The Columbia Press
December 10, 2021
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Just listening can make
someone else’s day better
The art of just plain listen-
ing is a meaningful gift that
can brighten the day for any
lonely person.
Lonely or not, we live in a
world of texting. So, what
do we do when we feel “duty
bound” to check up on family
and friends? Oh, yes, we text
a sweet “how are you?” or
“thinking of you.”
I’m sure the person is happy
to hear from you, but it just
isn’t the same as dialing their
number and having a voice
conversation.
In the olden days (well, my
era) we had to limit ourselves
to three-minute phone calls,
as the cost was prohibitive.
Eventually, the price went
down.
But nowadays, long-dis-
tance calls in most homes
are included with the little
phones from which we text
our greetings.
So, why don’t we call more
often? I’m guilty of this as
well. We’re afraid that, al-
though it wouldn’t cost us
any more money, it would
cost us our “precious time.”
Seniors more than any oth-
er age group are prone to give
in to loneliness and often just
need a compassionate and
encouraging friend who’s
willing to listen to them. If
you are worried about the
cost of your time, don’t let
that hinder you!
I can assure you that, after
talking or listening to your
friend or loved one, the feel-
ing of blessing will far out-
weigh the loss of your time.
That good feeling will linger
with you for most of your day.
Folks are getting excit-
ed that Christmas is in the
air. No need to remind you
how many days are left be-
fore Christmas because I
am sure you can subtract 10
from 25.
There’s an old saying that
time flies when you’re having
fun and also the theory that
time goes faster the older we
get.
I wonder which one affects
most of us? Maybe that’s why
the Bible has so much to say
about time.
Winter officially arrives
Dec. 21 and, with it, we could
have some snow. Howev-
er, it’s predicted we’ll have a
somewhat mild winter this
year.
I did a little research and
learned that the days between
Dec. 8 and Dec. 21 provide
the greatest chance of snow.
Snow can be beautiful and
mysterious, and it can fill us
with awe.
However, we seniors (most
of us anyway) prefer to stay
inside our warm homes and
look at it from the windows.
Some years, we’ve had snow
in February or March. We
welcome it whenever so “let it
snow, let it snow, let it snow”
and keep the delightful home
fires burning – in the fire-
place.
As representatives of God,
it’s been said that our voice
and our time are “more pre-
cious than gold, than much
pure gold; they are sweeter
than honey, than honey from
the comb.” -- Psalm 19:10
7
Financial Focus
with Adam Miller
Give yourself some ‘paychecks’ for retirement
During your working years,
you’ve probably met the costs
of living through your salary.
But once you retire, where
will the money come from? Is
there a way to give yourself a
“paycheck” for retirement?
There is, indeed. But you’ll
have to do a good job of man-
aging your available income
sources.
Here are some moves that
can help:
• Accept dividends and in-
terest payments. Instead of
automatically reinvesting all
your dividends and interest
payments into your portfolio
– which is an excellent strat-
egy for building wealth – you
might want to begin receiv-
ing these payments as part of
your income.
Keep in mind, though, that
companies can lower or dis-
continue dividends at any
time. It’s also true that some
companies have consistent-
ly paid, and even increased,
dividends over many years,
and even decades.
• Choose an appropriate
withdrawal rate. Once you’re
retired, you’ll likely need to
begin withdrawing from your
investment accounts. But
you’ll need to avoid taking
out too much early in your re-
tirement – you don’t want to
risk outliving your portfolio.
Once you turn 72, you’ll be
required to take at least a
minimum amount from your
traditional IRA and 401(k),
but you can choose to with-
draw more, if necessary.
• Maximize your Social Se-
curity. You have significant
control over the amounts
you’ll receive from Social Se-
curity. You can begin taking
these payments at age 62,
but they will be much larger
if you wait until your full re-
tirement age, which will like-
ly be between 66 and 67. (You
will receive the maximum
amount if you wait until you
reach 70.)
So, if you think you have
enough income from other
sources, you might decide to
delay taking Social Security
– but if you need the money,
you may not be able to wait.
And here’s something else to
think about: If your spouse
had considerably higher
earnings than you did, you
may be eligible for spousal
benefits.
• Consider an annuity.
You might want to consider
purchasing an annuity that
provides lifetime payments.
Some annuities are even in-
dexed for inflation, meaning
payments will increase or
decrease each year, keep-
ing pace with the Consumer
Price Index.
Annuities are not suitable
for everyone, though, so, be-
fore investing in one, you
should consult with a finan-
cial professional who is fa-
miliar with your situation.
Finally, don’t rule out the
possibility of earned income.
Just because you’ve retired
doesn’t mean you can’t do
some part-time work, con-
sulting or even open your
own small business.
Look at all these ideas when
thinking about putting to-
gether an income plan for
your retirement. You may
find that your diligence will
pay off.
This article was written by
Edward Jones and submit-
ted by Adam Miller, financial
adviser at the Astoria office,
632A W. Marine Drive. To
reach him, call 503-325-7991.
AGENDA
CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF WARRENTON
REGULAR MEETING
TUESDAY, December 14, 2021 – 6:00 P.M.
Warrenton City Commission Chambers
225 South Main Avenue, Warrenton, OR 97146
This is a Preliminary Agenda. A final Agenda and full meeting packet
will be available on the City’s website at www.ci.warrenton.or.us and at
City Hall after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, December 10, 2021.
Public Meetings will be conducted in the Commission Chambers with a
limited seating arrangement. To adhere to social distancing recommen-
dations, meetings will now also be audio and video live streamed. Go to
https://www.ci.warrenton.or.us/administration/page/live-stream-pub-
lic-meetings for connection instructions.
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BUSINESS ITEMS
Consideration of Development Code Violation Appeal Hearing -
Gramson
Consideration of Development Code Violation Hearing – Newton
Consideration of Advisory Committee Appointments
Consideration of December 28, 2021 City Commission Meeting Can-
cellation
Warrenton City Hall is accessible to the disabled. An interpreter for the
hearing impaired may be requested under the terms of ORS 192.630 by
contacting the City Recorder, at 503-861-0823 at least 48 hours in ad-
vance of the meeting so appropriate assistance can be provided.