Summer is here – and so is vacation season. When you hit the road, you will enjoy getting away from your regular endeavors. But one part of your life should never take a break – your investments.

How can you keep your investments working consistently and efficiently for you? For one thing, review your portfolio periodically to make sure it's still helping you make progress toward your goals. If not, you may need to make some changes.

Also, choose the right investments for the right goals. For example, for your longer-term goals, growth-oriented vehicles are important. But for shorter-term objectives, you should consider investments that offer greater protection of principal.

Finally, you may want to look for investments that work extra hard for you, such as stocks that can potentially pay dividends. You can reinvest the dividends to buy more shares – and as you increase your share ownership, you’ll help yourself keep working toward investment success.

In the investing arena, as in many walks of life, hard work can be rewarding. So, look for opportunities to keep your investments gainfully employed throughout your life.

This is Courtnie Douglas, your Edward Jones financial advisor at 131 South Walnut Street, Starke, Florida, 32091.

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