February 21, 2020
T he C olumbia P ress
Senior Moments
Financial Focus
with Emma Edwards
Seniors are a powerful force
Many seniors are acquainted
with the virtues of old age.
At my stage of life, I can act
like a little old lady when it
helps my situation or I can
express wisdom from years of
life’s lessons. With age come
advantages.
Another virtue I think is that
our spirituality becomes more
intense, kind of like “cram-
ming for finals”! Oh, yes, we
look back on life experiences
both good and bad.
The most current census es-
timate (Aug. 28, 2019) shows
that there are 31,051 adults
in Clatsop County, 8,015 of
whom are seniors. The 2020
census in Warrenton is ex-
pected to show a 16.7 percent
increase in residents 65 and
older. Our overall popula-
tion is estimated to increase
13.2 percent over the count of
4,989 taken in 2010. This data
was taken from the U.S. Cen-
sus Bureau’s Quick Facts. I do
not attest to its accuracy but it
gives us food for thought!
We may wonder wheth-
er our area can care for that
many people, a quarter of
them seniors. There are a lot
of us wondering if we’re in the
right place for health care and
other senior services. Some
wonder whether they should
move closer to the big hospi-
tals, such as Oregon Health
Sciences University in the
Portland area. Many of us have
“enjoyed” a crisis requiring a
helicopter ride in that direc-
tion already.
Will our facilities meet the
needs of Clatsop County’s se-
niors? It’s sobering to realize
the limited number of special-
ists among the limited number
of doctors in our area.
What can we do to sort all of
this out?
A good start would be to call
Northwest Senior and Disabili-
ty Services, where we can learn
about Medicaid, Medicare and
Statewide Health Insurance
Benefits Advisors (SHIBA),
help with food, help in your
home, where to live other than
home, how to prevent and re-
port abuse, and help with well-
ness, mental health, and mon-
ey management.
We could simply look them
up online and “read all about
it.”
Benjamin Franklin said “En-
ergy and persistence conquer
all things.” In other words, no
matter our situation, we must
never give up.
I am reminded of Lewis Car-
roll, who wrote “Alice’s Ad-
ventures in Wonderland” in
1865 when he was 33 years
old. When asked about lessons
in life, he said, “That’s the rea-
son they’re called lessons; they
lessen from day to day.”
Carroll, whose given name
was Charles Lutwidge, also
wrote “Through the Look-
ing-Glass.”
He reminds us that we never
stop learning from the lessons
of life.
Senior lunch menu
Monday, Feb. 24: Mexican chicken lasagna, rice, roasted to-
matoes, spinach salad, chocolate cake.
Thursday, Feb. 27: Hamburger stroganoff, noodles, green
beans, tomato soup, bread pudding.
The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors
open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton
Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation
is $6 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more
information, call 503-861-3502.
7
with Adam Miller
How to avoid estate planning mistakes
You save and invest to meet
a variety of goals during your
lifetime: college for your chil-
dren, long vacations, a com-
fortable retirement, and so
on.
But you probably also want
to leave something behind for
loved ones and, possibly, to
the charitable organizations
you support.
To do so, you’ll need to de-
velop a comprehensive estate
plan. But to make the plan
work, you must avoid some
common mistakes.
• Not writing a will – If
you were to die “intestate”
– without a last will and
testament – Oregon will de-
termine how your property
is distributed. The state’s de-
cisions may not match what
you had in mind at all.
• Not going beyond a will –
While a will is an essential
component of estate planning,
it may not be enough. You may
need to create a living trust,
which, among other benefits,
enables your estate to avoid
probate, a time-consuming
and public process that can
lead to disputes among your
heirs and others.
A living trust lets you place
highly specific conditions on
how and when you want your
assets distributed.
You might also consider a
power of attorney, which al-
lows you to appoint a person
or organization to handle
your affairs if you can’t do so
yourself, and a health care di-
rective, which lets you name
someone to make health care
decisions on your behalf,
should you become physically
or mentally incapacitated.
• Choosing the wrong ex-
ecutor – An executor is
responsible for distributing
property to your beneficiaries
and paying off any debts and
taxes your estate owes. Be-
cause the role of executor is so
important, you need to choose
someone who is reliable, com-
petent and trustworthy.
It’s certainly possible to find
such an individual in your
own family, but many people
choose someone who is either
conflicted, too busy or simply
not up to the task.
If you have doubts about
picking a good executor, you
may want to turn to a trust
company. The costs likely will
be higher than if you chose a
family member, but the re-
sults may be better.
• Not naming proper benefi-
ciaries – Many of your assets
– 401(k), IRA, life insurance
and so on – require you to
name a beneficiary. These
beneficiary designations are
powerful, often superseding
the instructions in your will.
If circumstances change in
your life, such as new children,
or divorce or remarriage, you
may well want to change ben-
eficiaries. It’s easy to do – but
it’s easy to overlook.
• And here’s perhaps the
biggest mistake of all: not un-
derstanding what’s in your
estate plan. You need to work
closely with your tax, legal
and financial professionals to
create a plan you fully com-
prehend and can communi-
cate effectively to your loved
ones.
Surprises can be pleasant in
some parts of life – but estate
planning is not one of them.
This article was written by
Edward Jones and submit-
ted by Adam Miller, financial
advisor at the Warrenton
office, 65 N. Highway 101,
Suite 202. To reach him, call
503-861-2244.
Notice of Pending Type II Administrative Decision
February 19, 2020
Nate Johnson has submitted an application for a two-lot partition of Map
& Tax Lot 8 10W 16AD 507. The subject property is located at 14 NW 6th
Place in Waterfront Landing, Warrenton OR.
The application file is available for public review until March 10, 2020,
with an administrative decision to be made after the close of the 20-day re-
view and comment period. Applicable Warrenton Municipal Code criteria
include Chapter 16.32, Medium Density Residential (R-H) District, Section
16.208.040 Type II Administrative Procedures, and Chapter 16.216 Land
Division and Lot Line Adjustments.
All evidence to be relied upon to make a decision on this application is
in the public record and available for review at no cost at the Warrenton
Building and Planning Department, 225 S Main Ave., Warrenton. Copies
can be made at reasonable cost. Following the close of the public comment
period, the Community Development Director will issue a Type II Admin-
istrative Decision which will be mailed to the applicant and all parties who
submit written comments or who are otherwise legally entitled to notice.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: All interested persons are invited to submit
written comments to Kevin A. Cronin, Community Development Direc-
tor, Warrenton City Hall, PO Box 250, Warrenton, OR 97146 by March 10,
2020. Failure to participate in this administrative review in writing or fail-
ure to address relevant issues with sufficient specificity may preclude your
right to appeal the administrative decision on this application.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION contact Kevin A. Cronin, Commu-
nity Development Director, City of Warrenton at 503.861.0920 or city-
planner@ci.warrenton.or.us, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to
noon/1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Published: The Columbia Press, February 21, 2020