HOW-TO OCTOBER 2017
A supplement of the Siuslaw News October 4, 2017
w o H o Choose a Tire Shop T W
ITH
SHERVIN’S AUTOMOTIVE & TIRE
Tires can make a big difference in your driving experience because they affect a car’s steering and balance. Tires also ensure a smooth, safe drive. Finding a great tire shop is important to any automobile owner.
you will want a better grade of tires. Snow tires are good for snow or dry land. High performances tires are good for driving at high speeds. If you commute a long distance, be sure to choose highmileage tires.
peace of mind. Local shops will likely be more inexpensive, and you might get more personalized service. 8OWLPDWHO\ \RXU FKRLFH VKRXOG À W \RXU priorities and budget.
CHOOSE YOUR BUDGET
CHOOSE AN OUTLET
Some people don’t mind purchasing used tires. Pulloffs are tires that came with a new car, but the new car buyer wanted custom tires. As a result, pulloffs are almost new. Does your tire shop guarantee pulloff tires? If a dealer sells new and pulloff tires, the tire installer may not realize that each tire must replicate the way it was installed on the previous car. Failure to do so will result in the steel belt breaking through. When tires have had the worn treads replaced, they are called retreads. A factory buffs the old tread and attaches a new one. Inspections ensure the casing is strong enough to hold a new tread. If you are on a budget, pulloffs and retreads are great choices. Anyone who purchases used tires should inspect each tire thoroughly. %XEEOHV KROHV FXWV DQG PHWDO VKRZLQJ are a sign that you should not purchase the product. It may not be safe.
Cost should play a role in your decisionmaking process. Figure out what you can afford to pay for tires. It will stop you from wasting time at expensive shops. Hopefully, you will only need to buy tires once a year; depending on how much you drive your car.
There are a variety of ways you can purchase tires. They are available through national chains or a local auto shop. You may even buy them online. %X\LQJ WLUHV LQ SHUVRQ DOORZV \RX WR inspect the tires. You can see exactly what you are getting. When you purchase tires RQOLQH LW LV GLIÀ FXOW WR MXGJH ZKDW \RX DUH CHOOSE TYPE OF TIRES When selecting tires, consider the getting. National chain stores usually guarantee climate you live in. If it is dry and warm, the product. They might be more costly, WKHQ D VWDQGDUG WLUH ZLOO EH À QH %XW LI \RX live in a place that gets a lot of snow, then but buying them a big store may give you
NEW OR USED
CHECK OUT THE SHOPS
When you visit a shop, look at their products and meet their employees. You should feel as though the salespeople are trustworthy and NQRZOHGJHDEOH 2QFH \RX À QG D JRRG tire shop, you will likely return again for other products. It is important that you develop a good working relationship.
RACK UP the Savings The tires you trust are now on sale! TIRE SALE GOING ON FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER!
Get up to 15% off ALL tires!!!! Plus mail-in rebates on select brands. Bridgestone • Firestone • Fusion, and many more brands! 90 DAY NO CREDIT CHECK SAME AS CASH FINANCING AVAILABLE TOO!
IT’S TIME TO THINK ABOUT STORING YOUR SUMMER TOYS.
• Let us shrinkwrap them for you! Pricing starts at $10/foot. • Shrinkwrap is proven to keep your item dry and help keep critters out during the winter season. • We can shrinkwrap boats, trailers, atvs and other items as well!
4515 Highway 101, North Florence 541-997-5049 • Open Mon-Fri 8 - 5
Locally Owned and Community Minded!
w o H o Preplan T When someone we love dies, there are varying stages of anger, con-fusion and numbness. The funeral is one of the most significant means we have of dealing with grief. The funeral ritual helps us focus our emotions and brings a sense of meaning to death. It confirms the reality of death and provides a catalyst for mourners to begin talking about the deceased. Experts tell us that being able to talk about the life of the deceased loved one is one of the first steps toward accepting death. PREARRANGING YOUR FUNERAL Prearranging your funeral is not much different than any other planning you have carried out during your lifetime. You buy insurance in case of fire, flood, theft or death. These coverages are purchased as an act of love and responsibility for those you love in case an unfortunate incident occurs. A pre-planned funeral accomplishes the same goals. A pre-planned funeral can prevent your family members from having to make a number of significant decisions when they are confused and upset. They will have enough on their minds dealing with grief without having
Your Funeral
to make several important emotional and expensive decisions in a very short period of time. Experts tell us that there are an average of 50 decisions to be made when arranging a funeral. Adding to the need for pre-planning is the fact that our lifestyle is more complex in today’s world. Family members often live in different states, complicating rapid decisionmaking. Further complications stem from frustrations that occur when dealing with government agencies in different states. A solid pre-planning session can prevent these complications, which can loom very large during time of pain and sorrow. Often, we have special wishes that may not be known to even those closest to us. Discussing these wishes with your family permits you to form logical, well thought out plans. Grief counselors say families are comforted by knowing that their loved one’s funeral reflects his or her own wishes. THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR’S ROLE A call to a funeral director is a good beginning in making sure you have covered all your bases in your planning. He or she can lead you through a process to ensure
Top Five Things You Should Know
1. The funeral ritual helps us focus our emotions and brings a sense of meaning to death. 2.A pre-planned funeral can prevent your family members from having to make a number of significant decisions when they are confused and upset. 3.A call to a funeral director is a good beginning in making sure you have covered all your bases in your planning. 4.Things to discuss with a funeral director include visitation, the memorial service and alternatives from burial, cremation, or entombment. 5. Another important component in your plan is to make sure your loved ones know where your recorded wishes can be found.
WITH
BURNS’S RIVERSIDE CHAPEL
that you don’t forget vital information in your plan. Some funeral directors offer free booklets that provide a list of topics to think through and record your wishes. HOW TO PLAN Topics in these guides include funeral details ranging from visitation, the memorial service, and alternatives from burial, cremation, or entombment. These are the obvious decisions, but other important topics include categories that will provide an excellent helping hand to your family. These additional topics include organizations to be notified with phone numbers, persons to be notified, medical history, estate information, banking information, real estate holdings, and insurance policies. Many also include obituary information outlines, personal property inventories, and special instruction and information pages. There may also be information regarding the importance of your will and how to go about ensuring it is accurate and updated. You also need help in prompting answers to several practical questions which will make things much easier on your family members. These questions include: • Have you selected a cemetery or memorial location? • Are certain religious customs to be followed? • Are there any special readings, biblical passages or musical selections you prefer to use in the memorial service? • Do you want to have a military service? • Do you prefer a specific charity or organization as the recipient of memorial gifts? • Do you want to name pallbearers? • Do you wish to be buried in particular clothing or jewelry? • What type of casket do you prefer? • What type of marker or monument do you prefer? PREFUNDING YOUR FUNERAL Prefunding your funeral is also an important consideration. Your funeral director can show you the options, which will save your family from any possible financial burden later. You may take out a life insurance policy, which would cover
trust account or final expense insura policy. In most situations, funds inve today will be sufficient to cover the t cost of the funeral at the time of need, s interest earned by the funds will off-se effects of inflation. Government regulat safeguard your investment so funds always be available for the intended Another important component in y plan is to make sure your loved ones k where your recorded wishes can be fo Each year millions of dollars in governm and insurance death benefits go unclai because family members do not k where to find the information they nee the time of death. It was Ben Franklin said that nothing is certain but death taxes. This article does not deal with ta but rather, the other certainty of life. It fact that the ratio of death to the popula is 1:1.Everyone dies, so a discussion funeral planning is never irrelevant.
CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PRE-PLANNING AGENDA Social Security: Upon death, depend and survivors may be eligible for cer benefits such as death Payments, Surviv Benefits, and Medicare. Qualificat depend on several factors such as marital status, number of dependents whether employment was under So Security. Your Social Security acco should be verified periodically to en contributions are properly posted. benefits must be applied for since paym is not automatic. Veterans Benefits: Honorably charged veterans are entitled to ben that may affect decisions about fun arrangements. For example, veterans qualify for plot and burial allowan a headstone and burial flag, as wel pension for survivors. Medicaid: There are provisions un Federal Title 19 that allow an individu shelter funds to serve the family late providing for funeral arrangements. Since qualifications vary for each these options, it is best to discuss y particular situation with your fun director.
w o H o Find the Right Residential Lender T
WITH
Finding the right residential lender is an important part of the home buying process. Beyond the basics of how your loan is structured and what interest rate you’re being offered, there are a lot of considerations when picking your lender. Here are a few things to think about. RELATIONSHIP Few relationships are as critical to your success as that with your residential lender. Why does it matter? For one thing, your lender needs to have a thorough knowledge of your financial situation and the local housing market to be able to offer the best products to meet your needs. Many families looking to buy a home have a detailed financial history, making it tough to explain your unique situation and home buying needs in one sitting. If you can develop a relationship over time and stick with one experienced, capable, understanding banker, you’ll be much more likely to get access to the capital you need, especially if you need cash flow for home improvements or a home equity loan down the road. Your local residential lender will know your character and your financial history, and you’ll be able to trust your banker to provide the right financial products when you need them.
OREGON PACIFIC BANK
enough pool of capital to finance larger homes, so they might only do the application themselves and outsource the actual financing to a larger institution in another city, if they’re able to handle it at all. It’s best to find a bank that’s big enough to have strong financial backing, but small enough to still give you and your family personal, individualized service.
IN HOUSE Another thing to consider is who will actually be doing your banking. Just like with other kinds of businesses, banks come in all sorts of sizes and specialize in different types of products, some of which they outsource off-site to other providers. It is important to have a balance between both in-house and brokered lending, that way the Bank can help customers find the best fit based on their individual preference and financial need. You should have a direct line of contact with your bank. The more layers of bureaucracy and lower-level staffers you have to deal with, the more likely you are to experience problems or misunderstandings in the lending process. The important thing is to build a relationship with the real decision maker at your bank — an actual banker, not just an application taker — who can become a trusted resource that can help guide you through the home buying process, and THE SIZE who knows how to help if any issues or troubles arise.. Many of the very biggest national banks have gained a repThe best bankers will not only offer you financial produtation for poor customer service and bureaucratic, hard-to- ucts, but also the advice about how best to utilize them. That navigate departments based in far-flung cities. That makes it means they’ll become a long-term partner during your time tough for homeowners to get the level of service they need. as a homeowner, and beyond. Likewise, the very smallest banks may not have a deep
Understanding Credit Responsible use of credit is essential for financial wellbeing. Your credit history
IS THERE ANY WAY TO IMPROVE MY CREDIT SCORE
can play a big role in your life as you enter into every day living agreements such
1 . PAY I N G YOUR BIL L S :
as renting an apartment, starting up utilities, choosing an internet provider, applying for a home or auto loan, and even applying for a job. In many real life situations your credit history shows how you handle debt and pay your bills, and is often used as a judge of character. At Oregon Pacific Bank, we are more than happy to help you get a better grasp on understanding your credit history. Call us anytime at 541-997-7121 and ask to speak to Lori Gates or Kim Erickson.
How is my credit score calculated? Your credit score is made up of 5 different factors:
Length of credit history 15%
. Catch up on missed/late payments (this will help in the long ru but understand that it will not improve your score immediately).
. Don’t pay for things with your credit card unless you’re certain yo can easily pay it back.
. Speak to your creditors in person about delinquencies or if yo know you’ll be late on a payment.
2 . CU R R EN T DE BT : . Try to keep your balances low.
New credit 10%
Variety of credit 10%
. Pay your bills on time or before they are due (including medic bills, utilities, and parking tickets).
. Set goals to pay off your debt before borrowing any more. . Don’t open more cards than you need.
Paying your bills 35%
. Closing an account doesn’t make it go away. Reducing your cred card balance to 40% or less is more effective than canceling the ca
3 . YOU R CR E DIT HIS TORY :
. Longer credit histories score higher, so using one old credit ca responsibly is much better than frequently opening up new cards.
4 . V ARIET Y
Outstanding debt 30%
OF C R E D IT :
. A higher score usually comes from a mix of credit (ie. credit car and installment loans such as car or student loans), but only app for and open what you need.
5 . A PPLICATIO N S
F O R N EW C R E D IT :
. Apply for new credit sparingly.
. Avoid opening up new cards just to get initial store discounts. Yo may be considered a higher credit risk if you have too much availab credit.
. Avoid numerous applications/inquiries for credit, especially if yo plan to apply for a loan in the near future. member
1 3 5 5 HWY 10 1
FLORE NCE
541-997-7121
www.opbc.com
@OregonPacBan
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