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4A Daily News– Wednesday, June 6, 2012 Commerceenterprise business & New business opens in Red Bluff Courtesy photo Knick's Family Fun Zone is designed to provide a safe, family atmosphere with fun games and food for families and kids of all ages. Guests may book birthdays or special events in a designated party room. No mess to clean up. Games and food prices are very reasonable. Most games are 25 cents. Redemption games allow guests to win tickets and redeem them or prizes.The business is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and can be reached at 528-9663. Can you afford not to have an estate plan? By Stephen Datu, JD I know what you're thinking. "With the econo- my sputtering and the cost of commodities and goods rising, who has time to worry about estate plan- ning? So many people are losing their jobs, and many who have jobs hardly feel secure in them. And I don't have that many assets to manage. So I can afford to wait for the economy to recover before I get my estate planning documents in order. Right?" Chamber Ambassadors in full swing Wrong. In these slow economic times, proper estate planning becomes even more important, not less, because it can save you a lot of money. In particular, the living trust is essential to any estate plan. This is because a well drafted and funded living trust allows your loved ones to com- pletely bypass probate. For those who have not yet experienced the probate process, consider your- selves lucky. The probate process can often be a slow, frustrating, and costly process due to the necessary involvement of the court. Avoiding this process means you need to spend less money on attorneys and can completely avoid court costs and filing fees, plus a myriad of other probate- related expenses. The less money your Courtesy photo The Ambassador Program was introduced by Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce Chair- man Greg Stevens and is headed by Chamber Director Chris Goddard.The purpose of the Ambassador Program is to assist local business and events in the community. It is geared up to visit businesses and attend ribbon cuttings and events. Pictured are Valerie Shaw (Express Employment), Dave Bartle (Shas- ta.com), Chris Goddard (Lariat Bowl), Kitt Condrey-Miller (Hard Drive), Scott Camp (North Valley Baptist Church), Sue Becker (Lassen House), Laura Burgdorf (Servpro of North Shasta, Trinity and Greater Tehama Counties), Jenifer Meda (Walker Printing). begun to improve during the last few months and signs of production and job growth become more consistent, your business may decide that hiring a new employee is the next step in growing your market share. But as research and most employers suggest, making the right hire is no easy task. The wrong hire can cause turnover and the harm it causes is something every hiring manager or business owner should be concerned with. Avoiding turnover begins with the right hire As the economy has Lisa Hansen Costs associated with replacing an employee include recruiting, training, lost productivity, and new hire expenses, which can total up to 150 percent of the employee's total annual salary according to author Bill Bliss. And while there are several incentives or programs a company can offer employees to encour- age employee commitment, turnover can often be traced to the hiring process. In fact, research from the Harvard Busi- ness Review shows 80 percent of turnover hap- pens because of a mistake made during this process. Here are a few ways you can feel confi- dent you've done everything you can to make sure don't discount experience in the same daily tasks that the position requires. And if the top candidates for the job have several years of experi- ence in your business' industry, but lack an under- standing of the specific job you're hiring for, keep them in consideration. In an online survey on Refresh- Leadership.com, a blog for today's business leaders, 65 percent of respondents believe qualified experience was the most important part of the employee selection process. Culture Fit qualified candidates for any one job, but take into con- sideration the experience each person has that is spe- cific to your business or industry. There may not be any candidates who have the specific industry knowl- edge you're looking for, but your next hire won't be walking out the door in six months. Relevant Experience There may be several employee, it's important to make sure that person fits your company's culture before they ever become full time. Recognize what your business' culture is and then identify the top candi- dates that line up with that culture and vision. If your company holds a more pro- fessional business attitude, from meetings to dress style, address that in the hir- ing process through inter- When bringing on a new Sheet Metal Roofing Residential Commercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane RUNNINGS ROOFING "No Job Too Steep" " No Job Too Flat" Serving Tehama County Tuesday, June 12th 11AM - 10PM Please Join Us Try our Pepperoni & Cheese Pizza $500 Corning CA., Suite 135 530-824-8800 965 Hwy 99W, 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 Owner is on site on every job CA. LIC#829089 No Money Down! ESTIMATES FREE A Full Service Nail Salon Tips N Toes 20% Off to new clients Debi Stuhr Owner/Operator Shop Antelope Blvd Suite "F" • Red Bluff Cell tipsandtoesnailsalon@clearwire.net http://www.tipsandtoesnailsalon.webs.com A demonstration with hypothetical numbers will show you how much you could end up saving over the long run with proper estate planning. Assume that your estate's total value is $200,000 (after the estate debts have been paid off). If this estate goes through probate, the attorney repre- senting the estate adminis- trator will receive a statuto- ry fee of around $7,000.00. The estate administrator is also entitled to a statutory fee of $7,000. After that, you have to add in the court filing fees and costs, which will vary based on how many complications come up during the probate process. You also have to pay a probate referee to evaluate the entire estate! When all is said and done, the probate process will cost between $15,000- $20,000. That is real money for most people. those other documents drafted is too costly." While it is true that you will pay more to have a living trust and pour-over will drafted than you would to have a standard will drafted, the added expense is well worth it. The added upfront cost will translate into less money spent down the road because you will be able to avoid probate. loved ones have to spend on the probate process, the more money they get to keep for themselves. And saving more money in this economy is a good thing. It's that simple. "So how does a living view questions. When busi- nesses are open and honest about the culture and atti- tude they expect of their employees, they are more likely to attract the right tal- ent. Train to Hire Better Being properly trained and prepared to hire the top talent your company needs is an important part of hir- ing right. Researching can- didates, recruiting skills, an understanding of the hiring climate and knowledge of the laws associated with interviewing are all essen- tial skills to have for some- one in a hiring position. Reckless hiring is one of the top threats to a success- ful company in today's busi- ness climate. Don't let the high costs of turnover and the dangers that come with hiring the wrong employee affect your business. Lisa Hansen, CPC, CTS, owns Express Employment Professionals, 243 S. Main St., Red Bluff. She can be reached at (530) 527-0727. Over 25 years of experience The North State's premier supplier of stoves STOVE JUNCTION Wood Burning Stoves Did you know? We've Got Exempt From No Burn Days! Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Tues-Sat 9am-5pm • Closed Sun & Mon 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Wed-Thurs-Sun 11-8pm • Fri & Sat 11-9pm Knick's Now Open! Family Fun Zone •Games •Prizes •Food •Birthday Parties •Special Events •Fun for the whole Family! 25 PRIZE TICKETS with this ad. 1 coupon per person Good through 6/30/12 830 Main St., Red Bluff (530) 528-9663 find us on face book COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer Smog Check starting at$ Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. (most cars and pick-ups) Sierra Sound Car Audio 35th $ 226 So. Main St., Red Bluff 527-3735 All CD's 13.99 Anniversary Sale or less 2595 + cert. trust allow you to avoid the probate process?" The answer is simple. The trust document establishes who will be appointed to admin- ister your estate. When the time comes to distribute the estate, the trustee is already empowered with the neces- sary authority to dispense the estate according to the terms of the trust. There is no need to request the court to determine who the legal representative should be or approve any actions the trustee may take. "So is the living trust the only Estate Planning docu- ment I need?" Not quite. You also need a pour-over will. A pour-over will is a document that will ensure that the residue of your estate (real or personal property not specifically granted to an individual or entity) will be distributed under the same guidelines laid out in the trust instru- ment. You should also have a power of attorney and an advanced healthcare direc- tive to deal with those times where you may be incapac- itated due to an accident or degenerative health condi- tion. "But having a trust and big or valuable, so it would be a waste to worry about estate planning now." Though you think your estate will not amount to much, you could be sur- prised. While homes are currently worth less than they were five years ago, they are not worthless. Your home should still add sig- nificant value to your estate as long as you are not carry- ing a massive amount of debt. Add in a life insurance policy, savings and retire- ment accounts, invest- ments, miscellaneous household items, and a car, and suddenly your estate doesn't seem so insignifi- cant. "But my estate isn't that "I'm young though. The economy will recover before anything happens to me." And I hope that turns out to be true. But there is no harm in being prepared when it could potentially save you thousands of dol- lars. Plus, proper estate planning can also provide young parents with the peace of mind knowing that if anything happens to them, they have properly nominated guardians and provided for their children. Stephen Datu, J.D. has an office at Liberty Law, A.P.C., which is a local law firm that focuses on estate planning. Liberty Law, A.P.C. has an office in Red Bluff. Call 530- 529-4329 to schedule a free consultation. The