BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015
A4 HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Send submissions or story ideas for the Herald Business page to Editor Jessica Keller, jkeller@hermistonherald.com
Making sure
loved ones are
prepared for their
retirement years
W
hat if a sudden,
debilitating
illness, fraud
or economic downturn
affected your senior family
member’s retirement, estate
or long-term care issues?
Would you be prepared to
take over?
If the answer is no,
you’re not alone. According
to 2013 research (http://
www.pewresearch.org/
fact-tank/2013/07/18/
as-population-ages-more-
americans-becoming-
caregivers/) from the Pew
Research Center, four in 10
U.S. adults are caring for a
ORYHGRQHZLWKVLJQL¿FDQW
health issues.
Don’t wait for a crisis to
initiate this conversation.
Starting early can help you
plan and even safeguard
your own career and
retirement planning. Here
are some suggestions for
starting the conversation:
• Identify the missing
links. Find information
JDSV\RXQHHGWR¿OOWRKHOS
your senior relative plan for
UHWLUHPHQW,INH\¿QDQFLDO
information — investment
and banking accounts,
legal documents or doctors’
contact information — is
missing, list any and all
unknowns to be researched
and compiled.
• Schedule a family
¿QDQFLDOPHHWLQJ6FKHGXOH
DVSHFL¿FGD\DQGWLPHDQG
create an agenda that meets
the needs of your senior
relative. It is not always
necessary to involve all
direct family members in
a preliminary discussion,
but make sure that relevant
individuals are aware of the
meeting. After helping your
senior relative assess his
RUKHU¿QDQFLDOVLWXDWLRQ
make sure to identify next
steps and responsibilities.
• Locate important
¿QDQFLDOGRFXPHQWV$VN
your senior relative to show
you where his or her key
documents and accounts
are, such as retirement
and pension information,
checkbooks, investment
statements, insurance
policies and legal and
JASON ALDERMAN
MONEY MATTERS
Visa columnist
estate data. Find out where
incoming bills are kept in
case you have to step in and
help manage monthly bills.
• Consider seeking
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Any number of reasons,
from illness to fraud, may
explain losing control of
SHUVRQDO¿QDQFHV,I\RXU
relative has been working
ZLWKDTXDOL¿HG¿QDQFLDO
or tax adviser, the family
team should consider
meeting with him or her
if a need arises. If outside
WD[¿QDQFLDORUOHJDO
help is needed, the team
and your senior relative
should discuss who those
professionals should be,
what their fees are and what
you expect them to do.
• Make and agree
on a plan. After all the
information gathering and
discussion is complete,
make a plan — in writing,
if possible — to review
the senior’s wishes,
set an action plan and
assign responsibilities as
necessary. As mentioned
above, you should review
this plan every year. And
if problems emerge in any
topic area from retirement
WRKHDOWKLVVXHV\RX¶OO¿QG
guidance throughout the
Practical Money Skills for
Life website. (http://www.
practicalmoneyskills.com/
SHUVRQDO¿QDQFH
Bottom line: Asking
older relatives about
retirement, estate and long-
term care preparations
can be an uncomfortable
conversation. Making a
plan and initiating early
conversations to involve
the right people can
HDVHWKH¿QDQFLDOVWUDLQ
and stress on everyone
involved.
— Jason Alderman
GLUHFWV9LVD¶V¿QDQFLDO
education programs. To
Follow Jason Alderman on
Twitter: www.twitter.com/
PracticalMoney
Bottom line: Asking older relatives about
retirement, estate and long-term care
preparations can be an uncomfortable
conversation. Making a plan and
initiating early conversations to involve
the right people can ease the financial
strain and stress on everyone involved.
MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO
People from all over the region traveled to Hermiston this weekend to attend the winter horse sale at the Umatilla County Fair-
grounds.
Dozens travel from all over
region to sell, buy horses
BY MAEGAN MURRAY
HERMISTON HERALD
As soon as Kylie and
Mary McElligott could sit
on a saddle, they were rid-
ing horses on their family
farm, the McElligott Ranch
in Ione.
The sisters said they
need to ride to help out
around their family’s farm,
but mostly they ride for fun.
Mary McElligott said
they learned how to ride
bareback because they
weren’t allowed to ride
their horses until they could
saddle the large animals,
themselves.
“That’s how we learned,”
she said. “That’s now our
favorite way to ride.”
Kylie McElligott, 21,
and Mary McElligott, 20,
now work full time on their
family’s farm and attend
horse auctions with their
family, like Saturday’s
Horse Sale Extravaganza at
the Umatilla County Fair-
grounds.
Kylie McElligott said
she now owns three hors-
es, while Mary McElligott
owns one. At their family’s
ranch, however, they have
about 25 horses, altogeth-
er, they said. As they have
gotten older, they have had
more opportunities to help
WKHLUIDPLO\¿QGWKHKRUVHV
they need to manage their
ranch.
On Saturday, the McEl-
ligott sisters were looking
for a horse for their father
to use on the farm.
“We want something
young,” Kylie McElligott
MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO
Kylie and Mary McElligott watch the Hermiston horse sale
Saturday afternoon at the Umatilla County Fairgrounds. The
sisters were looking for a horse for their father to use on their
family ranch in Ione.
said. “We want something
for roping, that kind of
stuff.”
When looking for a
horse on which to bid, Ky-
lie McElligott said age is a
big factor, but so are other
things including correct-
ness — the horse’s structur-
al soundness. She said they
want to make sure they buy
something strong, healthy
and ready to work on their
farm.
More than 500 horses
were sold to interested buy-
ers Saturday, and, of the
people selling the horses,
many said they want their
horses to show their best
attributes.
Ted and Jackie Cupp, of
Caldwell, Idaho, said they
have attended the horse sale
in Hermiston every year for
the past 35 years and have
probably sold close to 500
horses in that time. The
key to selling a horse for
the most money, Ted Cupp
said, is demonstrating the
animal is healthy and gen-
tle.
“Gentle is the biggest
deal,” he said. “It takes a lot
of riding time to get a horse
JHQWOH,WFDQEHSUHWW\GLI¿-
cult. People also go for col-
or. That is also a big thing.”
Cupp said, through the
years, they have had a lot
of success at the Hermis-
ton horse sale. This year,
the Cupps sold four hors-
es ranging in age from 3
to 11 years old. He said
raising and breaking hors-
es is what he does for a
living.
“We buy and sell, train
rogue horses,” he said. “We
have a small ranch in Cald-
well.”
For others, raising and
selling horses is a hobby.
Lee and Beverly Newell
traveled from Prineville,
Oregon, to sell three horses
ranging from yearlings to
three years old.
Beverly Newell said
they have been selling hors-
es at the Hermiston horse
VDOHIRU¿YHWR\HDUVEXW
they have raised horses for
longer than that.
“Even though we did
other things, we have al-
ways had a farm,” she said.
Through the years, Bev-
erly Newell said she and
her husband have sold
dozens of horses to inter-
ested buyers ranging from
rodeo competitors to those
looking for a steady ranch
horse. Their horses, howev-
er, are bred for the arena.
“Our horses are bred for
barrel racing and are arena
horses,” she said.
At the horse sale on Sat-
urday, Newell said she was
just hoping to get the best
prices they could for their
animals.
“You never know what
the market will do when
you come to an auction,”
she said.
Brooke Brumley, Mis-
sion, Oregon, said she gets
a different perspective at
the auction sale. Her job,
she said, is to take care of
the horses and then ride
them in the arena as people
buy them for their highest
going price.
Brumley said, by keep-
ing the animal calm and
demonstrating what it is
capable of, she helps boost
the bidding so the horse
sells for their highest price.
“It’s all fun,” she said.
BUSINESS BITES
Shearer’s Snacks to host
military job fair
bers. For more information or to R.S.V.P.,
call the chamber, 541-567-6151.
Shearer’s Snacks will host a military job
fair from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. the third Friday
of each month at the Hermiston facility,
78035 Highway 207. Current and former
military members and their family mem-
bers are invited to attend. For more infor-
mation about openings or to apply, visit
shearers.com.
SAGE Center job fair slated
Business luncheon scheduled
The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce
will host a Business to Business Lun-
cheon beginning at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday
at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415
S. Highway 395. Chuck Sheketoff, from
the Oregon Center for Public Policy, will
speak. The cost for the luncheon is $10 for
chamber members and $13 for non-mem-
The second annual SAGE Center Agri-
culture and Energy Job Fair is set for 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4 at the SAGE Center,
101 Olson Road in Boardman.
The event is open to the public, giving
attendees a chance to visit with area food
processors, utilities, farms, local govern-
ment agencies, data centers and education-
al institutions about careers, education and
job-seeking help.
Blue Mountain Community College,
Walla Walla Community College, Perry
Technical Institute, Oregon State Universi-
ty and Eastern Oregon University are also
attending to provide information about ed-
ucational opportunities.
For more information and a list of or-
HermistonHerald
VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 14
JESSICA KELLER
EDITOR
jkeller@
hermistonherald.com
541-564-4533
MAEGAN MURRAY
REPORTER
mmurray@
hermistonherald.com
541-564-4532
ganizations attending, visit the SAGE Cen-
ter website job fair page at www.visitsage.
com or call (541) 481-7243.
HAREC receives $5,000 grant
Northwest Farm Credit Services has
awarded the Oregon State University Herm-
iston Agricultural Research and Extension
Center in Hermiston a $5,000 Northwest
FCS/CoBank Rural Community Grant
Award. The grant will be used for a new
building, including three insect-rearing
rooms, one tissue culture room, an agronomy
laboratory and an equipment room.
“We are so pleased by the support from
Farm Credit Services toward our new build-
ing at Oregon State University’s Hermis-
ton Agricultural Research and Extension
Center,” HAREC Professor Emeritus and
Director Phil Hamm said. “This building
will support new facilities that will aid our
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising
or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our of¿ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: www.hermistonherald.com
SEAN HART
REPORTER
smhart@
hermistonherald.com
541-564-4534
SAM BARBEE
SPORTS REPORTER
sbarbee
@hermistonherald.com
541-564-4542
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays and Saturdays
Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties .........................$42.65
Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ......................$53.90
STEPHANIE BURKENBINE
MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT
sburkenbine@
hermistonherald.com
541-564-4538
faculty and staff to continue to provide
QHZVLJQL¿FDQWUHVHDUFKEDVHGLQIRUPDWLRQ
to support high value irrigated agriculture
in the region. The building will be named
after Don Horneck, a well-respected agron-
omist/soil scientist, colleague and friend
who had been a faculty member at HAREC
the past 15 years. He died unexpectedly a
couple of months ago. Thanks so much for
your support.”
This year Northwest FCS, with support
from CoBank, has awarded 83 rural grants
totaling nearly $150,000. Since 2007, North-
west FCS has presented 353 rural grants to-
taling more than $710,750.
Northwest Farm Credit Services is a cus-
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erman, timber producers, rural homeowners
and crop insurance customers in Montana,
Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
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