March 8, 2016 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Should Retirees Move Investments To A CD? By Dave Ramsey Dear Dave, My wife and I are in our early 70s, and we’re retired. We have about $136,000 in corporate bonds and $200,000 in mutual funds. Considering our age, should we move the investments into a CD? —Kurt Dear Kurt, There’s always a chance you’ll lose money if you leave it in mutual funds and bonds. That’s the nature of the market. But there’s another kind of risk based on what you’re proposing, and that’s risk of value due to inflation. Assuming you two are in good health, you could expect to live another 10 to 20 years. Most current CD rates are less than 1 percent. Even if they rise to 2 or 3 percent in the future, do you really want to see that kind of return when inflation is likely to rise 4 percent annually? That’s in itself a type of risk, so I would urge you to keep that in mind. No, I wouldn’t advise moving all of your money to CDs. If I were in your shoes, I’d live off the income generated by my mutual fund investments. As for the corporate bonds, I’m not a big fan Dave Ramsey —Dave of those. They entail almost as much risk as mutual funds without the good returns (on average) over a long period of time. If you’re concerned about stability, I’m okay with you taking a little money from your bonds and putting it into a CD right now. But I wouldn’t touch the mutual funds. Her Birthday Money Is Symbolic Dear Dave, My wife received $100 from her parents for her birthday. When I asked what she planned to do with it, she said she was going to add it to her spending money. I think she should put it toward us paying off debt, but I bit my tongue and didn’t say anything. We’re in pretty good shape financially, so should I mention it or just let it go? —Charles Dear Charles, I’m sure you’re a smart man, so Janice Thomas came in the Mule Barn for breakfast the other day, and sat at the counter for the first time. She usually gets one of the tables, or a booth against the wall. We were kinda flattered that she’d come sit with us, but wondered why. After all, this high school art teacher never has been one you’ll understand when I tell you — for to sit down and solve the world’s problems, the way we do. the sake of your marriage and mental She didn’t keep us waiting long, though. health — to let this one go. Seriously, “Boys,” she said, “I have a deer pointer.” is $100 going to move the needle that She let the silence pounce heavily on our sweet rolls while much? It’s her birthday, and it was a gift we pondered this. designed to let her do something nice “A what?” Doc said. for herself. There’s absolutely nothing “A deer pointer. You want deer, you just let ol’ Woof out wrong with her spending a little bit on and you’ll find ‘em.” herself on her special day. “Woof, eh?” If she had asked me about this, I “Yes. He’s that new dog I got after that Lab of mine died. would have told her it was fine. If she I’ve had Woof for about six months now. He’s half bird dog had asked me about putting it toward debt, I would have said that’s fine, too. and half heeler and he points deer.” We looked at each other and grinned. When it comes to It’s not a big deal for someone to have a telling stories at this particular lunch counter, the first liar little fun once in a while. But it’s a bad plan for you to try to get at her gift. Just doesn’t stand a chance. “Points ‘em you say?” let it go, and do your part to make sure “Locks right up. Steady to wing and shot.” she knows that you love her and that “This I have to see,” Dud said. she has a great birthday! So after coffee we all went out to Janice’s place while she —Dave turned this little dog out into the wood lot. He ran here and there and then froze into a perfect field-trial point. We walked Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business and CEO up quietly and sure enough, there was a doe standing about of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored 40 yards away. We’d never seen anything like it. five New York Times best-selling books. “When I got him,” Janice explained, “he thought he’d herd The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by deer, with that sheep dog blood he has in him. Well, the first more than 11 million listeners each time he tried that, some doe just kicked the puddin’ out of week on more than 550 radio stations him. His tail didn’t work right for a week. and digital outlets. Dave’s latest project, “So now he’s switched over to the other half of his heritEveryDollar, provides a free online age and points ‘em. He’s found that works out a lot better for budget tool. Follow Dave on Twitter him.” at @DaveRamsey and on the web at She grinned. “And no … you can’t borrow him this fall.” daveramsey.com. Increased Student Employment Opportunities BROOKINGS, S.D. - An electronics revolution has transformed traditional farming into a high-tech business. Today’s farmers work with technologies like GPS navigation, automated steering, and wireless communications. To stay ahead of these new technologies, farm businesses now can find help from South Dakota State University students who are enrolled in a precision agriculture program. Seventy-eight students are currently enrolled in the precision agriculture minor at SDSU. The College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences provides the precision ag coursework for students in its Ag Systems Technology (B.S) program as well as the Agronomy program (B.S.). According to Van Kelley, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department Head, approximately 150 students majoring in Ag Systems Technology and 300 Agronomy majors will take some type of precision agriculture course during their time at SDSU to help them navigate the new electronics and data management technologies used in farming. These students will be some of the best-equipped graduates entering the ag job market. Precision ag is currently offered as a minor, but could be a major as soon as fall 2017, according to Nicholas Uilk, M.Ed., Ag Systems Technology Instructor. If this occurs, the SDSU Bachelors of Science degree in precision ag will be the first in the U.S. “We are really excited to roll out this new major,” Uilk says. “We look forward to having a better-prepared student entering the ever-changing precision ag world.” The goal of the program is to make sure precision ag graduates have a strong background in agronomy, ag Participating Businesses Are… Rita’s Purse–o–Nalities machinery, electronics and data management, according to Uilk. Employers look for students who have an understanding in all four areas. For example, they need an employee who can troubleshoot electronics on machinery, or who understands agronomy when analyzing data. Potential employment for these students may be at an equipment dealership as a precision ag specialist, with an agronomics service provider, or as an ag mapping specialist, Uilk explains. Keeping up with the newest technologies can be tough. “Precision agriculture is constantly changing and staying current is a challenge,” he adds. “So we try to keep students knowledgeable on current issues that they will face as they step into the precision ag world.” SDSU students recently YOUR RADIATOR HEADQUARTERS! CREATIVE CORNER Riverfront Event Center • Great Parts • Great Warranty On-Hand & In-Stock! NO WAITING! Cox Auto attended two national events to build their knowledge about new technologies. In late January, six SDSU students attended the Precision Ag Innovation Series conference in St. Louis, Missouri. The program focused on how growers and their consultants make the best use of data collected from farm machinery about their crops. 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