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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2015-05-14, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015. PAGE 7. Ask A Financial Advisor Is My Portfolio Properly Diversified? Brian Hilt - Financial Advisor 19 Main St. N Bayfield, ON N0M 1G0 (519) 565-2700 brian.hilt@edwardjones.com Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund In today’s market and economic environment, one of the most important things you can do is improve the quality and diversification of your portfolio. Diversification cannot guarantee profit or protect against loss, but having a healthy mix of investments has proven to be an effective, long- term wealth-building strategy for many investors. Here are a few guidelines to consider: • If you own mutual funds, and any one fund represents more than 25% of your overall portfolio, it’s probably prudent to trim that back. And make sure you have appropriate international exposure. • If you own individual stocks, you want to have a sizeable basket of stocks spanning each major industry and various countries. As a rule of thumb, 25 should be appropriate, or 15 if you also own mutual funds. • If you own individual bonds, you should consider holding 10-20 in a laddered portfolio, whereby you’ll have an appropriate mix of short, intermediate and long-term maturities. Speak with your financial advisor to help you assess your portfolio and to decide on possible adjustments tailored to your particular situation. Have a question you want answered here? Ask Brian by phone or email. RR#1 39843 LONDESBORO RD., LONDESBOROUGH PHONE/FAX 519-523-9781 LOCATED 500 YARDS WEST OF LONDESBOROUGH ON CTY. RD. 15 The Perfect Gift... LOADABLE GIFT CARDS Let us help you Plant Some Happiness! See our Huge selection of • hanging baskets • annuals • perennials • trees, shrubs and more! We are now open extended hours to serve you. Monday - Friday 8 am - 8 pm; Saturday 8 am - 5 pm; Sunday 9 am - 4 pm Clinton & Central Huron GRAND OPENING & PIG ROAST Wednesday, May 20th 2 pm to 6 pm Market runs weekly from May 20 - Sept. 16 New time 2 pm - 6 pm For more information contact Sandy at Made In Huron ~ 10 Huron St., Clinton 519-525-0671 FARMERS’ MARKET Downtown Clinton at Library Park A mystery Londesborough correspondent Brenda Radford enjoys her visits with Bob Trick as they usually involve some sort of mystery item, like the one shown above. Radford gave a hint to help mystery lovers along: “This is a forerunner of an item that has become popular in recent months in many homes.” Can you figure out what it is? Check this space in the May 21 issue of The Citizen for the answer. (Brenda Radford photo) South Africa’s history different for each group: Watt By Morag Watt No discussion about South Africa can be complete without some understanding of the history of the country but a meaningful discussion would need to involve someone far more expert than myself so I will limit my discussion to some very broad points of history and information shared with me. The only recognized original inhabitants of South Africa are the San people who were driven out and persecuted almost to extinction by early immigrants to the region. The modern day tribes are largely descendants of natives of countries further north in Africa who migrated south generations ago. The first white settlers to the region were the Dutch in 1652 under Jan van Riebeeck, who were looking for a mid-point on the eastern spice trading route where they could restock their ships with food and supplies along the journey. Finding little resources on the Cape, they brought Dutch farmers to the area to establish a colony to supply the trade ships. The British followed and since that time there has been an almost constant struggle between these two white factions for control of South Africa. This was further fuelled by the desire to control the lucrative gold, diamond and later platinum resources discovered there. Until 1994, South Africa was under minority white rule, switching back and forth between the Dutch and the British. There is significant representation by many other ethnic groups as well: Malay, (East) Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, French, to name a few. Some of these groups fled to South Africa to avoid persecution in their own countries. Others were originally brought as slaves. The long and violent struggle against Apartheid (the practice of keeping blacks and whites separate) ended in 1994 and saw the election of Nelson Mandela as the first black president of the country in the first general election in which blacks were given the vote. Many white South Africans left the country at that time, fearing that South Africa would follow what has been experi- enced in other African countries where there is now black leadership (such as Rhodesia, which is now Zambia and Zimbabwe) where whites have been driven out, often the victims of violence and brutality. Fortunately, Mandela, or Madiba (his Xhosa clan name as he is known throughout South Africa by both blacks and whites) emerged as a remarkable world leader with the perception to recognize that we can only move forward not backward and that the only way to do that was to forgive the past and build a common future. He became the father of what he affectionately coined, “The Rainbow Nation.” Unfortunately, in my opinion it is questionable whether the two black presidents who have followed him have grasped or engendered this philosophy. South Africa remains very volatile both politically and socially. Corruption is rampant in all levels of government and social services and there is a disturbing anti-white tone to the politics and practices of the current government. The BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) system favours the hiring of blacks over whites; the “reorganization” of government departments and companies to increase the number of blacks in positions of authority whether they are qualified or not; and, the immigration and social service restructuring which favours blacks over whites, are in my opinion, just examples of reverse discrimination which do nothing to further the country. There is no question that terrible atrocities have taken place throughout a very complex history in South Africa but what is often misunderstood is that there is no race that can claim exemption from these atrocities, black or white. Some conflicts were racially motivated, some politically motivated, some financially motivated, but they are all sad pages in the history book. All races in South Africa tell a completely different story depending upon their perspective. No matter what their story, one is struck by the depth of their passion for it, each group believing unequivocally that their’s is the “right” way. Personally, beyond the fact that understanding the history helps me understand the culture, I am not interested in assigning blame, but rather agree with Nelson Mandela. We can only move forward and it is my fervent hope that South Africa will be able to reach the common ground that will help her find the pot of gold that is “The Rainbow Nation.” Continued from page 6 needs to be weeded just like our outdoor gardens. Kittie read a humourous story written by a church organist who chronicled her life through her shoes, especially those she played the organ in. President Laura Scott conducted the business portion of the meeting. It was decided to again assist financially the parents of children in our congregation who wish to attend a Christian camp this summer. Contact Laura for more information. The UCW will lead the Sunday morning service on June 7. This is Conference Sunday. The ladies are planning a summer theatre outing for July 7. Everyone in the congregation is invited to come along to see The Wilberforce Hotel at the Blyth Festival. Tickets for the theatre are $26. Dinner before the show will again be arranged as well. Contact Joan Goodall by June 7 for tickets. Londesborough UCW is on the committee planning the campsite experience at Camp Menesetung on June 8. Plan to attend this ladies day out. UCW to aid summer camp goers Purses Downtown Blyth 519-523-4740 Bainton’s Old Mill Get wedding advice and tips, see a case study and read about local brides on the Brides in Huron section of our website www.northhuron.on.ca