and even still as a young adult, I could leap over tall buildings in a single bound, tumble down stairs, bounce like a rubber ball on the way down, and get up laughing when I hit bottom. I could ride horses all day long, try the preposterous stunts I’d watched cowboys perform on TV, fall with a crash to the ground over and over, but get up, climb back on, and try the trick all over again. I never did master any of the equestrian feats as seen on TV, of course, but at the end of the day I suffered no ill effects as a result of my antics.

Of course, all this has changed drastically through the years, to my bitter chagrin. Nowadays I can’t leap over a small pebble without fear of tripping. If I fell down the stairs now, I would likely lay unmoving in a ruinous heap until someone stumbled upon my crushed remains, and I know for a fact that if I fell off a horse even once, woe is me! It would take at least three weeks before the aches and pains let up enough to allow me to decide that I even wanted to continue living. I speak from bitter experience, here.

Crashing my bike is bad enough, but the thought of falling from a horse makes cold chills run up and down my spine.

Consequently, I no longer ride horses unless they really like little old ladies and treat them with dignity and respect.

The icy days we routinely seem to experience each winter clearly point out my inadequacies in the agility department. As a kid I delighted in pitting my skill against icy sidewalks and roadways.

I’d slide on purpose, having great fun, and if I fell, who cared? I certainly didn’t. I just got up and kept going. Unfortunately, however, these days ice makes me cringe.

I walk carefully and hope I can keep both feet safely on the ground where they belong.

I can hardly bend, flexibility has become a thing of the past, and I smile ruefully when I remember exercises I used to do with no problems that have now become quite the challenge. Backs freeze up, knees don’t respond like they used to, fingers have become stiff and arthritic, and the depressing list of bodily disfunction just keeps on lengthening.

Several Decembers ago, I broke my arm when my feet slid out from underneath me and I crashed to the ground with a resounding smash. The following spring, I again slipped on some ice in my back yard and mashed some ribs, muscles, and ligaments. It literally took weeks for the ribs to mend and for my torso

to once again feel like part of a healthy, well-behaved body. I then broke an ankle December a year ago, which took several months until I was almost back to the preankle breaking stage. This spring I slipped on ice downtown in Virginia City, and again, it took nearly a month until my ribs and chest felt almost normal. My husband tells me I must enjoy pain; I tell him I am just no longer as sure footed as I was in my younger years. Truth be told, I am not as sure footed as I was in middle age now that I stop to think about it.

It really tells me something unpleasant when I think that I went for a little over six decades without breaking any bone in my body at all, performing some outlandish daredevil acts in the process with no adverse effects, and in the past four plus years I have broken an arm, several ribs, and an ankle. I laugh when I see what the police used to ask a person to do when they stopped a driver for a potential drunk driver charge. Heck, I can’t stand on one foot with my eyes closed when I am stone sober. If I got stopped and had to attempt the requirements the police used to ask for during the check for drunk drivers, I would be arrested and tossed in the drunk tank, and I would be perfectly sober.

So, in short, instead of my former resiliency which allowed me to smack into large immovable objects with no apparent damage, I now have turned into the Tin Man: my body squeaks and clanks as I walk, muscles ache when I chop and stack a lot of wood, I am unable to bend much

in any direction, and my joints have rusted.

Even simple activities like a good stretch can cause body parts to creak, complain, and pop.

The world is a dangerous place. A person faces perils every day: she could get hit on the head by a falling object, choke on a bit of brownie, get struck by a motorist, kicked by a horse, trip over the dog and break a bone, slip on a banana peel, get eaten by a bear, fall into a hole, or catch the Coronavirus. The list of possible dangers we face every day goes on and on.

However, a person can’t just stay in bed all day, either. Even bed can be a dangerous place as one ages, as my sister explained to me a year or so ago. She was complaining about a sore back, so I asked her what she had done to herself. She sheepishly explained that she had had a good night’s sleep, woke up, and had a luxurious stretch to start the day. Unfortunately, when she stretched, something popped in her back.

As she ruefully remarked, “You know you’re getting old when you can injure yourself lying in bed.”

Lois Stephens brings personal experience of the aging process to Prime Magazine.

She enjoys writing about her observations of becoming a member of the senior citizen age group. She lives and works in Virginia City.

PRIME June 2020 I 9

See Us For All Your GardeninG needs

North 19th at Springhill Road 587-3406

www.cashmannursery.com

1694633

VICTORY GARDENS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK

By Jan Cashman

I

f there is a positive to come out of the Coronovirus pandemic, it is that people have gone back to gardening. Staying home has

given people the time to garden and the desire to grow healthy

food for their families. The benefits of fresh air and relaxing exercise are apparent. While the “stay- at- home” orders leave us with a feel-

ing of helplessness, gardening leaves us feeling empowered. Gardeners are in control and less anxious when they don’t have to depend on

the grocery store for their total diet.

In our garden center, we have trying. My husband Jerry calls the new popularity of gardening the seen a huge resurgence in garden“Corona Victory Garden.” ing. Vegetable seeds are in short supply and sold out earlier than Victory Garden History: Durever before. Tomato and vegetable ing World War I, the public was plants are selling faster than we can encouraged to garden to help feed grow them! These days everyone starving people in Europe. At seems to be gardening; raised bed first the gardens were called “War gardening is what gardeners are Gardens,” but by the end of World

War I, they came to be called “Victory Gardens.” Food rationing in the spring of 1942 (World War II) brought on the resurgence of Victory Gardens. People were encouraged to use any idle land— parks, playgrounds, vacant lots, backyards—to grow food. In cities, they gardened in flower boxes on balconies and apartment rooftops.

Eleanor Roosevelt even started a garden on the White House lawn.

Rural citizens were encouraged to grow huge gardens that could produce enough vegetables for a year for the whole family. Crops that could be grown easily and canned or stored well such as beans, beets, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, kohlrabi, squash, and potatoes were sug-

gested. The government realized that these Victory Gardens were a good thing, not only for the food they produced, but because gardening boosted the public’s patriotism and morale.

Whether you are a first-time gardener, long-time gardener, gardening in a raised bed, in the ground, or in pots on your balcony, it is springtime in the Rockies. So get out there and plant something!

Gardening therapy will turn off the stress.

Jan Cashman has

operated Cashman Nursery in Bozeman with her husband, Jerry, since 1975.

10 I June 2020 PRIME

Bozeman Senior Center

Menu Meals served Monday through Friday each week – 12:00 noon serving until 12:15 The Bozeman Senior Center is offering hot meals every day starting June 1st. There are no meals served at the center so these meals will be delivered to anyone 60 or over who live in the city limits. If you live out of the city limits, and would like to pick up the hot meal of the day, you need to call before 4:00 the preceding day. We will tell you what time you can pick it up. We will send you an invoice at the end of the month. Call us at 586-2421 to get on the schedule to start eating Fay’s Fabulous Meals.

The cost of the meal is a suggested donation of $4.00. This menu is subject to change due to the availability of food

June 1 – Peaches, Bacon and Broccoli Chicken Alfredo, Steamed Carrots, Garlic Bread, Jello with Fruit

June 2 – Spinach Salad, Beef Stew, Steamed Vegetables, Biscuit, Cookie

• 807 North Tracy • (406) 586-2421 • www.bozemanseniorcenter.org Shannon Bondy, shannon@bozemanseniorcenter.org (Executive Director) Kristi Wetsch, kristi@bozemanseniorcenter.org (Director Program & Marketing)

June 3 – Tossed Salad, Baked Potato Stuffed with Chili and Cheese, Broccoli Florets, Cornbread, Yogurt Parfait

June 12 – Fresh Fruit, Italian Sandwich, Caesar Salad, Chips, Cookie

June 5 – Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap, Pasta Salad, Chips, Fresh Fruit

June 16 – Tossed Salad, Ham, Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus Tips, Lemon Jello

June 4 – Fresh Fruit, Seafood Lasagna, Steamed Capri Vegetables, Breadsticks

June 8 – Orange, Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Bake, Steamed Veggie Medley, Bread, Brownie June 9 – Pineapple, Herb Roasted Pork Loin with Gravy, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Veggies, Spice Cake

June 10 – Tossed Salad, Turkey over Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Green Beans, Dinner Roll, Fruit

June 11 – Peaches, Chicken and Dumplings, Steamed Broccoli, Biscuit, Fresh Fruit

Are you invested properly?

Get a second opinion.

June 17 – Tomato and Green Bean Salad, BBQ Chicken Thigh, Chuck Wagon Corn, Roasted Potatoes, Fruit

June 18 – Slice Pears, Hamburger Rice Casserole, Steamed Vegetable Medley, Biscuit, Pound Cake with Strawberries

June 19 Father’s Day Meal: Spinach Salad, Roast Beef With Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Vegetables, Dinner Roll, Apple Crisp June 22 – Fortune Cookie, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Rice, Egg

Roll, Stir Fried Vegetables, Fresh Apple

June 23 – Fruit Cocktail, Swedish Meatballs over Egg Noodles, Glazed Baby Carrots, Cucumber and Onions, Butterscotch Pudding

June 24 – Tossed Salad, Pork Teriyaki over Rice Noodles, Steamed Vegetables, Sugar Cookie June 25 – Marinated Vegetables, Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, Rice Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli, Fresh Fruit

June 26 – BLT Sandwich, Potato Salad, Corn, Fruit Salad June 29 – Tossed Salad, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Italian Vegetables, Breadsticks, Mandarin Oranges

June 30 – Pickled Beets, Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut, Green Beans, Rye Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookie

BOZEMAN LIONS CLUB

Nathan M Kirby

Drop off your prescription and non-prescription eye glasses and dark glasses, as well as hearing aids and cell phones in the collection boxes at the Bozeman Senior Center, the Manhattan Senior Center, the Three Rivers Senior Citizens Club in Three Forks, and the Gallatin Gateway Community Center

Financial Advisor

edwardjones.com 2007501

424 E Main St #202-C Bozeman, MT 59715 406-585-1141

June 15 – Fruit Cocktail, Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice, Mexican Corn, HoneyCinnamon Chips

Find us on Facebook!

For more information, contact Richard Reiley at

406-388-7840

Visit us on the web at http://e-clubhouse.org/sites/bozemanmt

PRIME June 2020 I 11

PROPER DIVERSIFICATION CAN EASE RETIREMENT INCOME WORRIES

D

uring your retirement, you will likely need to withdraw from your investment portfolio to help pay for your living expenses. So, naturally, you’d rather not see the value of that portfolio decline. Yet, if you spend two or three decades in retirement, you might experience several steep market declines – in fact, drops of at least 20 percent have typically occurred about every four years.

So when a decline occurs, how concerned should you be?

Actually, maybe not all that much – if you’ve prepared your portfolio for all circumstances. Here’s the key thing to remember: While the financial markets may drop sharply at any time, it doesn’t mean your portfolio will fall as precipitously. For example, the S&P 500, an index that tracks the stocks of 500 large U.S. companies, might fall 20 percent, but does your own portfolio only consist of

these stocks? Most likely, it doesn’t.

In fact, it’s generally a good idea to maintain a portfolio balanced between stocks and bonds, with the percentages of each based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. While diversification cannot guarantee a profit or protect against a drop, it certainly can reduce the impact of a decline.

In fact, during a significant market downturn, the difference in performance between an all-stock portfolio and one containing a mix of stocks, bonds and other investments can be dramatic. Consider this: From January 1 through March 31 of this year, the period covering the initial market decline caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the S&P 500 fell almost 20%, but a more balanced portfolio (containing 45% in U.S. stocks, 20% in international stocks, and 35% in investment-grade bonds) declined about 12% – a sizable

drop, to be sure, but far smaller than the tumble of the S&P 500. * Clearly, owning a mix of investments can help reduce the effects of market volatility on your portfolio. But it’s also important to diversify with a purpose in mind. Your stocks and stock-based mutual funds are designed to provide long-term growth potential – which you’ll still need during your retirement to help you stay ahead of inflation. But as a retiree, you should also be able to rely on your cash and short-term, fixed-income investments – such as bonds with short maturities, Treasury bills and certificates of deposit – for your income needs over the next three to five years. Also, it’s a good idea to have about a year’s worth of your living expenses in cashand cash equivalent vehicles.

Cash instruments and short-term, fixed-income investments of-

fer you two key advantages. First, they’re highly liquid, so you typically will have no trouble accessing them when you choose. Second, by having sufficient amounts in these cash and short-term instruments, you will have some protection against having to tap into your longer-term, variable investments when the financial markets are down.

With sufficient cash and the right short-term investments in place, you can reduce your worries about what’s happening in the stock market during your retirement years. And the fewer concerns you have, the more you can enjoy this time in your life.

Nathan M. Kirby Edward Jones

Financial Advisor

BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM

WE ARE STANDING WITH YOU —

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle has established a $500,000 grant fund to assist locally owned businesses during this challenging situation. As a family owned business, we understand what you are going through and have stepped forward to support our community.

HOW DOES THE GRANT WORK? —

The Chronicle will provide $500,000 in matched advertising during the months of April, May, and June of 2020.

HOW DO I APPLY? —

Simply fill out the application online and we will reply within 48 hours.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS —

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle will grant $500,000 in matched advertising to locally owned businesses during the months of April, May, and June 2020.

To be eligible to receive funds from the grant, businesses must complete the grant application and be approved.

This fund has been established only for locally owned and operated businesses.

The minimum grant match that will be awarded is $500 per business for the eligible grant period.

Grants will be eligible for use on any Bozeman Daily Chronicle products or services between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020.

APPLY TODAY HTTPS://WWW.BOZEMANDAILYCHRONICLE.COM/GRANTS/