(NewsUSA) - Choosing a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ professional who aligns with your specific needs and goals is important. If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, you may want to seek out an LGBTQ+ CFP^® professional. Here are five ways an LGBTQ+ CFP^® professional could help you.  

Understanding Your Unique Financial Needs

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you often face specific financial hurdles related to legal issues and healthcare. An LGBTQ+ CFP^® professional, whose life experience may mirror yours, may have a better grasp of these unique needs and can tailor advice to effectively address them. Take family planning, for example, where you may face higher expenses or even discriminatory practices when pursuing adoption or fertility treatments.

Sensitivity and Cultural Competence

As an LGBTQ+ individual, you should feel comfortable sharing sensitive personal information that is vital to reaching your financial goals. An LGBTQ+ CFP^® professional offers just such a safe and supportive environment. That’s critical for many LGBTQ+ issues, such as the financial challenges facing people needing gender-affirming healthcare, as treatments may not be covered by health insurance. For this and other challenges facing LGBTQ+ people, you can look to your LGBTQ+ CFP^® professional for guidance.

Knowledge of Specific LGBTQ+ Resources

LGBTQ+ financial planners are more likely to be familiar with resources, organizations and programs that cater specifically to the LGBTQ+ community. That ranges from choosing the best insurance option to retirement planning and elder care.

Advocacy and Support

The emotional support and financial expertise of LGBTQ+ CFP^® professionals help guide clients during life’s major milestones such as marriage, a new job or transitioning. In addition, many LGBTQ+ CFP^® professionals advocate for clients and the greater LGBTQ+ community, helping address discrimination or bias they may encounter in the financial services industry.

Community Connection

By working with an LGBTQ+ financial planner, you contribute to strengthening the LGBTQ+ community. Choosing professionals who identify as LGBTQ+, or are allies/advocates, creates a sense of solidarity while promoting diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Of course, the challenges LGBTQ+ people face may vary depending on factors such as location and legal protections. Efforts are underway to address these financial disparities through policy changes, increased awareness and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.

You may find that there are many benefits to working with a CFP^® professional who is LGBTQ+ or LGBTQ+-supportive. Your decision will depend on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. No matter what type of CFP^® professional you’re looking for, you can find them today at LetsMakeAPlan.org.

(NewsUSA) - This June, the California Avocado Commission invites avocado lovers to celebrate California Avocado Month! Grown in the Golden State with environmentally-friendly farming from San Diego to Monterey by about 3,000 growers, California avocado season generally runs from spring through summer, making June a perfect time to explore every delicious opportunity to sink your teeth into them.

Widely known as a winner of Bravo’s Top Chef, the first winner of Food Network’s Tournament of Champions, and most recently as one of the three titans on the Food Network’s new cut-throat competition Bobby’s Triple Threat, Chef Brooke Williamson joins CAC in celebrating California Avocado Month by developing two fresh and unique California avocado-inspired dishes for summer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, and a keeper of a fruitful home garden herself, Chef Williamson has an appreciation for in-season produce, which helps shape and inspire her menu both at work and at home.

“As a SoCal native, fresh and locally sourced ingredients, like in-season California avocados, are indispensable in my kitchen, especially during the warm summer months,” said Chef Williamson. “I love the versatility of the fruit, and how it adds dynamic flavor, color and texture to virtually any dish. Whether you’re cooking up a vibrant seafood dish or baking your favorite dessert, California avocados pair beautifully with other ingredients, taking your recipes to the next level.”

Chef Williamson’s love of California-inspired cuisine is highlighted in her Braised Short Rib on California Avocado Tahini Puree, which pairs melt-in-your-mouth short ribs with tangy, velvety California Avocado Tahini Puree for a satisfying and flavor-packed dish you’ll crave all summer long, and beyond. For those with a sweet tooth, Chef Williamson’s California Avocado Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake features cool and creamy California Avocado Mousse sandwiched between layers of decadent chocolate cake for the perfect make-ahead dessert.

California avocados are not only a key ingredient in Chef Williamson’s featured recipes, but they are also a heart-healthy superfood that provides naturally “good” fats and are sodium-, cholesterol- and trans fat-free. One-third of a medium avocado (50 g) has 80 calories and contributes nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, making it a nutrient-dense choice.  

California avocado fans are invited to make Chef Williamson’s California avocado creations themselves, check out other seasonal recipes, tips and tricks and more by visiting CaliforniaAvocado.com.

(NewsUSA) - Within fiction lies the seeds of powerful transformation and inspiration. Some of the most inspirational guidebooks are parables, including Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. Both have inspired business visionaries, entrepreneurs and graduates for decades. Now stepping into this treasured category is THE ISLAND OF THE FOUR Ps: A Modern Fable About Preparing for Your Future (Skyhorse Publishing) by Ed Hajim.

Hajim, a seasoned Wall Street investment executive with more than 50 years of investment experience, believes you can’t find the roadmap to success on any GPS or search engine. Instead, this engaging fable drops you into the mind of a young man on a quest to find himself and his personal path to success and happiness. As he meets challenges, we gain a deeper understanding of how to navigate change while remaining true to our values and ideals. The beauty of telling this in fable format lies in its accessibility. “I don’t believe there’s only one way to deal with life transitions. And even if you accept my ideas wholly, there is no single right way to put them into action,” writes Hajim.

To create this book, Hajim used his own extraordinary life as a framework documented in his critically acclaimed memoir On the Road Less Traveled. Kidnapped by his father at the age of 3, driven across the country and told his mother had died, Hajim spent his childhood in and out of foster homes and orphanages. The intelligence, resilience and innate leadership he used to rise from deprivation to the pinnacle of personal and business success provides the insight he shares with readers.

At the heart of the book are the four Ps:

• Passions: Find your passions, find the things that excite and motivate you. Recognize that passions do change and you must monitor them throughout your lifetime.
• Principles: Find the rules that you want to follow and the lines you won’t cross. They provide an important structure and bring organization to your life.
• Partners: No individual can succeed alone. Consider the kind of friends, collaborators, and advisers you’ll need around you, recognizing that those needs will evolve.
• Plans: Find your plans, write down where you want to go and how you plan to get there. Pay attention to your environment, things that will happen during your lifetime, and try to find a wave or a cycle that you can marry with your passions and principles.

“This is a must-read for anyone thinking about how to successfully navigate the inevitable twists and turns in the road ahead, leading to a fulfilling life,” says Wendi Heinzelman, Dean, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Rochester University.

Ultimately, Hajim’s dream is to help anyone fighting to make their dreams a reality. “I hope The Island of the Four Ps will prompt you to contemplate who you are and what you want in life. Ideally, it will spur you to action—helping you engage fully in life, pursue new experiences, and surf the waves of change.”

To learn more about Ed Hajim, his background and his work, visit www.edhajim.com.

(NewsUSA) - As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes entrenched in many businesses, people are talking about what AI means for the workforce.

Ramsay Brown, CEO of Mission Control, a machine learning governance platform for accelerating quality velocity and trust in artificial intelligence, shared some ideas with the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a bipartisan nonprofit organization, in a podcast.

Some of his key points are summarized here.

Brown’s company has coined the term “synthetic labor” to describe a way to think about AI in the workforce. In the near future, tools such as ChatGPT will go from being assistants to being more directly involved in business processes, Brown explained.

As AI shifts from being a tool to being a laborer, AI in different companies may take on names, AI-generated faces, and “a variety of competencies that make them more like a labor force and less like a tool like Microsoft Word or Google Sheets,” Brown said.  “That shift of moving from AI as a tool to AI as a laborer capable of performing business tasks on its own is going to represent one of the most fundamental labor transformations in human history,” he added. “Our organization's goal is to build the ideas to help us navigate that with security and resilience and our values in life,” he said.

Ways in which AI has integrated into today’s workforce go beyond easily automated tasks such as flipping burgers or collecting trash:

- Support services. AI does not mean that a robot doctor will set your wrist in the hospital emergency room. Instead, “it's that every person that doctor used to rely on, such as administrators, accounts receivable clerks, and data analysists, will increasingly be intelligent software,” Brown said. Not all jobs will disappear, but prepare for extensive unemployment among those whose main job focus is support, such as using Microsoft Office, he cautioned.

- Creative codes. AI may be able to write a poem or symphony. However, there will always be “a place where we break something new out of the soul and the human spirit,” Brown said. “The problem is that most people are listening to top 40 music and top 40 is quite automatable. That's already mostly software and coding.”

“The evolution of AI into the workforce is not all doom and gloom,” Brown emphasized.

“Think of our greatest challenges, such as aging, or whether we can become a spacefaring civilization, and think of 100 million fresh minds trained in the state of the art to work on a problem nonstop,” he said. “That is the future; we are at the doorstep, and that is why organizations like mine and other people working on AI and artificial general intelligence are so excited about this.”

Visit scsp.ai for more information.

(NewsUSA) - Spring and summer bring not only weddings, but graduations, anniversaries, and other celebrations, and what better way to personalize a once-in-a-lifetime moment than with custom jewelry?

“Bold and beautiful; modern and contemporary,” says the website of award-winning jewelry designer Cornelis Hollander. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company has four decades of awards and testimonials for its dramatic engagement ring designs inspired by the eye-catching geometry and clean lines of Art Deco style. 

“Our diamond rings are exceptional because they are made uniquely for the wearer, making them exclusive, memorable, and personal. Your ring is the ultimate storyteller of your style and commitment,” according to Cornelis Hollander’s son, Walter Hollander, who inherited the company from his father.

The modern classics of Cornelis Hollander are the perfect fit to commemorate your special moments for a lifetime.

-Weddings. The experts at Cornelis Hollander can design unique rings that tell your personal love story, using original stones or repurposing stones from an heirloom piece.

-Graduations. A graduation is an end and a beginning, and a piece of customized jewelry can represent a tribute to hard work, and a look ahead to next steps and new goals.

-Anniversaries. Whether your wedding was 5 years ago, 10 years ago, or 50 years ago, a custom ring is an enduring symbol of what brought you and keeps you together.

 Jewelry designs from Cornelis Hollander span the spectrum from classic-inspired to head-turning modern, and they are limited only by your imagination. Choose from a collection of styles as a starting point to spark your imagination, or consult with a designer to create something truly original.

-Classic choice: The Een is a best-seller with its clean setting and timeless appeal.  Four elongated prongs showcase a center stone, with two additional diamonds on each side, plus a row of bead-set diamonds along the band.

-Modern edge: The Kader pushes the envelope of boldness in jewelry, perfect for those who embrace the unexpected. The ring features a thick channel that holds an off-center stone in a way that maximizes its brilliance.

Visit cornelishollander.com for more details and to explore a unique collection of handcrafted diamond ring designs.

(NewsUSA) - CARSTAR is Raising Money for Cystic Fibrosis and Giving Back to Their Loyal Customers

CARSTAR, North America’s largest network of independently owned and operated collision repair facilities, is giving back to its communities with a special Summer Splash sweepstakes.

During the month of June, customers will have a chance to win a special summer prize by visiting https://bit.ly/43F038F. To enter, customers will share how they get involved in their community, their first and last name, email, and address. Five lucky winners will receive a prize package of summer essentials that includes a Yeti cooler, four branded koozies, a branded water bottle, and a branded towel.

Additionally, each entry will be matched with a $1 contribution from CARSTAR Corporate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Financial matching will max out 10,000 entries or $10,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If the maximum numbers of entries are not reached, CARSTAR Corporate will still fulfill the $10,000 donation.

Entries will be monitored from Monday, June 5 through Friday, June 30, 2023, 11:59 p.m. EST. Only entrants from this eligibility period will be entered to win and winners will be contacted through their email address used to enter.

The Summer Splash promotion runs in tandem with Shine Season, a three-month-long fundraising initiative that encourages franchise partners and corporate staff to get involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by raising funds for cystic fibrosis research, advocacy, and care.

“It brings me great pride watching our owners and their customers support causes that are near and dear to themselves and their respective communities,” said Damien Reyna, COO of U.S. collision, Driven Brands. “I look forward to witnessing the selfless dedication of our network during Summer Splash, Shine Season, and future fundraising events to come.”

Summer is bringing the heat, but CARSTAR is bringing the shine. With over $4 million raised to date for cystic fibrosis research, advocacy, and care, CARSTAR is optimistic about making a continued positive impact this summer season.

For more information on CARSTAR visit CARSTAR.com.

(NewsUSA) - Functional Architecture of the Human Mental by Joseph J. Jean-Claude and Caroline Stamu-O’Brien

Millions of adult Americans suffer from serious psychological distress. If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, hypomania, etc., or caring for a close one with psychosis, you’ve possibly tapped into numerous self-help books with theories about what you are feeling and facing, and how to cope.

Now there’s another book, referred to as “A Reference Psychophysics Treatise of Human Mentation and its Disorders.” It sits in the Health Sciences collections at Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, Université de Paris, and many others.

A quintessential reference book dissecting every human mental condition – both current and comprehensive critical resource for clinical practice and beyond. This massive work exposes several decades of mathematical-physics research in human emotions, cognition, behavior, personality, and a multitude of psychiatric diagnostic entities. Purchase a hardcase 800-page copy with dust jacket at https://qgworld.gumroad.com/l/izfqf or a selected Chapter in epub at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1371469.

The Empty Kayak by Jode Millman

For Detective Ebony Jones, crime is always personal. But this time, it strikes too close to home. A pop-up thunderstorm marches its way across the Hudson River, ambushing a young couple’s kayaking trip. The woman miraculously makes it back to shore, but her fiancé remains missing. Ebony and her partner are the first responders who rush to the river to assist in rescuing the capsized boater.

The victim’s identity shocks Ebony. It’s Kyle Emory, ex-boyfriend of her estranged best friend, attorney Jessie Martin. The accident ignites a firestorm between the two friends, pitting them against each other in a race to discover whether Kyle’s death was an accident, a suicide, or murder. Along the way, they uncover lies and betrayals, and gather a list of dangerous suspects all linked to the mysterious survivor. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3HWFDiS.

After Here by Dave Wolffe

For fans of Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven, this book chronicles the journey of Joe Golden from his fatal car accident through Heaven. Joe meets people both familiar to him and those who are not, all the while on a mission to find his beloved wife who had passed away one year prior to Joe's death.

This story brings to life the afterlife experience in rich, provocative detail, offering to readers who believe in the afterlife as well as those who do not have a means to envision a place where their deceased loved ones may be enjoying a peaceful existence. This message will bring deep comfort and encouragement to adult readers who have suffered the loss of a loved one or someone special in their lives. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3O1kqIN.

I Will Take You Home  by Rebecca Cupcake Tinnes

This moving and inspiring collection of animal rescue stories begins in the late Nineties when Rebecca discovers a neighboring high-kill animal shelter. Her short, meaningful, and entertaining stories share how and why she created a nonprofit dedicated to saving cats and dogs at the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson Hole, WY.

Most importantly, her essays enlighten and invite readers to help our country become a no-kill nation. The stories fluctuate from experiencing overwhelming emotions in a high-kill shelter to the laugh-out-loud insanity of living with a houseful of animals.

These are the memorable, meaningful stories of one woman’s determination to make a difference for the cats and dogs on death row. The book is for everyone who loves animals and those looking for inspiration to do more. Purchase at https://bit.ly/42rJ49F.

(NewsUSA) - The best career is one that gives you so much personal satisfaction that you’d gladly do it without pay. But don’t worry; you won’t be working for free if you become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ professional. In fact, the pay is high, with experienced advisors earning an average of $192,000 a year. And the demand for talented and skilled CFP^® professionals is greater than ever. The benefits of becoming a financial planner go well beyond the financial rewards and include the following:

Working With People: Financial planning is a people business that succeeds by building trusting relationships with clients. It’s a great feeling when you help someone reach their financial goals!

Setting Your Own Schedule: Many financial planners enjoy the flexibility to balance career and home life. The more life you experience, the more well-rounded a CFP^® professional you become, and the more value you bring to your employer and clients.

Growing in an Expanding Industry: The U.S. government predicts that personal financial advice careers will grow 15% a year through 2031, far faster than other occupations. 

Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? But how do you become a CFP^® professional?

Your road to becoming a CFP^® professional starts with a bachelor’s degree. It can be in any major at any accredited college or university. Once you have that diploma in hand, you’ve fulfilled one of the two education requirements toward becoming a CFP^® professional. Next, you’ll complete coursework through a CFP Board Registered Program.

Or you could earn your degree from a CFP Board Registered Program. With more than 300 registered programs to choose from, you have lots of options to find the program that makes the most sense for you. After you pass your coursework, you’ll take the CFP^® exam.

The exam is tough, but you don’t have to navigate this path alone. The most successful athletes and entertainers had a mentor who guided them from the beginning. So can you. You can find a CFP^® professional mentor who is ready to help and support you as you prepare for the CFP^® exam. Mentors can help you focus on time management, study strategy, staying motivated, dealing with work/life balance and more. By connecting with a mentor, you can gain valuable insights from your mentor’s own experience preparing for and passing the CFP^® exam.

As you graduate high school, who knows what adventures lie ahead for you? One of them can be an exciting and rewarding career as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ professional. Learn more today!

(NewsUSA) - For many people seeking to become pregnant, the process is often challenging and frustrating. Myths and misinformation about fertility and how to get pregnant persist (would you believe—turkey basters?). Consequently, many couples start the process of trying to get pregnant either uninformed, misinformed, or a combination of the two.

Current guidance suggests that otherwise healthy individuals younger than 35 years should try to conceive on their own for a year before seeking medical help for “infertility.” That means they’re on their own often fumbling and hacking their way through those first 12 months before insurance will even cover an initial fertility consult.

“When my patients first come to me, so many of them are still unaware of the fundamentals of conception even after trying for a year – from how to track their ovulation to the importance of taking supplements,” says Dr. Stephanie Thompson, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility specialist at The Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science (IRMS). “Furthermore, many still believe in DIY hacks and myths like using a turkey baster for insemination or taking cough medicine to better their chances.”

To help simplify the babymaking process and help better support a couple’s chances right from the time they start trying to conceive, the company behind the Frida Baby Snot Sucker and the Frida Mom Upside Down Peri Bottle has launched the Frida Fertility product line. The products were developed in partnership with medical professionals and fertility specialists like Dr. Thompson and are designed to help promote pregnancy through pre-conception nutrition, optimizing egg and sperm health, tracking and testing cycles and timing sex.

“Our mission at Frida has always been to prepare parents for the unfiltered realities of parenthood, and now, with Frida Fertility, that starts the moment you think about becoming a parent,” says Chelsea Hirschhorn, mom of four and CEO of Frida.  “Women will no longer be left on an endless internet search for ‘how to get pregnant,’ and can feel supported and informed from the beginning of their conception journey.”

The Frida Fertility collection offers products for different stages of the pre-pregnancy process.

-Preparation: The preparation package includes pre-conception supplement sets for men as well as women. Research has shown the supplements with the right nutrients promote egg and sperm health and may increase chances of conception. The women’s product includes several components of common prenatal vitamins as well, so they can be continued during the conception phase.

-Testing and Tracking: Ovulation tracking is important when trying to conceive, as women who understand their cycle can maximize opportunities. Women are three times more likely to get pregnant during the fertile window, and the ovulation prediction test from Frida Fertility can help. Other components of testing and tracking include an ovulation plus pregnancy test and track set, and an early detection pregnancy test. The set comes with a novel collapsible, on-the-go Pee Cup – ending the days of peeing on your hand to get a sample.

-Conception: Finally, Frida Fertility’s at-home insemination set is designed to facilitate the delivery of sperm to the cervix during the fertile window to optimize changes of pregnancy. This set works for same-sex couples using donor sperm or heterosexual couples stressed by the pressure to perform during a limited time window.

Visit FridaFertility.com for more information.

(David Van Brunt) - With Memorial Day and the official start of summer upon us, it's time to get pools prepped for the swim season. However, as eager as you are to jump in, opening a pool is more complicated than simply removing the cover and topping off the water level.

The steps to get your pool ready for swim season range in complexity depending on your location. If you live in a cold winter climate and fully or partially winterize your pool, the pool opening process can take up to two days. So be patient and plan accordingly.

Following the right procedures is important to keeping the water safe, protecting swimmers, and preventing damage to the pool and equipment. Always carefully read and follow product label instructions, which include details for correct handling, storage, dosing, and application. Remember to never mix chemicals and allow ample time between different chemical applications.

Here are the 10 steps to follow when opening your pool in the spring:

1. Eliminate excess water with a submersible cover pump then remove pool cover. Chances are that a fair amount of water and debris have built up on the cover over the winter, which makes it difficult to remove. We recommend using a submersible cover pump to drain the water off the cover before removing it. It’s best to use two people to remove the cover because it’s heavy and can spill debris into the pool.
    
2. Store pool cover. After removing the cover, lay it flat and brush off any remaining water or debris. Let it dry. Before folding it, sprinkle it with Leslie’s Alkalinity Up or talcum powder to prevent mold and mildew. Fold the cover loosely, but carefully, to avoid rips. Store it in a cool, dry place, like a basement, garage, or storage shed to keep the cover in good condition for years to come.
    
3. Remove winterizing plugs and replace drain plugs. If you use winterizing plugs to protect pool plumbing during the coldest months, now is the time to remove them from the pool inlets and outlets. If you used antifreeze to winterize the suction plumbing, discharge this to waste or backwash the filter to remove it. You can also use a wet-dry vacuum to remove antifreeze. If the water level is below the skimmer, add water to raise the level to normal (around halfway up the opening of the skimmer). Inspect and reinstall the drain plugs in your pump, filter, heater, etc.
    
4. Prepare pool equipment. Reconnect the equipment you disconnected before the winter season, including the pool filter, pump, heater, automatic pool cleaner, in-line chlorinators, and any other devices. Then reattach any ladders, handrails, or other accessories. Lubricate O-rings, gaskets, and hardware with a silicone lubricant to keep them watertight. Once the pump is primed, set it to run continuously until startup is complete. Inspect the equipment for cracks or leaks and replace or repair, if necessary.
    
5. Remove and prevent metal stains. Metals like copper and iron can build up over the winter and cause staining. One dose of Leslie’s NoMetal neutralizes the metals and prevents further staining of the walls and floor. It also prevents water discoloration caused by high metal content. If you notice any staining, you can treat the stain and remove any metals in the pool water with a CuLator No-Drain Metal Stain Kit.
    
6. Test pool water. It’s important to test your water chemistry before adding any chemicals to know what’s needed and in what amounts. This can be done with a home test kit or by bringing a pool water sample into a store that tests pool water, such as Leslie’s, which offers a free AccuBlue 10-point water test and customized treatment plan in just 60 seconds.

7. Balance water, start with Total Alkalinity. Once you’ve tested the water, it’s time to add balancing chemicals to adjust the chemistry. Always follow product label instructions. Keep your pump running at high speed until the chemical is fully integrated into the water, which can take four hours or longer. If your pool water is cloudy, running your pool pump continuously for 24–48 hours will help to clear it up. Don’t worry, your pool pump is designed to run 24/7 if needed.

Never mix chemicals or add more than one at a time. When balancing the water, always begin with Total Alkalinity, since it has a direct impact on pH levels. To raise your Alkalinity, add Leslie's Alkalinity Up or Soda Ash. To lower the Alkalinity if it is high, add Leslie’s Dry Acid or Muriatic Acid. Note that these adjustments will raise or lower the pH, as well as the Alkalinity.

Once Total Alkalinity has returned to a range of 80–120 ppm, adjust the other chemistry levels. Test the pH level again since it likely changed after the Total Alkalinity adjustment. The recommended water balance ranges are as follows:

• Total Alkalinity: 80–120 ppm
• pH: 7.4–7.8
• Free Available Chlorine: 1–4 ppm
• Calcium Hardness: 200–400 ppm
• Cyanuric Acid: 30–100 ppm

8. Brush and vacuum the pool. Thoroughly brush and vacuum the pool surfaces before shocking the pool water. This removes algae and bacteria from the walls and floor and lets the chlorine work most efficiently. Start brushing at the shallow end and move to the deep end. If possible, vacuum the debris directly to waste (if applicable) as this reduces strain on the pool filter. If you do this, replace any water that is lost. If you are not able to vacuum to waste, cleaning your pool filter after vacuuming up any dirt or algae is essential to a successful pool opening. 
    
9. Shock the pool. This is the final step for removing germs, algae spores, and other microorganisms. Shocking your pool is simply a term for raising the chlorine level, sometimes as high as 20–30 ppm. It is an important step if there is algae present in your pool; when present, algae quickly uses up chlorine in the water. Shocking your pool will ensure that your algae treatment is successful. Add the recommended dose of your chlorine product for your pool size to raise the chlorine level to 20-30 ppm. Run the pump for 24 hours, then test the Free Available Chlorine level to ensure it is in the 1–4 ppm range. If the level is at zero, repeat the shock process until your pool water can hold chlorine. Once you shock a pool, you must wait until the chlorine level drops below 4 ppm before swimming again. There are new products available today that reduce the wait time.  For example, this chlorine-free oxidizing shock has a wait time of just 15 minutes, and is ideal for routine oxidation in pools with optimal Free Available Chlorine levels.
    
10. Treat the water with algaecide, clarifier, and phosphate remover. After shocking the pool, run the circulation system overnight, then add algaecide the next day. Follow product directions on the algaecide product you are using. A dose of clarifier will clear up any haze, and weekly use of a phosphate remover will help prevent algae from starting. Depending on the condition of your pool, you may also need to backwash or clean your pool filter again. To help with making maintenance easy all season long, try Leslie's Perfect Weekly or PoolRx+ to help prevent algae in your pool.

Important Note: It’s crucial to use pool chemicals, specifically sanitizers and algaecides, that have been tested and approved by the U.S. EPA, which is the federal agency that protects people and the environment from significant health risks, sponsors and conducts research, as well as develops and enforces environmental regulations. See this blog post for simple instructions on reading pool product labels for the proper EPA details.

Follow these 10 steps and your pool will be ready for the swim season kickoff. For pool owners in warmer regions who do not close their pool, you’ll execute an abbreviated version of these steps with a focus on steps 4–10, as needed. Then, inflate the pool toys and haul out the lounge chairs. Remember, following a regular pool maintenance program will help you avoid any expensive equipment or water balancing issues and let you get the most enjoyment out of your pool this summer. 

David Van Brunt is the owner of Swimming Pool Learning and a pool service professional with over 30 years of experience. He created the No. 1 swimming pool channel on YouTube and hosts the “Pool Guy Podcast” and is also a Leslie’s Pool Pro Partner.